The five daily habits that will improve your employability

Ever wonder what you can do to enhance your employability?

Michael Page, recruitment experts share five daily habits that will improve your employability.

1. Surround yourself with intelligent people

You are the sum of the people you surround yourself with, so it is important to spend time with intelligent people who elevate your thinking.  Richard Branson is big on the idea that surrounding yourself with people who are smarter than you is the key to success.  Henry Ford also once said, "I am not the smartest, but I surround myself with competent people." 

Action step: Find opportunities to surround yourself with passionate, successful individuals. Delve into workshops or competitions that are specific to your field, join professional groups, or even reach out to thought leaders through LinkedIn and take one out to lunch. By building your own personal community of inspiration, you will find career mentors and put yourself in the position to land exciting career opportunities.

2. Visualise your success 

Many famous athletes, actors, doctors, and entrepreneurs credit their endeavours to using mental imagery to help manifest their success.  Jim Carrey wrote himself a cheque for $10 million dated five years ahead and carried it in his wallet until he landed his role for Dumb and Dumber that – yes – paid him that $10 million. There are hundreds of studies that prove that mental imagery primes your brain for success and increases your performance in real life.  If you can see it, you can make it happen. 

Action step: Set aside ten minutes every morning to envision yourself in your ideal career. Close your eyes, relax your mind and imagine every single detail as if it were happening now. What is your environment like? What are you accomplishing? Who are you with? How are you feeling?  What are you wearing? Eliminate any doubts if they come and allow yourself to think big! The more you do this, the more clarity, purpose and direction you will have, and the closer you will get to achieving your wildest dreams.  

3. Spend time improving your skills 

Sharpen one skill and make it your sword.  Establish what you are great at and invest time into becoming brilliant at it. If you can show employers that you are not only an expert in a specific area, but you can also corner the market by being their expert, you will move from being a decent prospect to a must-have part of any company.

Action step: Define your top three skills and choose one that you would like to improve over the next month. Commit to spending 15 minutes each day learning about it (books, podcasts, classes, etc.) and put those learnings to use in daily life. 

4. Publish yourself online

Your ‘employability’ will skyrocket when people Google your name and discover how your presence is shaping their field.  Showcase your unique point of view and make yourself easily discoverable by the people and companies you would like to work for.  

Action step: Use the internet as a constantly updating CV and consider some of the following.

• Write your own blog or guest post for a blog in your industry.
• Produce a 5-minute YouTube video highlighting your strengths, e.g. a “How-To”.
• Tweet on a daily basis, as an industry expert.
• Create and update your own professional website.
• Develop a podcast.
• Write and/or post articles on LinkedIn.

5. Meet one new person a day - or follow up with someone you’ve met before

Great relationships are at the core of all success and happiness. You can never know too many people, and the truth is that people do business with people they like. When Bill Clinton was 22, he would carry around a notebook and write down the names and details of each person he met.  His genuine interest in people coupled with his clear vision for the future lead to his eventual role as the president of the United States. 

Action step: Step out of your normal social circle and engage with people you’ve never interacted with before. Cold call or email people who already have your dream job and clearly describe how you can help them and why they should meet you. Engage with them on social media to warm up their interest. Consider hosting your own events with a colleague or starting your own personal interest group. Before you know it, you will have built an incredible network of friends, followers, and career superheroes. 

Looking for a change? Here’s some advice on how to change your career path and some face-to-face networking tips.