If you feel stuck in your current role, are receiving next to no response for various job applications, and don’t have a clear path to progression, it might be time to change others’ perceptions.
Rather than watching your friends and colleagues walk into their perfect position, you must take the steps to land your dream career.
If you would like to improve your chances of being invited to an interview and securing a more rewarding career, then learning how to rebrand yourself in 2020 is a must.
Research Your Online Presence
Many prospective employers will often research a candidate before inviting them to an interview or offering them a role.
For this reason, you should type your name into Google and review the results. An old social profile might be holding you back, or there could be limited information about you online to help them make an informed decision.
Look at the search results from a hiring manager’s perspective to identify potential problems. You could then remove a social media account or launch a professional blog.
Update Your LinkedIn Profile
Every ambitious professional should have a LinkedIn profile. It will provide a hiring manager with a platform to learn more about your qualifications and achievements, which could convince them to invite you to an interview.
You also can network with many professionals in your chosen industry, and they could help you throughout your career. For example, you could find a mentor, a business client, or a new employer.
Take the time to write an informative summary, which should reflect your experience, ambitions, career interests, and passion for an industry.
Tweak Your Social Media Profiles
As mentioned earlier, your social media profiles can provide a potential employer with a positive or negative first impression.
While you are free to share as many photographs of you partying with friends as you would like, it could provide an employer with the wrong impression.
As you will be a representation of their brand, they might be cautious about welcoming you onto their team.
For this reason, you may need to tweak your social media profiles to improve your employment prospects. Alternatively, you could set your profile to private, which could prevent them from reading your social media posts or viewing your photographs.
Create a Career Plan
Instead of settling for a job that offers little joy or reward, create a plan to identify the steps you will need to take to walk into a new career. Read more about this plan here.
For instance, if you would like to work with data to improve a company’s performance, earn a superb annual salary, and take your pick from many career opportunities, you could complete a Business Analytics Master of Science online.
The degree could help you stand out from many applicants, as you could gain extensive knowledge in data analytics, communication, and business strategy.
Learn how to pass psychometric tests
There are thousands of companies that use psychometric tests in their recruitment process. The tests measure a future employee’s critical thinking ability, problem-solving, and leadership skills. Most employers ask candidates to take aptitude or personality tests. So, if you are invited to take a psychometric test, don’t worry. Just remember that it is critical to practice before the exam. There are lots of online resources that provide accurate information and can be really helpful. You can learn more about psychometric tests here: https://www.prepterminal.com.
Alter Your Resume to Match Every Role
Every recruiter will look for different qualities in a potential employee. While some might value qualifications and experience, others might want to hire a candidate with excellent soft skills and a passion for an industry.
Rather than sending the same resume to an employer, you must update it to complement every role you will apply for.
Read the job description to tweak your resume to match a company’s needs, which could increase the likelihood of you attending an interview and receiving a job offer. Small changes to your resume could make a big difference to your career, so take the time to develop a resume that will blow a recruiter away.
Create a Story for Yourself
While you will undoubtedly be proud of any degrees you have earned and your industry experience to date, these facts alone might not set you apart from other hardworking candidates.
Rather than allowing another applicant to walk into a job that you deserve, you must create a story that will wow a prospective employer.
For example, you could blow a hiring manager away by telling them about your volunteer work, support of women’s causes and programs, or your tricky road to success.
Every employer will look for a well-crafted, honest story when reading a candidate’s cover letter, resume, and LinkedIn bio.
Think about how you could stand out from other job hunters and write a story that will convince them to invite you to an interview and welcome you onto their team.
Meet with a Knowledgeable Recruiter
If you’re unsure about any gaps in your resume or why you’re failing to secure your dream position, consider meeting with a recruiter with extensive experience in your industry.
After reviewing your resume and discussing your qualifications and work experience, they could make recommendations on how to secure your desired role. For example, it might be as simple as tweaking your resume layout, adding new content, or promoting your achievements and experience. However, they might recommend gaining more experience in your industry or learning a new skill set to become a more desirable candidate.
Once you have made the appropriate changes, you could reach out to a recruiter again to help you find a position at a thriving company.
Dress for Your Desired Job
While your clothing doesn’t take anything away from your academic success or industry experience, it could convey the wrong attitude to an employer.
If you’re often overlooked for a promotion or pay raise, your employer may believe you don’t have the ambition or desire to climb the career ladder.
To convince them to offer you a senior title or increase your salary, you should dress for your desired job every day of the working week.
Even if your workplace has a casual dress code, you should wear smart clothing that will prove to your boss that you take your career seriously and will dress well for meetings with clients or business partners.
You also should ensure you are well-groomed every day by:
- Showering every morning
- Maintaining fresh breath
- Styling your hair
- Using deodorant
- Ironing your clothing
- Wearing smart, clean shoes
A few changes to your appearance could prove to others that you’re determined to climb the career ladder.
Work on Your Body Language
Similar to your clothing and hygiene, your body language can convey a message to your employer. If you are sitting slumped in a chair with your arms folded and fail to look them in the eye, they will believe you have next to no passion for your job or the company.
If your boss doesn’t take you seriously, change their viewpoint by working on your body language by:
- Making eye contact with others
- Sitting up straight and avoid slouching
- Unfolding your arms
- Relaxing your shoulders
- Facing the person talking to you
- Leaning in to show enthusiasm
- Avoiding tilting your head to appear interested
- Firmly shaking a person’s hand
Become an Industry Expert
If you find you are scratching your head during internal meetings or lack confidence in your knowledge and ideas during a brainstorming session, you must take the time to research your industry inside and out.
There are likely many textbooks, articles, and videos online that could help you to learn more about different aspects of your field.
By gaining a thorough understanding of your industry, you will be able to provide an answer to many questions, improve your performance at work, and make valuable contributions to your team.
Plus, it could provide you with greater confidence in your position, which could increase your likelihood of applying for a senior position or asking your boss for a pay raise.
If you become an expert in your field, your colleagues will be more likely to ask for your help, listen to your ideas, and show you greater respect in the workplace, which could grab the attention of your employer.
Turn a Weakness into a Strength
Many people venturing into a new industry are often reluctant to comment on their employment experience in another sector. However, it is this experience that could separate you from many impressive candidates.
While you might not have as much experience as other applicants, you could have unique experience that could help a business to flourish.
For example, if you have worked in business finance or were an agricultural writer, but are eager to produce hospitality-related articles, you could publish fresh, unique angles about the foodservice industry, which could be perfect for a newspaper, magazine, or website.
Create a Professional Website
If you want to reinvent yourself as an expert in a field or prevent mixed messaging with your network, you should create a professional website.
It is an ideal tactic for budding entrepreneurs, freelancers, technology professionals, web developers, and graphic designers.
For example, if you have taken the steps to move away from a 9 to 5 career to enjoy a career as a freelancer or business consultant, a website could help you to reach new clients and update your network on your career transition.
The website should not only feature an attractive layout and high-quality visuals, but it should tell a compelling story, offer smooth navigation, and a contact us page to encourage messages from potential clients, employers, and other professionals.
You also could send out an email newsletter to update old colleagues, clients, and people across your network on your occupation and services.
Get Involved in Various Projects
Getting involved in various local or national projects could change people’s perceptions of you while improving your knowledge and experience.
Options include:
- Volunteering for a charitable cause
- Hosting fundraising events
- Supporting local artist or professionals
- Organizing industry coffee events for networking
It could help you to showcase your talents, grow your skillset, and make new contacts both inside and outside of your sector.
Get Published on Respected Publications
If you have many years of knowledge and experience under your belt, you are likely filled with many opinions and information about your industry.
Rather than keeping them to yourself, you should take the time to write informative articles and papers, which you could submit to various respected websites, newspapers, and journals.
It could help you to establish yourself as a thought leader, and the publications could impress a prospective employer.
Speak at Many Industry Conferences
If you’re able to do so, you should speak at as many industry conferences as possible. It can be a great way to boost your visibility while connecting with other experienced professionals. Plus, it could improve your credibility across your sector.
Becoming a guest speaker could also lead to you securing a bigger role at a better company or enjoying greater success in your current position.
Hand Out Business Cards
If you want to improve your credibility and increase the likelihood of a potential employer, client, or network contact reaching out to you, you should hand out professional business cards.
It will not only provide them with your various contact details, but a high-quality business card could offer a great first impression.
Hire a professional graphic designer to create an eye-catching design, which should be printed on quality card.
Consistently Improve Your Skillset
It is easy to become complacent when climbing the corporate ladder. While volunteering experience or publications can look great on your resume, an employer won’t be wowed if it was five or more years ago.
If you want to continue to impress others, you must work on growing your skillset, gaining new certifications, and building on your experience.
It could help you to enjoy a more rewarding career, a bigger annual salary, and a greater reputation across an industry.
Conclusion
Rebranding yourself can take time, hard work, and patience. While you might be eager to climb on the next step of the career ladder, you might need to earn additional qualifications, gain experience, or expand on your knowledge.
You also must work on your soft skills, spruce up your appearance, and work on your body language, which could help you to stand out from your colleagues or other candidates.
A few big or small changes could improve your career prospects, financial security, credibility, and job satisfaction.
However, you must never become complacent. Always make changes to your resume and grow your skills to set yourself apart from others.