How Potential Employers Can Take You More Seriously

Hi! I am The Purpose Doctor, and my name is Ayobami Olugbenga-Wyse. I am a purpose-driven peak performance and career clarity coach. I help people map out their career paths with ease and to help them operate in the ideal career they are best built and designed for. Thanks for subscribing to my “Wyse Career Nuggets”, it’s my way to help you create a productive and highly rewarding career.

In the last career nugget, I shared tips on how to build great career networks. Today, I will be showing elements that make potential employers take you seriously.

As a young lad in the university back in the days, there were elements ladies looked out for before considering you a potential suitor. Beyond arguably the most common element being a car that could woo a campus girl, there were more subtle elements they paid critical attention to and believed revealed how settled or comfortable you are. In no particular order, they noticed your fragrance and how well you smell, the next would be your footwear, and the third would be your wristwatch. The general impression about this is that you could cook up looking good, but you ideally go out of your way to invest in those key elements I just mentioned.

This is very similar for career professionals as well. There are general things we can cook up so well, like our resumes, CVs, application letters, degrees, etc but there are more critical elements that will give out the real essence of who you are, what you can bring to the table, and how you could be a great addition to their organization. These elements my friend are what potential employers hardly resist and have no choice but to take you more seriously.

There are many career professionals who often fall into the underqualified and overqualified job hunt brackets. You must understand that the job and employment market is gradually evolving past the regulars of your degrees, school of study, resumes, application letters, and all. They are all great add-ons no doubt, however, you might need to shift your focus into more sellable avenues that position way better. I often tell people that I may respect what you know but I am more impressed about what you can do because reputation is built on accomplishments and not on mere desires.

The first element will be to create a great social profile of yourself. Be mindful about your social media presence and what impressions and ideas can be communicated through them. Your choice of profile avatars, your bio, and your social media engagements all matter. If you must have a faceless account to indulge your excesses, then go ahead my friend. However, you can’t afford to jeopardize potential opportunities. Constantly post relevant contents that sell you as a brand based on the solutions you provide or can provide. More importantly and above all social media platforms, you must have a well-built and optimized LinkedIn page. Seek the help of a professional to help build one, and maximize the potentials that abound with having one.

Another element that will go a long way to position you so well, is the need to be actively registered and engaged with at least two associations and networks. These could be physical or virtual networks, but they must be groups that match and promote your core career interests. Many people are not in any, and for some who are, they are more like benchwarmers who offer no input. You will be doing to yourself a great disservice and injustice to your potential career opportunities. Constantly ask intelligent questions, and offer bright ideas, as these will help make you noticeable and recommendable. Have it at the back of your mind that someone is paying attention even if they aren’t saying anything yet. For many, they want to test if you are some flash in the pan or a true definition of the kind of person that you are.

Finally, a very important element that set you apart is what Dan Miller cited in his book, “48 days to