Improve your Chances for a New Job

Are you looking for a new place to boost your income or career? Are you between jobs, looking to be hired? Would you like to improve your chances to find a new workplace in 2015? Here are some tips that might help you find the workplace of your dreams.

1. Go social!

According to an extensive study coined by professional social network LinkedIn, services like theirs play an increasingly important part in the hiring and talent acquisition process. The study shows that in 2014 the majority of high profile jobs were filled through professional social networks, and recruiters also use them to improve their hiring brand and follow their competitors’ hiring patterns.

2. Be tech-savvy

Technology penetrates our lives in ways we wouldn’t have thought to be possible just a few years ago. Knowing how to use a word processor and a spreadsheet are far from being enough in today’s professional world – you need to know what big data, cloud computing, and many other specific terms mean to have a chance to land the job of your dreams.

3. Be a team player

Individual workers will never be as efficient as teams – so being a team player is an important trait for every job. Being a team player does not only mean that you are good at following instructions – it includes skills like taking initiative, communicating efficiently, organizing activities and solving problems. Demonstrating you have team player skills through your resume can get you closer to the job you want.

4. Communicate

A bit tied into the previous item, communication skills are very important in every workplace, no matter if you work at a fast food joint or a high profile industrial conglomerate. Communication is the key of working with suppliers and customers in an efficient way, but also one of the most important skills to have when trying to sell a product or a service. The hiring process is a perfect opportunity to show your communication skills – both written and verbal – so you will get one step closer to the job of your choice.

+1 – Speak more than one language

A recent study has found that people that speak at least two languages are processing information more efficiently than those speaking just their mother tongue. According to a study conducted by the Northwestern University in Illinois and the University of Houston, bilingual speakers are comparatively better at filtering out unnecessary words than their monolingual counterparts. While this might not be a trait companies are actually looking for (although they might in the near future), it can be a huge advantage not just in your career, but in your everyday life, too (like when a Spanish ad says you can get your hands on a brand new car with Royal Vegas). Just make sure to learn the right language – there is not as much use in reading the Bardo Thödol in the original Tibetan when you work at a tech company in the Silicon Valley…