Reflections on Digital Transformations in the Last Decade

In recent years,so much has been penned on the subject that it's impossible to understand where we've come from, never mind, where we're headed. However, given the magnitude and strategic significance of this technological and managerial transition, some contemplation is justified, and maybe, corporate leaders can draw some collective learnings for the coming decade. Here are some of the insights we noticed onboard the "digital rollercoaster" of the last decade.

The Awakening

In 2010, digital transformation was not the "corporate buzzword" it is now. Nowadays, digital transformation is well entrenched in the business lexicon and has transformed as the fading fad. Digital transformation has turned out to be a business in and of itself, diluting the underlying force of the phenomena to the point that it has nearly lost its meaning. In layman's terms, the agenda for digital transformation has been hijacked.

Consumer-first Mindset

The primary digital transformationfocus, fueled by developments in social media and mobile applications, was religiously angled toward the customer experience, particularly in consumer firms. Companies ranging from Disney to Nike demonstrated how to successfully leverage novel technologies to significantly improve how businesses interact with their customers in terms of experience, service, and product.

The Momentum

The succeeding half of the decade observed a genuine emergence in the industrial sector to the incredible opportunities for operativefineness made possible by digital transformation. Smart digital applications ranging from intelligent mining to predictive maintenance fueled the expansion of this new industrial digital transition, which was fueled by sensational new technologies such as digital twinning or additive manufacturing. There was no industrial sector that was unaffected.

Where Are We Heading?

While the initial digital transformation concept was built on point solutions,like e-commerce platforms, or clever synergizing of digital applications,like cab-hailing services, present-day digital platforms are significantly more complicated and have far broader uses.

Humans are observing the second digital transformationwave, which will be built on multi-purpose technologies like 5G, AR/ VR, AI, IoT, and so on, and will serve as the foundation for the next episode of business performance.

The Digital Voyage

To fruitfully navigate this second digital change wave, a crucial capability gap must be closed. Companies will have to up their game once again by acquiring or accessing new talents andskills, training and developing existing workforces, and adjusting their innovation acceptance methods. The task is enormous, but the prize will be far larger than it was during the first wave.

Put on your seatbelt!

What Does The Future Hold For Us?

Most often, business leaders ask, "What happens after successful digital transformation?" or "Should business leaders start to seriously rethink their organization's well-being, given that the “going digital” concept has become universal.

To put it straight, it is plausible to understand that these are incorrect questions. "Futurists" preach the concept behind the "Post-Digital Economy," but we get the impression that the term is more interesting than the content!

The Long-Standing Hype Surrounding Digital Transformation

Almost every day, we speak with CEOs who are panicking – literally – about how to pioneer "digital transformation." The media paints a bleak picture of enterprises that must become digital or face extinction. As a result, boards of directors are questioning and demanding adequate responses regarding their firms' digital strategy and ambitions.

Earlier, a stimulus was observed among executives looking to automate their operations with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technologies. The dot-com/ eCommerce economy followed. Following that, cam the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technologies. Then there was the Cloud, and then, Big Data. And now, after all, that we've seen the corporate world is in the midst of a digital change.

All of these stimulihave one thing in common: they are big, vague, innovativeconcepts that are supposed to mean the difference between corporate flourishing and surviving. Each was so complicated and unknown in their infancy that it produced some measure of distress, fear, terror, and panic. And as we all know, fear frequently results in retorts we regretlater.

True transformation begins with thoughtful and sensible discussion inside your business. Identify a "calming voice" – an outside consultant/ advisor or someone from your company – who can assist your enterprise in collaborating to create its strategy for digital transformation. Here and now, it is not about designing, developing, and deploying a website as soon as possible. Each organization's aim and the journey will be unique. Right now, the most essential activity is to select a profitable starting point. If we manage to do this properly, the next stages will almost certainly become evident.

Another excellent activity is to learn from industry giants like Google and Amazon. Examine what makes them the leaders in their industry and how they innovate. Many firms, for instance, struggle to keep data servers cold, but that has never remained a problem for Google.

DeepMind, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) unit at Google Inc. was enlistedto manage energy consumption for data-centre operations, lowering the energy required for cooling by 40%. If you're wondering whether the Internet of Things (IoT) may help you alter and distinguish your product line, take a look at how Amazon integrates IoT technology in its operations. Leverage these findings to generate some early "big digital transformation ideas" for your company.

While thinking bigis vital, it is also necessary to start small, with sensible, bite-sized digital transformation initiatives that are comparatively modest in scope. Choose an idea that embodies one of the main concepts of digital transformation, such as operating at a faster paceor using data differently, integrate it into your business operations, and you may succeed.

Settling the Difference between “Digital Transformation, “Digitalization”, and “Digitization” [SOLVED]

Is your business, like every other enterprise these days, looking to digitally transform? Perhaps your company is now in the process of digitizing its data. It's also feasible that you've progressed beyond digitization and are currently in the process of digitalization.

You're perhaps wondering,“What is the difference between these concepts?”Since you assumed they were identical terms that might signify the same concept.

DISCLAIMER!!!

All three terms are very different – a truth every enterprise should be aware of.

Settling the Difference

In the corporate world, digital transformation has proven to be the biggest fad – with organizationsenrolling to undertake this tremendous transition to become more inventive and efficient. Nevertheless, since the emergence of digital transformation, terminology such as "digitalization" and "digitization" have also emerged, further complicating matters. These three terms have frequently gotten confused with one another. In actuality, however, each of these terms has a unique and distinctive meaning. With such major disparities in their meanings, it is necessary to expand and examine them thoroughly, once and for all.

Digitization

In a nutshell, digitization is the process of converting data from analogue to digital; thereby digitizing it, or storing it in digital form. This is also regarded to be the initial step towards the CRAZY digital transformation.

Digitalization

Once all your data has been converted to digital information and digitized, the future course of action is to begin the digitalization process. Digitalization is the process of putting newly digitized infoto use. This entails leveraging digital data insights to enhance corporate operations and processes.

Digital Transformation

The final phase, which can only be completed once digitalization and digitization are achieved, is digital transformation, which is when you entirely reimagine your enterprise by leveraging everything you've accomplished throughout digitalization. Reinventing your business entails developing innovative business concepts, modifying your company culture, and eliminating inefficient operational traditions.

REMEMBER!!!

The process of creating new business concepts, techniques, processes, and applications that make use of the aforementioned digitalized applications and digitalized data is known as digital transformation. These ambitious changes dramatically transform the overall business outlook.

Innovation is key.

The entire goal of digital transformation is to abandon the old and experiment with new ideas, processes, methods, and approaches. And, as usual, creativity must come from the top and be fostered across the organization. Top executives must create an inspiring workplace culture that nurtures innovation. Innovation also entails abandoning outdated communication and hierarchical practices in favour of building cross-functional communications that speed things up.

One frequent technique to adopt innovative practices is to hone adaptive leadership, which requires leaders to listen to others' critique, reactions, responses, and comments to continually improve, rather than merely issuing commands that everyone must obey!

Effective Digital Transformation has nothing to do with Technology and Everything Digital

Yes, the headline is punchy! But, for every 20 online pieces on a company's recent digital transformation, 19 of them will be mostly about technology. Whether its upgrade, development, integration, or implementation, everything’s been covered. At odds with common beliefs, this is not the ONLY aspect of digital change.

Every aspect of a business is affected by digital. The prospect of effectively adopting, adapting, and altering a company might be a daunting task. However, while examining one online piece after another, two similar threads emerge.

·         First, digital is a full-fledged business problem. Changing particular processes, working in silos, or isolation will not work.

·         Second, the user experience or customer experience, if you may, must be the principal motivator for change.

Every time, resurfacing new technology on top of existing business structures, techniques, and culture yields the same result. Money was squandered and the outcomes were mediocre. Technology has made it possible to reach out to people, be it an employee or a customer. However, we can only fully engage with them if we focus on user experience.

For years, the term "digital transformation" has remained a corporate buzzwordfor global enterprises. A quick glimpse at Google Trends reveals that digital enterprise creation is a popular topic. Digital has disrupted every industry, from entertainment to government, to retail, to banking, every work process is compromised if you are not digital.

Subjected to how well a business is prepared, the digital disruption may bring tremendous growth opportunities, or devastate the business. Even more, the UK government have achieved tremendous feats by adopting state-of-the-art technology.

In 2013, the Government of the UK allocated itself 400 days to modernize 25+ government-based services. These ranged from making prison visit reservations, or career allowance applications, to filing legal claims, and handling taxes. The objective was to make these solutions faster to use and more understandable, as well as, simpler, and by default “digital”. The GDS's stated goal was to deliver digital services that UK citizens have a preference for.

Is the department doing well? The statistics speak volumes about the success of these digital initiatives:

·         A million UK citizens registered to digital voting practices;

·         Online channels are now streamlining self-assessment filing for over 85% of people;

·         98% of driving tests booking are online now

GOV.UK presently receives a million visits per week, with annual transactions totalling more than £3 billion.

The GDS produced digital services that consumers desire to use by removing obsolete organizational procedures and standardizing the customer experience. The efforts are saving the UK government billions every year.

The GDS did create new online platforms and digital services. They also merged hundreds of websites into one – Gov.uk. Still, however, it is the work the UK government did and strives to do further, keeping the user central to organizational operations, that enabled them to leverage and build technological models preferred by the general public.

Yes, effective digital transformation has nothing to do with technology and everything digital – it is the consumer-first mindset that yields favourable results.

Here’s How You Can Determine ROI of Senior Manager Leadership Development

Okay, so let's start with the hard-core thing – the amount of leadership development courses programs, podcasts, books, articles, and blogs out there, and all the varying advice does not often trace back to results.

And you KNOW that!

If you've attended them, if you've read them, you think, “Oh yeah, I'll do that.” And then, the reality of your role as a leader kicks in and you DON'T do it!

One of the really important parts to consider around senior leadership development and ROI, and its outcomes, is to think about what is needed and to get clear about that.

You need to question yourself, “What knowledge is required to fill the gap?” And, “What integration or implementation looks like in its entirety.”

Now, most leadership development programs or interventions focus on imparting new knowledge. But that knowledge isn't always applicable to what you need – YOU NEED CLARITY!

And it isn't always the knowledge that can be transferred into action.

Why?

Because it's too highbrowed, or it's too hypothetical. Or it's based on theory but is not necessarily based on how you practice or implement leadership that results in better outcomes and a profitable ROI.

When it comes to leadership development and ROI, we have to think about the returns we are looking for. We have to start there and work our way back!

Here are some questions you can ask yourself:

1. What is the return the company is looking for?

2. What is required to create those returns?

3. What is our area of focus?

And trust us, you need to be REALLY clear on that!

Answering these questions will help you understand the developments associated with a particular investment, and the expectations to yield desirable results.

Most of the time, people undertake a leadership development program which, in its entirety, is nothing but a process.

As though leaders, we need to exploit the lowest common denominator.

Well, what does that mean? It is a soft skill that everyone can grasp easily – new knowledge.

The knowledge can be either about themselves. In a generic sense, what type of leader you should be, or about the fundamentals of leadership, sharing the results of a study, or something else along that line.

However, the reality is for you to get results, to have an impact. You need to ensure your leadership development programs deliver on the investment that it sucks out of you, the time you spent. You need to assess the incongruence that happens in your brain when learning something new, and the effort it took.

To put it in a nutshell, your senior leadership development programs should be far more targeted and far more intentional!

Explore the Number of Challenges a Senior Manager Faces Each Day – Solutions Alert!

Let's face it – senior managers need to have a flexible, adaptive, and accommodating aura around them! How can you build on yourself? Read on to find out!

Are you a senior manager that's been handed a giant goal, a BHAG goal, we call it, Big Hairy Audacious Goal? And you've got that on your shoulder and then over here, you've got your team that you care about, you want to motivate, and inspire, and keep them going.

Wow, what a tall order. That's all on you.

Today, we are going to give you three pro tips on how best to navigate this position and make sure that you have job satisfaction, create achievement for your goals, and keep that great team you have assembled.

Tip number one: shift your perspective from portrait to landscape.

What does that mean?

Well, it means that you have been a high potential. You've been a star performer and that got you promoted. And now, instead of looking at your life as a portrait and being focused on tasks and achievements for you, you need to widen your lens and look at your team through the lens.

Widen your perspective and move from tactics and tasks and achievement into strategy. Ask yourself: How can I help this team move together and work together to achieve goals?

By simply shifting your mindset and stretching your lens, your perspective, you'll begin to access ideas, and develop problem-solving capabilities that have always been in there – and now you get to work it through your team.

Tip number two: listen.

Do you know that as you move up the ladder, you go from 45% of your day listening to over 80% when you become a CEO? So somewhere in-between there, but certainly over 50% of your day is going to be listening.

Many senior managers will say, “Well, gosh, all I did all day was listen. Now that the day is done, I can get my work done.”

But guess what? That is your work. It's your work to listen to your team. What's in their way? What's the obstacle in project completion? Is there a problem with a customer? Are they having a conflict with one of their team members or someone else in the organisation?

By you listening and giving them that time and getting curious and accessing their solutions for those problems, you as a senior manager are again, stretching and opening to what is your job and it's to listen.

Listen with your ears, listen with your intellect, with your experience, and also, your curiosity to find out what else is in there. Many times our team knows the answer, but they just need the time to pause. Get Present, start posing questions and suddenly the answers will come forward.

So be willing to listen more.

Tip number three: ABD, always be developing.

You used to be focused on ABC, always be closing, but you've got your sales team to do that now. And for you as a leader, you need to be out in front developing yourself and bringing your team along.

Well, how do you do that?

A couple of ways. First of all, we always got a good read to inspire us. Amy Edmondson's The Fearless Organisation: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth, Patrick Lencioni’s "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" is a great place to start! So make sure that you've got some books that are enriching your life as a manager.

And then listen to some TED Talks, share them with your team.

And lastly, always have a coach. Every successful manager had a professional influencer to follow. You would never be able to move from Senior Manager to Vice President without that extra pair of ears.

Everyone needs a thought partner that can help bust your biases, change your behaviour, keep you accountable, and mostly, motivate you by challenging you.

Employment and ESG are Connected – Explore “How” in this Post?

ESG is the future of successful corporate doings – it’s not just Australia, but the world is embracing the concept with open arms, and we should react fast!

Remember when protests broke out in the US following George Floyd's death in 2020. The Black Lives Matter Movement brought thousands to the street. Company after company tried to show their support on social media. They blacked out Instagram and condemned police brutality and racial injustice. Consumers and activists soon called them out with their own social media campaigns.

Some companies announced big initiatives with big price tags. The Bank of America announced a $1 billion plan to assist communities of colour impacted by the pandemic. Cisco donated $5 million to many organisations fighting racism. Glossier pledged a $1 million donation to black-owned beauty businesses and organisations. Nike committed $40 million to the black community.

Companies were being singled out from employment and investment attraction-and-retention based on corporate responsibility – either for a lack of it or for a commitment to progressive ideals.

ESG is a trend that began to accelerate well before the demonstrations and pandemics, it's just now gone mainstream. Now, it's something investors, clients, consumers, employees, and prospective candidates assess before forging new corporate relations. These stakeholders are now looking at real-time corporate behaviour as it plays out in front of us. This all falls under what's known as ESG investing, a catch-all term for socially responsible business practices.

A lot of terms come up when we think of ESG investing and it can get confusing, so we are going to let real-life examples define it for you.

ESG boils down as reflections that are part of the panoply of considerations that investors consider when buying and selling securities. At a corporate level, ESG essentially reflects the company's attempts to integrate environmental and social issues into the way they do business. Business establishments are required to redefine their business model and strategies to attract new investment and talent pools.

ESG investing means taking into consideration how a company's ESG credentials will affect its financial performance. Usually, investors and prospective candidates use these credentials to determine whether it is right to invest or forge new relations with a company.

ESG investing will not be something carved out of the investment panoply. Investors and the talented workforce are now armed with these new tools, and data sets that help them to make more informed investment decisions, or professional development choices.

Networking for Beginners: How to Network and Why Expanding Your Network is Important

When we think of networking, some of us might still go straight to those awkward mingling sessions after events and conferences, or awkward coffee meetings that never amount to anything, but it doesn't have to be that way.

The purpose of networking is to build long term professional relationships and strengthen your reputation in the industry and the general job market. The benefits of professional networking can make a world of difference when it comes to job hunting and getting your name out there.

So, how should you network? 

Being prepared is a good start. It’s not easy to put yourself out there to strangers, so having some talking points up your sleeve will give you the confidence to strike up conversations with others. Talking points could include asking opinions on recent news or changes in the industry or even talking about something more personal, like your favourite sports teams victory over the weekend. Take your business cards along with you, and even a notepad and paper in case you need to write down anything you don’t want to forget.

Listening is the key to being a great networker, remember - a conversation should be an equal balance of back and forth, so don’t bombard your new acquaintance with too much chatter about yourself without hearing what they have to say too. Ask questions and show a genuine interest in the conversation. 

Remember that you don’t have to connect with everyone you talk to. If you get the feeling that someone might not be the best fit for your network, don’t feel obliged to give out your contact details or take theirs. While it’s nice to be social, your objective is to expand your network, so think about this first and foremost.

Following up is probably the most important part of networking. Without follow ups, your connects will become dead ends and all your hard work would have been for nothing. Sending a simple text or email after networking to reiterate what you’ve discussed and to remind them about your business is the most important thing for you to do post-network. 

Why is expanding your network important?

People network for different reasons and everyone has different expectations and objectives when it comes to expanding their network, but one of the main reasons why we network is to strengthen business connections and build on existing relationships. Keeping up contact and regularly engaging with your network is what will make those relationships long lasting and fruitful. 

Showing your support and assisting your network is what it’s all about, and it should work both ways. By doing this, you are keeping yourself informed and learning from your network, thus building your connection to your community. As a result, your network should become a safe and helpful place for you to share your challenges, discuss changes and share opportunities with each other. 

Having a vast network of people from differing industries around the county and even around the world can help you get access to far more opportunities, work related or otherwise. Having strong connections to others in your industry isn’t just a great way to find out about available jobs, it’s also a great source of knowledge and a way for you to develop your personal growth. Perhaps you’ve been with your company for five years and connect with someone who has been there for twenty years, imagine the knowledge and insight you could gain from their experience. 

Finally, networking is one of the best ways to raise your profile and reputation within the industry. Having a shining reputation will put you well ahead of your competitors when it comes to looking for jobs, and it might even get you noticed sooner. Being a regular at events and gatherings is a great starting point. This will show your commitment and interest and also make you a familiar face that people will start to recognise. Listening to others, sharing information, and supporting your network are also key factors when it comes to building your reputation. 

Looking at networking online? Read about how to stand out on LinkedIn: https://impressivecv.com/blog/stadingoutonlinkedin

Up-skilling Yourself to Prepare for the New Era by Julia Alice

Feature article written by Julia Alice

Upskilling yourself to prepare for the new era is now more of a necessity than an option. The reasons are simple. The new era- as we call it- brings about various challenges from the past decade. A glance at any posting on job boards or LinkedIn would amply prove, employers nowadays have very different requirements from candidates, compared over a year or two ago.

Therefore, to upskill yourself, let’s begin by defining the demands new era in 2021. That would provide a better sense of how to prepare yourself to meet these challenges and succeed.

Defining New Era Demands

The year 2021 marks the beginning of a new decade. And most of us have entered this new decade with uncertainties about the future. As employers grapple with vestiges of the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic fallout, it’s imperative for every jobseeker- fresher or veteran- to upskill themselves. Without upskilling, one risks being redundant in the new era as the demand for newer skills gathers momentum.

Therefore, the definition of demands for this new era would be one where majority of persons would have to work from home. Secondly, their skills have to be relevant for online work while being in high demand.  And finally, high productivity combined with capabilities to work under intense pressure are game changers in the highly competitive job market.

Upskilling for new era would also mean one gearing oneself for freelance work that’s becoming more widespread while finding side-gigs has become imminent. That is, if one were to earn incomes that could help avoid running into financial doldrums peculiar to 2020.

Therefore, let’s explore various vistas to up-skill yourself to prepare for the new era.

Ways to Prepare for the New Era

Over 60 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits by December 2020, according to latest figures from Bureau of Labor Statistics. The US national employment rate stood at 6.7 percent by end 2020.

These staggering figures make it imperative for everyone to upskill themselves. And here’re some ways to do so.

Learn an Additional Skill

As I mention earlier, finding a side-gig can help avoid financial problems while helping you to step up savings. Therefore, learning an additional skill could help you find a superb side-gig that could provide a secondary source of income. For example, digital marketing is a superb skill you could master through online courses.

There’re strong reasons for advocating digital marketing. It allows you to start blogging to earn an additional income while offering Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing and Email Marketing among other skills, as freelancer. These are online processes that enable you to work from home or any other location.

Additionally, a superb digital marketing course can help you earn as many as 12 internationally valid certifications from top providers including Google, Facebook and Microsoft, to name a few.

Upgrade Existing Skills

While learning something new is fine to launch a side-gig, it’s equally important to upgrade your existing skills to avoid getting redundant in the highly competitive job market that’s emerging due to rampant unemployment triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic during 2020.

Figures above clearly indicate the number of unemployed persons in America. Hence, you can anticipate fierce competition for every single vacancy. In fact, it would be prudent to expect applicants with more educational qualifications, work experience and multiple skills to vie for the same vacancy.

There're several free courses on the internet from reputed American universities including Harvard and Stanford that provide an opportunity to upgrade existing skills. Additionally, they provide free certification too.

Unless your skills are the latest relevant in today’s job market, finding employment can prove an uphill task, regardless of your academic qualifications and work experience. Therefore, it’s worthwhile to invest on upgrading your existing skills through various online training programs.

Adapt to the New Normal

The new normal dictates work from home. This means acquiring certain soft skills too as part of upskilling yourself. While all of us do possess soft skills relevant to our work, the year 2021 dictates we have some newer ones while honing those we already possess.

Some of these vital soft skills include stringent self-discipline. This is the foremost soft skill for the new era since you’ll require superb self-discipline to work from home. While work from home or WFH offers the comfort of working on flexible hours, lack of self-discipline could doom your career.

Another soft skill is working as standalone employee. Prior to the pandemic, employers would look for employees capable of teamwork. The need for social distancing negates teamwork to a great extent. Instead, you’ll have to work as a standalone employee and perhaps engage in multitasking too. Because, employers are looking at trimming their payrolls and expect workers to assume several other functions too.

In Conclusion

Before concluding, I’ll add that upskilling yourself isn’t all that difficult as it may appear. Indeed, most of us have been upskilling ourselves over the years. However, these were before the pandemic. The Covid-19 scourge takes the definition of a new era to an entirely new paradigm. And the above tips should help you upskill.

Keep up with 2021: Job searching in 2021 will not be the same

For all those seeking employment within the UAE, we must understand that change is a constant, and those who specialize in just one small parsec of an industry, even if it is very profitable at the time, cannot assume that they will forever reap that industry’s rewards. One must keep one's eyes glued to economic trends and the future.

The workforce is changing and a few simple ways to stay ahead of the career curve is through further upskilling courses, keeping up to speed with various economic trends and future demands.

After the uncertainty of COVID, jobseekers now must look toward the future; there is potential everywhere. Pre-pandemic, it was estimated that 85 percent of job growth over five years would center around health, professional, scientific, and technical services, public administration, and education. For one such example, The Australian National Skills Commission identifies 25 emerging occupations, including clusters in data analytics, online engagement, and sustainability. I have no doubt that this relates to the Middle East market as well. There's going to be lots of jobs and courses in data analysts, artificial intelligence, blockchain.

Broaden your horizons

Business courses, education, IT, and engineering will all help individuals enter occupations forecast for growth. Planetary health and “destination-tourism” are also emerging sectors, with courses in mature markets already underway.

The ability to educate yourself in various vertical industries and their associated nomenclature isn’t really all that difficult, but it is imperative if you want to stay in the game. After all, if you remain within your comfort zone, there will come a time that you will eventually become phased out.

Whatever you do, please do not isolate yourself, work with other professionals, keep your ears close to the ground, stay informed so you can be aware of industry changes, which may be a mixture of economic indicators that leading analysts agree upon or the political changes occurring. Read about these emerging details as frequently as you can.

For those seeking employment in Dubai and KSA www.i12wrk.com has a fantastic platform where you can learn from the experts what’s trending in the job market and how can you make the best use of opportunities. This platform offers advice, tools, and templates are everything you’ll need to plan and execute your job search, whether you are looking to get started or to fast forward your career.

The practice of keeping up to date with trends and changes in your industry is a necessity in our modern working world. It’s an important ingredient to stay competitive and be successful.

Here are my top 5 tips to maximize your job search success

1. Subscribe to top industry job platforms and blogs

2. Follow industry experts and influencers

3. Strengthen your network

4. Take online courses- most of all put these skills into practice!!

5. Ensure you have an achievement impressiveCV + content rich LinkedIn profile

Consistency is the key. Good luck!!

Trisha Chapman

The author of the article is Managing Partner of impressiveCV - an SME focused on supporting job seekers with all the necessary tools for a successful job application. Trisha is an expert in job searching strategies including CV writing, LinkedIn, personal branding, and interview coaching.

Executive Hires: Should Personality Come into Play?

Executive pay benchmarking has long been a cornerstone of best practice for Boards and Management. The hiring process remains complex and competitive. In addition, traditional thinking is no longer relevant, as organizations adopt new and forward-thinking approaches to quantifying appropriate market-competitive pay levels as the job market becomes increasingly saturated.

Personality broadly to refers to those individual attributes that “give form, structure, and consistency to people’s behavior over time and situations. Personality traits are patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior that are relatively consistent over time and across situations. There are certain personality traits, such as honesty and humility, which are mostly associated with positive company outcomes, while other personality traits, such as machiavellianism (trait which sees a person so focused on their own interests they will manipulate, deceive, and exploit others to achieve their goals) and narcissism (pursuit of gratification from vanity or egotistic admiration of one's idealised self-image and attributes), seems to negatively impact companies. This is why many endure rigorous personality tests during interviews.

“If personality is a fundamental aspect of the final decision-making process to hiring…should we be empirically linking CEO personality, personal branding, or impact on the digital space to employment?”

Certain aspects related to those at the C-Level, such as tenure (experience), education, and also CEO’s physical appearance, facial expressions, and more recently, digital presence impact the CEO’s image and, subsequently, company reputation and performance. To a deeper level, when I was reading numerous papers that analyze the link between CEO and stock prices it has been found that firms of more conscientious and efficient CEOs tended to have lower levels of stock volatility, but were able to generate higher stock returns. A recent article I read in the Harvard Business Review suggested strong senior executives don’t make it to the top by chance. As they work their way up the corporate ladder, they acquire the right mix of skills and experience to succeed in higher leadership positions.

If personality is a fundamental aspect of the final decision-making process to hiring…should we be empirically linking CEO personality, personal branding, or impact on the digital space to employment?

---

But why do some leaders plateau while others go on to become successful senior executives? It all comes down to core competencies, or the innate personality traits that drive a leader’s behaviors and motivations.

Certainly, boards should place a high value on conscientiousness, and it probably goes without saying that they should avoid highly neurotic individuals when deciding on a new CEO.

In leadership research, it is well established that extroverts tend to be promoted to higher levels in the organization more frequently and more quickly than introverts. It’s not clear if this is because extroverts tend to be better leaders, or if they are just perceived to be better leaders because of their charisma.

With artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms being able to predict personality traits of video clips, social platforms, and resumes the importance of personal branding and publishing content on the digital space is more important than ever for a C-suite who is job searching.

Talent sourcing is one of the most prominent ways companies use technology in the recruitment process. Data scrapping social professional sites is becoming increasingly more common without you knowing it - especially in financial markets, where every percentage point matters, the fact that any given trait on its own is associated with such a bump could be very meaningful for firms and their investors' companies are looking for the best fit possible right from the get-go. Using AI to screen candidates helps narrow down talent, making the hiring process quicker and more efficient. I am not saying that AI will entirely replace recruitment, however, machine learning and analyzing various content in the digital space will indeed facilitate decision-making processes to hire an Executive.

So....does your personal brand matter?

Yes! As the CEO, CFO or COO, your personal brand matters — because people care about whom they work for. You are the public face of your next company. You set the tone. You are typically the most visible person in your firm, and when a job candidate researches your company or considers to buy stocks, they are very likely to look at you.

Now more than ever, one needs to focus on building your own personal brand! Let me know if you would like help! I am only an email away

info@impressivecv.com

Tips on Job Searching During the Pandemic

1. Be open while job hunting

There might be jobs available that you wouldn’t have considered applying for pre-pandemic, and now is the time to be open to working in different industries. Don’t read too much into job descriptions either. Apply for the job even if you don’t tick all of the boxes on the job description, employers might be willing to compromise on responsibilities given the current climate.

2. Utilise LinkedIn more

LinkedIn is basically a live version of your CV, so you want to ensure you’re keeping it up to date with your experience and contact details. It’s a great way to sell yourself and connect with people in your desired industry. LinkedIn is also a great place to search for jobs. Use the “Jobs” tab to search in your area, and check it regularly for updated listings. We have a dedicated LinkedIn specialist who can help attract new prospects, generate more introductions, referrals and many new opportunities. Click here to find out more.

3. Tailor your applications

Each time you apply for a job, your CV should be tailored to the job description and the company you are applying to. This involves simple adjustments like using the job description to make sure your key skills and experience are relatable to the job you are applying for, your CV reflects the wording and phrases used in the job description. All of our CV's come with the ability to be tailored at any time, making it easy for you to keep it current and up to date. Click here to find out how we can help you with a tailored CV.

4. Be patient

A lot of companies are getting overwhelmed with applications as there are more job seekers out there at the moment than there are jobs available. This means it will take longer than usual to get a response regarding your application, and often it might be that companies don’t have time to respond at all if you are unsuccessful. Following up on your application is fine, but give it a little longer than usual.

5. Be willing to work part time or in a temp role

You might be missing out on employment if you’re only searching for full time work. Be open to working a part time role or in a temporary position, as often they can lead to full time hours, and you might be in a position where part time work is better than no work at all. This is also a great opportunity to gain experience in different industries.

6. Network and put yourself out there

Finding work isn’t just possible through websites like Indeed and Seek anymore. Word of mouth and networking can help immensely when it comes to getting a job. Make it known on your social media that you are on the hunt for employment, and mention it when you are talking to friends and other connections. You never know who has a friend or relative who is on the lookout for new staff. 

7. Work on your elevator pitch

You need to be able to sell yourself, and do so in a couple of punchy sentences. Spend some time honing in on your specific skill set and what makes you the best fit for a company, and perfect how that comes across in a short but impactful few sentences. This is going to come in handy when you’re networking or hear of jobs through word of mouth and approach people through social media or in person for work.

8. Practice your online interviewing 

While you’re waiting to hear back from possible employers, work on your interviewing skills. Sit in front of your camera and practice the usual questions asked in interviews and work on your confidence. Watch the videos back and then refine your answers from there. You’ll find that when it’s time for a real interview, you are a lot less nervous because you are going in much more prepared and experienced.

ImpressiveCV offer services to help jobseekers with all aspects of their search, including a list of potential jobs, tailored CV’s that can be edited at any time, and interview guides to help you prepare. Feel free to contact us at any time to find out more.

Why Upskilling and Reskilling are more important than ever

Unfortunately the pandemic has made job security a major concern for a lot of people around the world. Regardless of the industry, the workforce in general has been hit hard and steady employment is no longer guaranteed. The job market is now oversaturated with people looking for work, so what makes you stand out? How are you going to ensure that you are standing out from the crowd when looking for work?

What is upskilling?

Upskilling is gaining further training or education in the job you already have. For example if you are currently a legal assistant, you could upskill to become a paralegal. Upskilling will either help you become more of an asset to your current employer or prepare you for future roles in the same industry, with a leg up on where you are now.

What is reskilling?

Reskilling is the development of additional skills to help you move to a new role. This could mean you are currently a teacher but want to move across to a marketing role. This is especially handy if you are working from home or if the industry you work in has been impacted heavily by the pandemic. You might have no other choice but to change industries, and if you lack experience or the skillset it is going to be even more difficult to land a job.

Other ways to upskill and re-skill could involve things like learning a new language, brushing up on your IT skills or even just improving on aspects of your professional life that could be considered weaknesses, such as time management or organisation. Mastering things like this will open doors to a range of new opportunities that you might not have considered before and give you a boost of confidence if you find yourself unemployed.

How to upskill or reskill?

If you are out of work or want to take it upon yourself to learn something new while you are still employed, there are a range of online platforms out there that offer free or paid courses. We offer a range of courses to help you write an impressiveCV, improve on your conversational English and more. Click here to see the full list of courses we have on offer. There is also: HubSpot, Udamey, Coursera, SkillShare and MasterClass which are great.

There is also an endless supply of books out there that you can access either from a library or online that will help you brush up on your chosen area. Look for free e-books or downloadable e-guides on topics of interest, and get to reading. These are the two easiest and most convenient ways to branch out and learn from home or on the go.

If you are still employed and interested in reskilling, speak to your employer to see what they have on offer. Some companies might have training days or seminars that they can send you to, others might be happy to provide you with on the job training or enrol you in a course to help you re-skill. 

Is Working from Home Here to Stay

2020 has forced companies all over the world to adapt to remote working within a short amount of time, and while there were no doubt some hiccups along the way, it seems that the world wide transition to remote work has been quite successful thus far, but is it here to stay? 

The key to remote working becoming sustainable is investing in its success and focusing on the long term. Companies need to ensure they have more flexibility with their operational guidelines as they adapt to the online world. Company goals will need to align with the new working from home culture, and there should be an understanding of expectations between employers and employees. HR policies will also need to be reviewed to ensure they reflect the state of the world as it currently stands.

Adaptability is key, and company leaders will need to establish clear practices and lines of communication not just with employees, but with clients and stakeholders too. Communication between staff and management will be more frequent, and the use of current software, shared calendars and live chats will drive productivity.

Keeping track of employee morale and wellbeing is one of the most important aspects of remote work. The sudden change in working environment, going from being social and having personal interactions with co-workers, to having that lack of physical interaction is a big adjustment.

Companies should support workers through their challenges and monitor team culture to ensure workers are physically and mentally able to continue remote work. Ways to do this could include scheduled breaks throughout the day where workers switch their computers off and take a walk or have a coffee break, virtual after work drinks or even online games to keep workers spirits up and connected with their teammates. Ensuring employees are still maintaining a healthy work-life balance is important too. Switching off their computers at the end of business hours and leaving their workspace is vital when working remotely, and staff should not feel pressured into carrying their work over into their personal time just because they are working from home.

Remote working also has had many benefits that a lot of companies around the world probably never saw coming. There’s becoming less of a need for office spaces, less time is spent commuting, there are fewer business trips and expenses, shorter breaks, less sick days, and a greater focus from employees. 

The pandemic left many businesses with no other option but to adopt remote work, and while it has it’s pro’s and con’s, if companies can get the work-life balance right, ensure productivity and uphold their business goals and guidelines, there’s no reason why remote work couldn’t become the new normal.

PREPARING FOR A SALARY NEGOTIATION

Before we jump into the detailed process, let’s start with a very broad overview of how to negotiate your salary.

Salary negotiation starts early in the interview process, when you’ll often be asked for your current salary or expected salary. Rule #1 of salary negotiation is this: Do not disclose your salary history or salary requirements. This can be uncomfortable, but it’s your first opportunity to negotiate a much higher salary.

Once they make an offer, you’ll counter offer by sending a carefully written email that includes a strong case to support your counter offer. Typically, your counter offer will be 10–20% more than their offer, and you’ll focus on your base salary at first.

1. Figure out what you’re doing

Do your research. It’s often unwise to compare yourself to others, but in this instance it’s totally justified. Look at the market and try and get a sense of what someone in your position and with similar experience would be paid by a company in the same location as you.

Be realistic and understand your leverage: your negotiating power will heavily depend on your current employment situation. If you’re negotiating a package for a new role, ask whether you can negotiate the offer as it may not be negotiable to begin with.

2 Build a case to support your negotiations

As I said, you’ll need to build a case and you’ll need to be objective. Negotiating a salary isn’t necessarily about getting the pay you want, but ultimately proving to your employer that you are worth the investment.

Think about your roles and responsibilities and have a clear idea of what’s included in your job description and what duties transcend this. Jot down specific examples of how you’ve added value to your team and organization.

3. Think about what you want but most importantly do a lot of listening

Think about what you want and what your priorities are: are you financially motivated or are you looking for a role that offers more flexibility or remote working? Remember you don’t have to limit negotiations to just pay, you can also look to improve tuition, training stipends, paid leave, holiday time, pensions, and maybe even moving expenses.

Listening is a skill everyone needs. When it comes to your salary negotiation, good listening plays a very important role. It’s in the listening that you gather information about the company.

You can learn how generous they are from the words used by the interviewer. The look on his face when responding to you request for more and the voice tone can tell you a lot.

Just from listening, you can be able to estimate the financial muscle of the company. This will guide your responses and help you keep within the limits you sense they cannot go beyond.

4. Practice, practice, and practice some more

Practise really does make perfect. Whatever you do, don’t start negotiations without having rehearsed your pitch.

Find someone you trust to listen to your proposal until you feel at ease and hone your delivery. Ask that person to put you on the spot so that you can get a sense of how a real-life scenario might develop.

5. Be conscious of timing

Choose your moment. Timing really is of the essence so think about when it’d be acceptable to bring up salary negotiations.

If your employer is currently undergoing restructuring or financial hardship, attempting to negotiate a raise will appear tone deaf and it’s likely you won’t be taken seriously.

6. Be prepared for push back

You may not get a ‘yes’ straight away so be prepared to get some pushback. You need to be prepared to answer questions such as why you think you deserve the salary you’re asking for.

Try and remove your feelings and emotions from the negotiation process — remember it’s not personal. Stay focused, calm, and collected and don’t bow under pressure. Be gracious.

7. Show that you are well informed

Few things can rival your bargaining power when you have insightful information. Knowledge is indeed power and the more you know, the more capable you are of getting what you want.

Knowledge gives you the ability to know when a claim by the interviewer is meant to weaken your argument. And when you show that you have knowledge, you are immediately respected. They know that they cannot just counter your demands with empty words.

More than that, a smart employer will actually like you some more since he sees the potential you carry. You will be seen as proactive and good in doing your homework.

This further points to a possibility of you being a solution provider who is worthy of being invested in.

Leveraging Personal Branding for a Successful Job Search

For professionals in many fields, getting hired depends on more than their skills. It also involves how they present themselves — that is, their personal branding.

Personal branding can be valuable in any line of work.

After all, standing out from the crowd is what personal branding is all about, and that’s a plus in any industry So before you begin your next job search, be sure to consider these five pieces of personal branding career advice:

1. Understand what personal branding means

This step is essential for using branding most effectively. Your personal branding starts with your skills, experience and where you've worked. But it also includes your career aspirations and your industry and social involvement.

In other words, personal branding combines your resume and goals and brings them to life for your job search.

2. Know who you want to be

Creating a personal brand is essentially establishing a reputation that you’ll then market. So the first piece of career advice here is to decide who you want to be.

It may help to think in terms of adjectives. Do you want to be known as hardworking? Approachable? Dependable? Inventive? Adaptable? The clearer you are on who you want to be, the stronger your personal brand will be — and the more you’ll impress hiring managers.

3. Look at yourself from the outside

How does your own view of yourself match up with how others see you? Personal branding is the art and science of working to make these two perceptions line up exactly.

So you need a clear understanding of how others view you to help refine and optimize your brand. For example, ask yourself: What do co-workers want your advice on? What positive reinforcement have you received in performance reviews? And where does the feedback you’re getting not quite line up with the self-image you want to present? Then you can adjust and improve your performance until the outside perceptions align more closely with your own.

4. Plan ahead

Keep in mind that your personal branding is part of the ongoing process of achieving your goals. For example, if you want to be a CFO or CEO, you can cultivate a personal brand that presents you as a leader, a visionary — someone who instinctively sees the big picture.

Then, whenever you’re searching for your next job, you can use that personal branding when writing your cover letter and answering interview questions. You’ll come off as the CFO long before it’s time to apply for C-suite jobs.

5. Own your brand online and offline

Once you’ve designed your personal branding, it’s time to make it part of your daily actions. Practice presenting yourself the way you want to be seen. That is, bring your brand to life. And don’t forget to tweak your online presence to match as well — especially on LinkedIn, the top social media site for job searches.

Want to know more about personal branding? Trisha offers a masterclass that will help transform your LinkedIn, which you can access here.

Trisha Chapman

Managing Partner: impressiveCV

Importance of English for an interview

English is immensely important wherever you are in the world. In countries where English is not a native or official language, over two-thirds of employers say that English is important for their business. English is the language of international business, so increasingly it is just as important for businesses in native and non-native English-speaking countries. In today’s world the competition in the professional world is increasing with each passing day. Therefore it has become immensely important for people to equip themselves with adequate skills and the knowledge of English language is one such skill. A person needs to be fluent in English while speaking and writing. English is utterly important to clear job interviews because majority of the interviews are conducted in English language only

Articulating your value in an English based interview is paramount.

Enhanced communication skills in English can result to not only an improved social life, but also better job opportunities in the future.

There is a wide range of English requirements in countries where English is not a native or official language. 7% of job tasks require native-level English and 49% requires advanced English, 33% requires intermediate English and 8% requires basic English. Your career is one of the most important parts of your life – and securing job interviews is a vital step towards getting your foot in the door. In an interview finding the right professional tone is always tricky, especially if you’re worried about how well you speak English. But you don’t need a complex vocabulary to show off your business English skills.

In job interviews, most interviewers conduct interviews in English. Interviewers quickly make judgments and give great importance to first impressions. Poor skills in the language can mean smaller chances of landing a job. On the other hand, being proficient in the language can help one leave a good first impression which means higher chances of getting the position one is applying for. English is the most commonly used language in the business world. Most job interviews are done in English. Most business contracts are written in English. Handling international business deals require effective skills in English. English is the preferred business language because it is an exact language. It allows a person to say what he or she wants to say without having to argue about the meaning. However, using incorrect tenses, prepositions, and the like will make one’s statement less accurate. So in order to have an increased competence in the professional world, one should have a very good grasp of the English language.

There are a number of things you can do in your daily life to make professional English a part of your routine. The more you practice, the better you will get — and the more opportunities you will have!

Check out our course on mastering your English here.

Why a CV alone won't get you a job

A resume alone will not get you a job

Rarely will you be successful with employment applying on a job board

Whether you know it or not, you have a personal brand. When you Google yourself, what pops up? These results are the first impression people will have of you. Is it a good one? Is the information you are sharing across LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media sites consistent?  Whether you have a date or a job interview, chances are someone is going to Google you to learn more about who you are. The question is, do you want to allow your online reputation to take on a life of its own or control the narrative? With the proliferation of social media and the gig economy, it has become essential for everyone to embrace personal branding.

The brand you communicate marks your career reputation and is in some respects a promise. When you carry a personal brand, your unique promise of value precedes you and has far-reaching effects throughout your job search, Branding in resumes influences hiring decision-makers reviewing them to consider the candidate and can compel them to feel they must meet that person. The best way to land your next great career opportunity or advance your current career track is through personal branding. Personal branding is still relatively cutting-edge – most job seekers haven't taken advantage of it yet. Tap into it before it mainstreams and you can tremendously impact your job search. Showcasing your personal brand attributes in your resume – your vitality, unique value, strength of character, and passions about your work – creates chemistry with the reader and can pre-qualify you as a viable candidate who will add value and fit their corporate culture. As many brand strategists will tell you, a brand is nothing without a good story. The difference between a company and a person is how their story is told. As I said before, it’s even better if they are intertwined.

Tell the story behind your personal brand through interactions with people and your audience. Spread the message in the way you speak to clients and people you meet. Create a visual perception in the clothes you wear, how you groom your hair and do your makeup. As well as the way you write your social posts–or any other content you create for that matter. The way you portray yourself on social media and to the press is a huge part of personal branding. Eventually, your personal brand is spread by word of mouth. With the spread of content on social media, your personal brand can reach corners of the earth most folks couldn’t even imagine 20 years ago.

Find your Uniqueness

The first step towards creating your personal brand is to find your uniqueness. A personal uniqueness can be one of many things:

• Your style of work

• The way you communicate

• Your capabilities

• How you help people

• Your life story

• Your values

• Any other aspect of your life which makes you different…

Having a strong personal brand is so important so that when a hiring manager does their research about you, a strong image appears and they want you in their workplace!! Once you apply for the job, the first thing the hiring manager will do is look up who you are!

Stay tuned for more on the HOW’s.

Posting on LinkedIn: How It Increases Your Value & Visibility

A LinkedIn account is not enough. If you think that having an active LinkedIn account is all it takes to get noticed in the recruitment pool, think again. You need more than signing up for a LinkedIn account to get connections. You need more than having an extensive profile to get noticed by recruiters. And it would help if you had more than a wordy headliner to stand-out to prospective employers. Think of LinkedIn as your digital personal branding platform that gets recruiters and prospective employers to notice you.

LinkedIn’s algorithm for their newsfeed and posts focuses on personal connections around similar interests. That means that your professional brand and whatever you post on your profile is seen by like-minded users who share the same interest as you. This includes recruiters and business owners. Keeping in mind LinkedIn’s objective in “connecting the world’s professionals”, there are a handful of straightforward ways to increase your visibility on LinkedIn. Keywords are key. There’s a reason why it’s called ‘keywords’ after all. Appropriate, relevant, and strongly-worded keywords help with visibility. How? When we generally know what we’re looking for, but not precisely, we automatically search for it using prompts that relate to what we are looking for. We are creatures of habit, and technology advances by understanding how to bring over our habitual behaviour digitally. For example, when we want to know where to get Thai food within a certain proximity, habit prompts us to type in “Thai food near me” on search engines. Within nanoseconds, we obtain numerous results. These results are a product of brands’ understanding of their market’s online behaviour and carefully curating the right keywords to match it. The same strategy applies to your LinkedIn profile. Curate focused, relevant, and robust keywords to incorporate in your profile to increase your visibility and to enable recruiters to find you based on searchable keywords quickly. Pay attention to your introduction card, which is your headline, cover photo, and headshot or profile image. Your headline should contain a concise yet informative teaser of what makes you a strong and valuable professional; spend time in crafting an intriguing one. Create, post, share Other than accumulating connections, you also want your profile to have value. What makes it valuable is if your audience finds something of use for them on your profile. You are your own professional brand, and your audience is your market.

To have visibility and maintain the audience’s awareness of your brand, you need to market yourself effectively. Posting on LinkedIn: How It Increases Your Value & Visibility Posting relevant and engaging content makes you a reliable figure/profile to refer to for others who share the same views and interest as you do. If you are familiar with content marketing, you can understand why top brands widely use it to date. It does not bluntly promote a specific product, but it sparks the audiences’ interests towards the brand. And this is what LinkedIn encourages its users to. Posts must be relevant to your career to gain the right audience and for your posts to have value. Whether you are creating your own articles on LinkedIn’s publishing platform or sharing others’ posts, make sure its quality is relevant enough to gain your connections’ interest and engagement.

Jump in on threads and most people or audiences nowadays read the comments section on posts more than the post itself. This is due to countless “clickbait” titles and articles that have so much word-count with very little relevance in its content. So, what do people do? They resort to reading the comments first to save themselves the trouble of reading an entire article. Jumping in on threads with a respectful, smart, and helpful comment not only involves you in the conversation, but it also exposes you to other connections and potential recruiters. Activate #OpenToWork feature This feature on LinkedIn is by far the easiest and quickest way to increase your visibility and be more discoverable to a range of recruiters and hiring managers. By activating this feature, your profile photo will adapt to LinkedIn’s #OpenToWork photo frame, which will prompt and signal recruiters that you are actively working for job opportunities. This is a passive way to let recruiters and connections know that you are ready to mingle job-wise. Don’t get too frazzled. We’ve all been there, taking LinkedIn’s features and platforms for granted.

But now we know better, and it really does help with job searches and opportunities when you tweak your profile and online behaviour with the above tips.

Do you need help with your LinkedIn profile?? Let me know!! Happ to help you:

info@impressivecv.com

Recruitment Tools Essentials: Must-haves for Job Seekers

In this day and age of the digital era, there are many ways to stay on top of the recruitment and hiring processes. So, it's not a surprise that as job seekers, there's a tendency to stack up as many tools as possible that can give an edge with job searches and opportunities. Industry requirements may evolve, and hiring systems change, but keep on reading for must-have essentials that job seekers need to have and be on top of.

 Cover letter (in addition to your customized resumé)

An oldie and a goodie. While a cover letter is not mandatory, jobseekers must include it as a default when sending job applications to recruiters or potential employers. A cover letter in resumés is what the foreword is to a book. It's the first thing that the recruiter will see and is an excellent opportunity to introduce yourself, the unique set of skills and abilities that makes you the right candidate, and showcasing your personality that just won't translate in a resumé. A cover letter is also a great way to explain work gaps – if you have any, or backing up any details on your resumé that may need further explanation. According to CareerBuilder's study, 49% of HR managers account for cover letters as one of the more effective ways to bolster up your resumé.

 An online presence

Having a professional online presence, specifically on social media, is the best way to put yourself on the map and be visible for recruiters and prospective employers. When a recruiter or hiring manager wants to conduct a quick background check on you, the first thing they turn to are search engines. Having zero online footprint is worse than having an outdated one. But it goes without saying that your public social media accounts and web presence should be professional, polished, and reflects the most refined version of you that an organization would want to hire.

A LinkedIn account is a must-have. Business owners, hiring managers, recruiters, and professionals maximize LinkedIn as their own personal branding and marketing page. Having an active LinkedIn profile also displays and reinforces your credibility as a professional in the industry that you are experienced in.

This is precisely the kind of marketing tool you should have for yourself and your professional brand for recruiters and hiring managers to know that you are open to work. LinkedIn equals a public resumé: accessible and searchable to a range of recruiters and hiring managers, user-friendly, and a great way to network, too.

 Updated career portfolio (including your brag box)

Take this with a grain of salt. A portfolio works really well for job seekers who need visuals for show-and-tell to effectively convey their skills and serve as an affirmation for one's capabilities. If your industry is in graphic design, a catalog of your layouts and the finished product is a valuable testament to your skills. If you're applying for a vacancy in social media or digital marketing, data analysis and presentation of your marketing strategies' impact will give the hiring manager a clear viewpoint of what you can bring to the company. A portfolio is a valuable addition and reinforcement to the qualifications and competencies written on one's resumé. If applicable, don't omit this tool.

Video conferencing apps

This is an absolute must! Thankful for technological advancements, showing up to an interview location has been drastically minimized to online interviews – mostly for convenience and partially for health and safety reasons due to the ongoing pandemic. While Skype has been a household name for video calls and online interviews for years, Zoom has gained popularity due to its reliable large video conference capacity. Zoom has now become a staple app for professionals and remote workers alike, so it's wise to have the app downloaded and an account ready for when you get that online interview scheduled.

A chic interview outfit

It never hurts to have a well-thought-out, professional, interview-ready outfit or two in your closet. Having an appropriate attire handy to represent your professional brand shows your dedication to the opportunity, and you understand that first impression matters. Showing up well-put-together is also an indication that you take the recruiter's time seriously and respect the time they're taking to talk with you.

 The saying "quality over quantity" holds true within a vast day-to-day scenario and life events. And that includes recruitment tools and job search essentials.

Would you like any assistance with your job application? Feel free to drop us an email!!