Make your self visible in the job market

Keeping yourself visible in the job market is important to find the right opportunities.

Being happy with the job you have is a privilege not many people enjoy. Although 100 percent job satisfaction is a rare entity, there are some professionals who are comfortable on the chair they hold. However, be warned! If you are among the lucky ones, ensure that you do not get absorbed into your comfort zone.

Many professionals wane away from the job market once they feel they have found their ideal job suddenly calls from, prospective employers, which they were eagerly looking forward to till then, become a nuisance since they do not realize the importance of keeping the ball rolling especially when they are not on the look out for a new job.

Although you may not be looking out for an immediate change, keeping yourself updated with the latest trends is important. This gives you an idea of where you stand in the job market whenever you decide to receive your job hunt.

While your current position may be the ideal job you were looking for, it may not necessarily be your dream job. So keep an eye on all the opportunities that come your way. Irrespective of whether you accept it or not, your career is one of the most important factors that define your life: it can either help you achieve your dreams or can make life miserable for you. Therefore, it is important to be open to career hopes and direction. Be prepared to learn and explore opportunities away from the path you have set for yourself.

Being confident is half the battle won when you are looking out for a new job, says, an in-house career counselor with a financial services firm. Appearing for interviews on a regular basis not only helps boost your confidence level, but also keeps you informed of your market worth.

It is not advisable, to start exploring after you reach burn out; you often end up making an incorrect decision. This, in turn, can have an adverse effect on you as an employee. So keep your search active even when you are not keen on changing your job. For all you know, you may unknowingly hit upon a golden egg.

Here’s a list of things you could do to be visible among prospective employers:

1)      Update profile: Job portals are a popular medium of talent hunt among recruiters. So ensure that your profile is updated regularly online.

2)      Interview calls: As stated earlier, it is advisable to go for interviews even if you are not looking out for an immediate change. Three four interviews a year should suffice to keep you abreast with the market scenario.

3)      Take the call: When you get a call from a recruiter, don’t be averse. If you are not interested in the offer, use it as an opportunity to market yourself. Communicate your areas of interest and make a polite request to keep you updated with suitable openings.

4)      Network: Burning bridges is a blunder. When you move on to take up a new responsibility in a new firm, ensure that you part ways cordially. Even after you move on, stay in touch with your colleagues whether it is your co-workers or seniors. It helps to maintain a network of professionals in the same industry and interact with them regularly to learn about the latest developments. It will give you a direction to explore. It is said that only 25 per cent of all jobs get advertised. Effective networking can help you track down the remaining.

5)      Stay abreast: Although your job may be teaching you many things, it is important to stretch yourself and find out what’s happening elsewhere. So keep updating yourself – not only academically but also in terms of industry trends, skill sets etc.

6)      Wind Up: Remember, your career will, shape up the way you mould it. So keep the wheels rolling.