Being job ready is a huge challenge on the career front. With the changing recruitment landscape, impact of technology and a volatile labor market, job readiness can be the difference between job search outcomes and job search doldrums. Whether you are planning to join the workforce as a corporate or go into teaching and becoming a Primary School Tutor, read on.

Popular Jobs

Sales associate is one of the most popular job choices. The common majors associated with sales associates are English and political science. Research assistant is also in demand among recent graduates and the common majors are science and engineering. Many new graduates gravitate towards a career in management and accounting as well, because an accounting graduate's salary is attractive and there are many opportunities in financial services and management consulting. Engineering also ranks high in the job market, with blue chip tech companies such as Alphabet, Amazon and Apple counting among the major recruiters. Customer service representatives are hired in retail, restaurants and financial services, with Verizon and MetLife being the major employers.

Getting Prepared

Understanding the Job

The first step to being job-ready is to understand the job position. Job readiness can be achieved by knowing what the job entails, keeping abreast with the latest developments in the particular job and understanding where the position situates within an organization. It is also necessary to understand the dynamics and unfolding trends in the labor market and their effect on the job concerned.

Skill Development

Skills are an essential part of being job-ready. Educational grounding and technical qualifications are undoubtedly a starting point in the job search, but it is also incumbent upon job seekers to develop the capabilities specific to a job role and fill competency gaps, wherever they exist.

Communication

A fundamental aspect of a successful job interview is an ability to project an understanding of the job role, professionalism and personal etiquette. Self-knowledge, consisting in knowledge of one's qualities, accomplishments and goals, and an ability to convey them in a confident, articulate and succinct manner would open many career doors.

Building Relationships

Cultivating and maintaining relationships with classmates, alumni, colleagues and recruiters is important on the path to a successful job search. Leveraging the alumni association, joining social networking platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn, and following corporate professionals on Twitter could be of immense help in building long-term relationships. It makes sense to invest in relationship-building as you never know where life will lead you.

At the end of the day, being job-ready is the responsibility of each individual. Each person has to strive to stand out and make an impression among the hordes that pass out of the university system and hit the ground running, after graduation. Graduates seeking full-time employment must exude a sense of optimism, confidence and flexibility to do well. The first job may not necessarily be the dream job, but a person endowed with a healthy mix of patience and persistence will ultimately prove to the world that a dream job is not a myth after all.