A career in business is one that can be incredibly rewarding and profitable. You can go in a variety of different directions and ultimately take your career as far as you want to. That being said, success in business is never a given. It takes a great deal of perseverance and preparation in order to make your way in the world of business.
Your first step to success in business is going to depend upon your ability to land a job with an existing company. Even if your goal is to start your own business one day, you will need to be able to make yourself marketable to clients and customers down the line. With so many other people looking to make a name for themselves in business as well, you will have your work cut out for you when you apply for and try to earn a job in business.
The key to accomplishing your goal of working in business is to make yourself as marketable to a candidate as possible. By showcasing your strengths and accomplishments in the best light, you will be able to set yourself apart from the competition and obtain the position you are after. Moreover, building up your resume with the right education and experience will help you gain an edge on the competition.
Here are a few ways in which you can make yourself more marketable as a candidate for a job in business.
Educate Yourself
The first thing that you will need to obtain in order to be a desirable candidate for jobs in the world of business is obtain relevant education. The topic of education in regard to a career in business is an interesting one. The fact of the matter is that no two journeys to success in business are alike, so the degree options that one successful individual went for might be completely different from the ones that lead to your own success.
You might have even known people who have successfully made their way in the world of business without any degree at all. While such an outcome is certainly possible, it is important to bear in mind that such stories these days tend to be the exception, not the rule. If you have an opportunity to join a company and start your career in business without a degree, then it is certainly worth considering. However, the overwhelming majority of employers these days would hesitate to give a candidate a second look if they do not first possess some sort of relevant degree.
For this reason, your best bet, if your goal is to become a marketable candidate, would be to first earn your degree. It is also important to consider just how far you want to take your business career. Many people who have high aspirations would do best to take things a step further and earn a graduate degree in addition to their undergraduate degree. The ever-popular Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree is almost synonymous with success in business these days.
The reason for this is that most employers know what sort of education one receives when they earn an MBA. There are certain courses that you will take when you earn an MBA that will prepare you for a successful career in business. Your future employers will know more or less what sort of courses those might be and therefore have a good idea about what your baseline knowledge is. When an employer knows for certain what a potential hire understands about business, they will automatically see that candidate as more desirable.
Earning an MBA is also a challenging endeavor. You might be understandably hesitant to enroll in an MBA program because of how much time and energy it will take. It also isn’t ideal for most people to take time off from the job that they already have in order to earn their degree. The good news is that there are a number of excellent online MBA in Michigan programs that you can choose from that will allow you to earn your degree without missing a beat.
Obtain the Right Experience
When trying to gain experience in the workforce in order to make yourself more marketable as a potential hire later on down the line, it can be tempting to try to simply take any job or opportunity that comes your way. While you certainly want to obtain experience, it is important that the experience you do gain has a purpose.
For instance, if your goal is to work in sales and you are trying to find a part-time position as a receptionist to make some extra money, try to find such a position at a company which works with sales. Not only will such a position allow you the opportunity to see firsthand how a sales office runs, but that sort of job will serve to paint a better picture of what your aspirations are to any potential employers.
It is also a good idea to obtain experience for non-paying or volunteer positions. While such jobs aren’t very enticing for many people, this type of experience can say a lot about you to potential employers. The fact that you would work for a certain cause free of charge can demonstrate your character and let future employers know that you aren’t only in it for financial gain.
If you are at a point in your journey where you aren’t quite sure exactly the direction you want your career to go in, you can still take steps to ensure that your experience is the “right” experience. Before taking a job or task, ask yourself if such a position reflects who you are as an individual. In an interview, how would you explain to a potential employer your reasons behind taking that job? By keeping your experience focused on your marketability factor, you can find positions that will benefit you in more ways than one.
Don’t Rush Your Resume
When you find a job that you truly want, you want to be sure that your resume is ready to go. While you will naturally need to take steps to tailor your information to the specific position that you are applying for, it is a good idea to have a solid and professional looking resume on standby for when your dream job becomes available.
The trick to crafting the perfect resume is to remember that it is something that shouldn’t be rushed. It might be tempting to take the easy way out by simply choosing a snazzy font and typing up your experience, but such a resume won’t be likely to land you an interview, let alone a job offer.
When an employer reads your resume, they are looking to get a sense for who you are as a worker and as a person. A sloppy and rushed resume doesn’t convey the professionalism and attention to detail that most employers want to see. By taking the time to organize things properly and arranging your resume in a way that is both clear and concise, you demonstrate your ability to take any task that comes your way and perform it to the best of your ability.
Your resume also gives you the chance to show off your written communication skills. No matter what sort of job you are applying for, every employer wants people who can write effectively. While the odd punctuation or grammatical error might not completely kill your chances, a resume that is riddled with such mistakes will not be well-received, no matter what sort of experience you have.
If you think about your education and work experience as the product that you are trying to sell, the resume is your marketing strategy. You are looking to take all of your experience and shape it in a way that will be well-received by your audience. It needs to be written with that audience in mind so as to best appeal to them. If done correctly, the right resume written with patience and attention to detail will earn you the interview that you are after.
Work on Your Social Media Presence
Before you ever submit your name for consideration for a job, you need to make sure that your social media pages are ready to be seen by a potential employer. These days, most hiring managers will take the time to research any candidates that they are considering online to search for any red flags that might be present.
Take the time to evaluate your social media pages. Anything that is unprofessional or doesn’t reflect the sort of traits that employers are looking for should be deleted. If you don’t want to go through the process of working on your social media pages in this way, you can always set them to private so that other users who aren’t already connected with you can’t view your information. Just be aware of the fact that privacy settings change frequently, so while your pages aren’t accessible to people unconnected with you at the moment, that might change down the line.
Know Your Career Goals
In the world of marketing, the first thing that must be established before a marketing campaign can be developed is the message. When you know the specific message that you are trying to convey then you can create a strategy behind it in such a way that will appeal to the target audience. The same principle can be applied when you are looking to market yourself as a quality candidate for a job in the world of business.
When you think about your career goals, you need to be more specific than simply the desire to be successful. What niche of business do you see yourself working in some day? What sort of role do you want to play in that niche? Do you see yourself as a manager or as a self-employed contractor of sorts? There are so many options available to those who want to make it in the world of business. Finding the goals that you want to achieve is the first step to marketing yourself to a potential employer.
For some people, finding your goals is easier said than done. You might need to take the time to do some research as well as some self-reflection in order to discover exactly what your career goals are. You should take all factors into account from salary to the potential for advancement. If you are at a complete loss, you might find it helpful to discuss things with a career advisor.
It is also a good idea to actually write down your goals on a piece of paper. Once you have discovered more or less what you hope to achieve in your career, writing things down can help you to internalize and focus on your goals. You know that things are going to be difficult and challenging at times. The fact is that nothing worth having comes easily. However, by having that physical reminder right there for you to reference during those tough times, you can motivate yourself to persevere through and carry on your journey.
All this isn’t to say that once you know your goals that they are then set in stone. You might feel confident that you know what you want out of your career one day only to find your desires change a few years down the road. Being adaptable to such changes in your path is all part of the experience. As your aspirations change and develop, so too should your efforts to market yourself with your new goals in mind.
The bottom line is that you won’t be able to successfully market yourself for a job in business unless you know what you are trying to market. This starts with laying out and understanding your goals yourself. Once you have a clear picture in mind, you will find it much easier to market that picture to potential employers.