4 Tips to Improve Your Hire-ability

4 Tips to Improve Your Hire-ability 4 Tips to Improve Your Hire-ability Whether you presently are looking for a new job or simply want to keep yourself marketable for down the line, there are plenty of actions that can serve you well at any time. Below are four strategies that may improve your hire-ability with employers. Here are four tips to improve your hire-ability: 1. Update your LinkedIn Profile Potential employers often see your profile before anything else. Ensure it leaves a positive first impression. (You do have a professional-looking, good-quality picture on it, right?) “Make a habit of updating your profile once a quarter,” says career advisor and  greyzone founder Tami Palmer. “Are there trainings or certifications you can now include? Does your summary tell your best story of who you are and what youre all about? Read your profile as if you were a recruiter and see how you can get more precise in your words and attract the right companies.” Consider further enhancing your profile by asking others for endorsements and recommendations. Most people are happy to help, and their testimonials encourage trust in your personal brand. 2. Stay Relevant Demonstrate that you’re someone who is always trying to learn and improve. Employers will value your initiative, your resume will benefit from the inclusion of additional classes or seminars, and you’ll have more to discuss at networking events or job interviews. Keeping on top of industry trends and new technologies is especially important to the marketability of older workers. “The easiest way to be seen as a dinosaur is to fall behind and off track,” says Roy Cohen, author of The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide: Success Secrets of a Career Coach. 3. Increase Visibility What comes up when you perform a search on your name? A strong online presence attracts attention and builds your professional reputation. Consider contributing articles to an industry publication or becoming a frequent, thoughtful commentator to a pertinent LinkedIn group. You even may want to create your own website as a central location for displaying examples of your work. Put some effort into your off-line visibility, too. Cohen suggests joining your industry’s professional association, perhaps even chairing a committee. “The visibility will offer you access to colleagues at other firms so that you build a robust network should you need it for a job search or to gather competitive information. It will also serve as a platform to promote your own company. When your cheerleading gets back to bosses and senior management- which it will- you score a point.” 4. Network And speaking of networking, when is the last time you had lunch with a former coworker or dropped an email to someone you met at a conference? Maintaining relationships is imperative whether you’re looking for a job or not. In addition to nurturing the ties you have, improve your hire-ability by stepping away from your comfort zone. Make a point of talking to people outside your own age group or who work in a different field. A diverse network provides multiple opportunities for others to see the great things you bring to the table! If youre in the market  for a new job, it also helps to target companies that are currently hiring. Check out these 11 companies hiring this fall for flexible jobs.   Readers, what steps have you utilized to improve your hire-ability? Share your successes and challenges with us below!