Following on from our last blog, we are looking at what makes you more employable in 2010!! Last time I talked about Self Awareness, today I am looking at #2 ADAPTABILITY!!

Our ideas at http://www.smsthejob.com.au/ are from our experience, but in case you missed the last blog, the topic came up from an article written by Stuart Parkin1 and some further research: The University of Central England’s Employer Satisfaction survey2 and The Association of Graduate Recruiters3 research.

1. http://www.twine.com/item/13489p0cq-1hc/what-makes-you-employable-i...
2. http://blogstreet.typepad.com/blogstreet_from_jobstreet/2009/08/wha...
3. http://jobsbd.com/career%20service/index.php?option=com_content&...

If you clicked on any of the links above you just might feel a bit overwhelmed! Stuart has listed 10 traits, UCE and AGR have 12 skills each and honestly some of them are just saying the same thing in a different way!

So we are aiming to make it easy!! As I mentioned last time, as a Manager I too have instinctively looked for these skills and attributes in potential staff members. These are the types of traits that make you stand out from your competition AND it is seriously easy when you know how!

#2: ADAPTABILITY

Aha – this is an easy one right!?! You move my meeting time to my lunch break – no worries; you interrupt me with 12 phone calls when I am on a deadline – I can handle it!; you need me to work back so the project can be handed in tomorrow – I can cancel my dinner date!!

Doesn’t really sound so great when I put it like that, does it? Yet this type of ADAPTABILITY is important to employers AND they will mention in an interview “you may be required to work long hours” “it is a salaried position, so no overtime, but we expect the job to be done”. Heard it before? The honest thing is that we are living under more stress than our ancestors due to the fast paced nature in the way our world is constantly changing. We are bombarded with media messages and appliances to make things easier, but we have never been busier! Employers want someone who can handle niggling interruptions and stressful deadlines, someone who is reliable!

I can simplify ADAPTABILITY for you even further – it is the ability to jump in when you are needed. To do the jobs others can’t or won’t. The Association of Graduate Recruiters are a bit more detailed in saying it is the ability “to cope with uncertainty”3 and “to adapt with changing circumstances”3.

But Adaptability is not about making yourself a doormat! No one deserves to be “used” by any employer! I’ll give you an example – I once had a friend who worked in a small business that the owner had started to create more family time for herself. The owner worked very short days and was often unavailable when big decisions needed to be made; worse still she was not an easy person to work with as her “requirements” were constantly moving goal posts. My friend was (is!) clever and smart and capable (which the owner knew – she was a clever recruiter!), but the day came when the owner hadn’t finished a project and dumped it on her employee as she ran out for an afternoon with her kids. The project was in disarray and my friend had to skip a birthday party she had been looking forward to, to get the project finished. Now I encouraged my friend to perhaps seek an employer who was more grateful for my friends “Adaptability”, but my friend liked the work (and the employer… mostly), so she used her “Adaptability” to get a very decent pay rise!!

My point is that ADAPTABILITY is the key to opening doors! If you are reliable, work well under pressure, can be fluid with changing environments and display a loyalty to your potential employer - you are ahead of the game!!

Oh and by the way – how do you demonstrate ADAPTABILITY when you go for an interview!! Some homework again for you! Write down some occasions in your experience when you had a tight deadline; or a network failure with data you needed; or a time when you had to think outside the square – be prepared to relay the stories that match with the skills required in the job you are applying for. Employers love to hear about how you helped save the day, how you ADAPTED when the situation called for a winner to step up!

Our next http://www.smsthejob.com.au/ blog will be about #3 SELF MOTIVATION/ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS!! Stay tuned!

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We’d love to hear your questions and comments! Keep up to date with the latest job hunt advice and assistance here!

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