In today’s world we often see our friends or co-workers move on to different jobs. Gone are those days where individuals stick on to their job that they hold on for ten years.
People consider a career to be holding on to jobs with different employers in different employment sectors throughout their working life.
That means that they are flexible in their approach to the types of working patterns that they face for their own betterment.
Meaning of Employability:
It is how an individual is able to gain a job and maintain the job he has got. For this the individual utilizes his knowledge and skills that he possess.
In other words it is how he is able to make himself/herself suitable for market needs and make himself/herself sustainable in terms of employment.
How Does Employability Differ from Employment?
Consider an employee in a job at present situation who is able to execute the job to the best of his/her abilities.
The employee is considering himself/herself employed. That means employment is considered to fit in terms of the company.
1. Adopting the trend:
The company can show progress only if they adopt to the trend that comes about due to economic changes in the world.
To suit to the trend, the company could make changes to the type of job that needs to be done.
Hence, the employee doing that particular job would have to move to another role or modify his skill set to suit himself to the trend.
This competitiveness is indeed the need for the future and so does the employment needs. You could consider this aspect as being employability.
2. Developing new skills:
In other words, individuals who looks into the future aspects would considering developing new skills to remain in the market of employment.
His / Her chances for employment is higher if they make themselves employable. That means to learn new courses to enhance their soft skills, to learn new computer programs, to upgrade their education certifications etc.
The phase of learning comes out only when the individual takes interest in their career path by reviewing the skills they need to upgrade.
3. Genuine interest:
Besides that, it’s the organizations agility to make trends within the workforce that makes them successful.
Moreover, an individual would find their work interesting if their employer is genuinely interested in their career and offer opportunities for them.
The career management practices that an individual faces in his/her job are quite challenging.
4. Deployment:
It is noted that successful organizations are those who are able to deploy people in response to the changing needs of their business. This paves way for creation of new avenues in the path of career.
Any successful organization utilizes certain practices where individuals receive development that keep them employed and thereby they create talented, flexible, employable people who can be transferred to other jobs easily.
The challenge of today’s world is make people employable.
5. Security:
Employability is a term that all employees love to hear. Why?
Because it will help them to become developed in terms of new skill and ultimately experience.
By that he / she would be fit for a role making them feeling secured in their employment. This would also enhance their possibilities in the labour market giving an edge over others in terms of performance.
6. Investment in employees:
All employers are not too happy in investing in getting their employees employable as their investment would equip their workers to move out.
Investments are mostly to keep them and help them to take up the next level of their career ladder or to certain jobs that is required during a demand or when people leave.
Ultimately, it is to benefit them as they want people to be ready to take up jobs pre-determined. Such cases, where the skills are not being utilized appropriately, will create rigidity.
The employees become narrowly experienced with over specialization and hence committed to one particular employer or career.
7. Retention:
In other words, employability helps in retention and motivation of employees when the employment opportunities are being enhanced by allowing individuals to develop their skill sets.
This paves the way for keeping talented workforce in their group to enhance their success.
What are the Techniques to Enhance Employability Skills?
It’s no doubt that education and experience can get you a job. But to be successful in your job you would need to exhibit ‘employability skills’.
They could be ‘soft skills’ like communications, teamwork, problem solving, decision making, etc. and ‘technical skills’ like reconciling accounts, testing of products, repairing motors, etc.
The employers are looking out for those skills to make their organizations successful. Also it will help you to perform better and for your future prospects.
These skills are essential during any phase of your career like during your internship, staring at a new workplace, or mid-career.
So, let’s have a review of some methods to enhance the employability skills.
Ways to Improve your Employability:
1. Through course and education:
You could find that to enhance career growth there is a certain course that is very much needed to help you climb the ladder. Then don’t stop yourself.
Register for that and make enough time for yourself to take that certification!
Sometimes by participating in industry associations or professional groups you could get opportunities to get registered for such programs.
By registering for programs you could enhance following skills namely Analytical thinking skills, Problem solving, Communication – both written and verbal, Numerical, Information technology, Planning and organising, Teamwork and Technical.
2. Through volunteering:
Volunteering yourself for a small community event or projects at your college will definitely help in developing your organizational skill.
Here you would be facing a situation of planning for the event, carrying it out, making arrangements for its completion.
Every step in it involves your strategic planning which is very useful in real time workplace.
Skills like Teamwork, Working under pressure, Planning, Leadership, Co-ordination, Tolerance, Decision making, Communication, Adaptability, Speaking, Problem solving, Initiative, Interpersonal, Analysing, Listening gets enhanced.
3. Through participation:
You could participate in steering committee meetings, volunteer groups, councils, seminars, professional development groups, etc.
Participation is not just sitting around with the team. It defines your involvement in the work that is being assigned. You would need to work together for a cause.
The main skills you would enhance is your teamwork, communication, listening, decision making skill which is the most sought after by employers.
4. Through Public speaking forums:
These forums allows individual to express their contents of interest in a mode that is easy to understand.
Even volunteering for being group spokesperson would enhance your communications skill. Try to participate in small group discussions and hold no fear on speaking out.
You would not only enhance your communication skill but also make you bold in speaking out your thoughts that you intend to express clearly. Besides that you would be able to adopt some features of leadership qualities.
5. Through Presentations:
Whether you are an administrator or a Manager or a clerk the ability to present the information in appropriate way is critical.
Take opportunity to express your projects, your ideas, your concepts through presentations.
Presentations need not be in formal way only it would need to be presented in the form of notes, reports, research papers, strategic plans, etc. and it involves your creativity and thinking skills. Take criticism in the right attitude.
6. Through self-motivation:
Nothing can be more valuable than being self-motivated. This quality that you may possess can be nurtured by reading self-help books and by practicing to develop objectives or goals for yourself.
Even setting your personal goal is fundamental tool to develop professional goal. By being able to derive a path for fulfilling them you would be able to develop this trait within you.
7. Through networking:
It is obvious that in today’s digital world, information is being shared through websites that cater to social causes and needs. Having good set of networks is critical to enhance your professional development.
Make efforts to join professional groups to familiarize yourself with professionals who you respect for their work and behaviour.
8. Through part time work:
Many a times you would be obliged to take up part time to help you in getting towards your objectives. Part time work is very helpful in making you adapt to the real time work place.
Here you would learn how to adapt to new situations, be customer friendly, handle queries, enhance listening skills, handle cash that means calculate using numbers, organizing and planning and work under pressure.
What do I need to make myself employable?
Having reviewed the methods to enhance employability you need to know how would you know whether you are employable or not. You could consider it step by step.
1. During early in life:
Don’t wait for you to get a job and then make yourself be employable. Start off when you are young even during your high school or at least during college days.
It will help you to better manage when you arrive at the stage of taking up employment and learning phase is a better time.
2. By reviewing yourself:
Know your strengths and weakness first. First ,write down the skills that is needed for being employable. Then check box against each skill to know whether you are good at it or not.
3. Make plans:
Once aware about the skill set that is needed you would need to make plans to achieve them. You would need to think about the ways you would prefer to adopt to get those skills on your side.
4. Do some research:
If you are not sure about what you need, do some research on those that is available and which you can easily access. Start with those available and surely you would pick up the rest.
5. Know how to react:
Once you are sure about what you need to do, you need to know how to practice them and get it into your life. Don’t take it all at a time. Make changes to yourself slowly. Evaluate yourself and act sensibly.
So you can see that employability is not just getting to a job but about having a positive image and how you are able to present yourself successfully. The skill set that is being adopted in your life journey are basic essence to make you an employable person. It starts from your early stages in life.
