These Two Exercises Will Prepare You For The Job Market

Here is a seminar on Top 10 employability skills and personal branding canvas

The number of students now graduating from university is vast. This means you need to differentiate yourself in the job market and stand out from the crowd. One of the best ways to do this is to create your own evidence and examples for your marketable and employable skills. In this article, I would like to share two useful exercises you can use to foster your employability and self-marketing skills.

• Top 10 Employable Skills and
• Personal Branding Canvas.

To prepare for a post-coronavirus job market, you need to build resilience and adaptation into your career to protect yourself and your chances. One of the best ways to do it is to systematically take an inventory of your professional, technical, and soft skills. It is also important to allocate time in your schedule every day for your ongoing learning and development.

As the job market is more and more relying on contractors and gig workers, you need to adapt to this reality by being flexible and entrepreneurial. You need to develop your personal brand and professional reputation to market your skills, knowledge, and competencies. Think of yourself as a one-person company and entrepreneur. Improve your online presence and LinkedIn profile.

I teach this workshop as the second seminar of the semester in my module titled “Employability, Creativity, and Personal Development”. This seminar is composed of two exercises you can easily apply to your own life and career: Top 10 Employable Skills and Personal Branding Canvas.

This is the second set of seminars this semester.

It includes two seminar activities: Top 10 Employable Skills and Personal Branding Canvas.

You will create your own evidence and examples for the top 10 skills required by employers.

Top 10 Skills:

1) using your initiative and being self-motivated 2) organizational skills 3) working under pressure and to deadlines 4) ability to learn and adapt 5) communication and interpersonal skills 6) team working and collaboration skills 7) negotiation and conflict resolution skills 8) valuing diversity and difference 9) problem-solving skills 10) numeracy and analytical skills

You will think of evidence and examples for these skills from your academic studies as well as outside your academic studies.

In the second activity, you create your Personal Branding Canvas. This activity will help you position yourself in the job market and improve your employability.

Each activity is illustrated with examples. Young individuals interested in their career development will benefit from doing both of these exercises. Enjoy.

Before we continue to the seminar, I would like to provide you two important articles and resources to best help you prepare for the job market.

The first article provides you 15 strategies for you to navigate the job market in the Covid economy. I know that things are scary and uncertain during these times. You might feel anxious and stressed about how the future will play out. However, you still have a world of options and actions available to you. This article presents these actions:

1. Take a deep breath and cultivate your inner strength. Your morale, health, and wellbeing are of utmost priority right now.
2. Stay in top shape. Develop your competitiveness for the job market.
3. Go creative in your job applications.
4. Keep a journal to reflect, learn, develop, and make progress.
5. Be flexible and adaptable. Pivot as needed. Do not give up your hope and rise from your own ashes like a phoenix.
6. Make sure you take a long-term perspective on your life and career.
7. Sharpen your toolkit, knowledge, skills, and perspectives. Invest in your personal development, learning, and growth. This is the biggest investment you can ever make.
8. Develop rare and valuable skills that are in demand.
9. Establish a system of being creative and productive for yourself.
10. Create your assets for the future.
11. Think and act like an entrepreneur.
12. Find your blue oceans and establish your own game.
13. Take up some hobbies and interests.
14. Use your imagination to escape boredom and surprise yourself every day.
15. Remember that the world needs your creativity, contribution, and curiosity.

The second article (above) provides a list of all critical resources and articles you need in the process of your job applications. You will see lots of resources from CV preparation to job interviews.

Seminar Video

You can find the seminar video below. We go over both activities (Top 10 employable skills and personal branding canvas) in this seminar. I also illustrate the activities with some examples. You can watch it below. While you watch it, please make sure you create your own evidence regarding the top 10 skills and prepare your own personal branding canvas.

Seminar Slides

Seminar Slides are below. You can go over these slides to see the steps for each exercise, as well as samples that will give you inspiration and guidance.

Do the Exercises Now

Please carry out both exercises now.

You will first create your own evidence and examples for the top 10 skills required by employers (using your initiative and being self-motivated, organizational skills, working under pressure and to deadlines, ability to learn and adapt, communication and interpersonal skills, team working and collaboration skills, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills, valuing diversity and difference, problem-solving skills, and numeracy and analytical skills. You will think of evidence and examples for these skills.

In the second activity, you create your Personal Branding Canvas. This activity will help you position yourself in the job market and improve your employability.

You can read related Medium articles on each exercise below. These articles will provide you all you need:

• Inspiration: Why do you do this? How can you benefit?
• Examples and/or templates of each completed activity
• Guidelines on how to complete the activity, and
• Clear suggestions and take-aways about each topic

Here Are The Two Exercises: Time Management Grid and PDP

Please find the details of each activity by reading the Medium articles I have written below. Click on the links and follow the steps for each activity.

Exercise 1: Develop Your Evidence for These Top 10 Employability Skills

This is the best way to prepare yourself for the job market and the interview

Exercise 2: Create Your Personal Branding Canvas

Fahri Karakas is the author of Self-making Studio. You can explore more here.