The Invisible Professional: How to Stand Out in Today’s Job Market
By Jeff Altman, Big Game Hunter
this The article was rated as a popular job search blog post by JobMob.co.il.
“To do something like this is beyond magic. I saw without a doubt a grand vision of all that invisibility could mean to a man—mystery, power, freedom. Disadvantages? I saw none.” — HG Wells, invisible man
Griffin, the protagonist in Wells’s book, may have seen no downside to being “invisible,” but for someone plotting a career, being “invisible” should now be considered malpractice for any serious professional.
After all, people who achieve success are not always the smartest or the hardest-working, although these are all great qualities to have. People achieve success by being alert to opportunities. Sometimes, they are located within your organization. Usually, they are external.
Unless you plan on constantly looking for jobs in between job searches, applying for jobs (wouldn’t that be fun!) and having applicant tracking systems and AI decide whether you should be interviewed or not, you need to take proactive steps to push the boundaries and proactively become the “chosen one.”
move to front of queue
One of the most enjoyable and surprising experiences I’ve ever had was landing at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport with my wife and newly adopted son. Hundreds of people were waiting to go through immigration, but when we were spotted we were waved to the front of the line because we had babies with us. The encouragement to get to the front of the line did not elicit anger and abuse from those walking in front of us, as it did in most other places.
Our 8am flight from Almaty, Kazakhstan to Moscow required an emergency landing at an abandoned air base, and it was a delight to wait 7 hours for a replacement plane to arrive, and to be kept alive on a bottle of soda in an unheated terminal. In America, we all wait in line with expressionless faces.
Unfortunately, most people wait for the next opportunity to be called instead of creating the conditions to be called. How can you change your situation?
1. Do marketable work very well. No matter what field you work in, no matter what career you have—white collar, blue collar, it doesn’t matter—there is a labor shortage in the United States. There are fewer than one unemployed person per job opening in the United States, down from a peak of more than six in July 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. Since 2011, the number of new hires has consistently exceeded the number of separations in the workforce. The demand for talent is further exacerbated by restrictions on immigration in the United States, which provides opportunities for people to easily find work in the current environment.
2. Volunteer to do important work. Volunteering can be an important way to increase your organization’s visibility, both internally and externally. Before accepting an assignment, ask yourself these questions: Who can I meet? What can I learn? If neither answer excites you, don’t come forward. Let someone else do it.
3. Keep your LinkedIn profile updated. Businesses and third-party recruiters spend thousands of dollars each year searching LinkedIn for profiles that match the skills of open positions. Keeping your profile updated allows them to search for and find you, recommending you to new opportunities. Check LinkedIn every day and respond to messages you receive about opportunities. Download the app and check and reply to your messages.
4. Write articles. Who will express what you have to say? One of them is LinkedIn, which has a blogging platform where you can post content so that Google can find what you wrote. You can share your articles with your contacts. There are sites that specialize in what you know and may be willing to publish what you have to say. Additionally, interviewing others is a great tool for writing articles.
5. Create content for YouTube. YouTube interviews are an enhanced version of writing. It allows you to be considered an expert because you ask your guests quality questions. Soon, LinkedIn will roll out LinkedIn Live to everyone (it’s still in beta as I write this). You can also conduct live interviews there.
6. Become a speaker. Public speaking comes in many forms. You can talk to trade groups at conferences, be interviewed on other people’s podcasts, and on YouTube and LinkedIn Live. If you’re afraid of being a speaker, the best way to overcome this fear is to attend a local Toastmasters meeting and make mistakes in front of a support group. It helped me – and now, after watching over 8,000 videos and 2,800 podcasts, I know I’m helping other people.
When you chase an opportunity because you’re actively seeking a position, it’s like being in a pond with thousands of fish jumping for a single hook. Instead, you want to be the person they turn to for opportunities. By being in that place and increasing your visibility through visibility, better work will come your way over time.
Just like your 401(k) and IRA, investing today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow can lead to huge returns down the road. It doesn’t take much time. This doesn’t require much effort. It requires consistency. Remember, you are the CEO of your life and career. Don’t outsource it to others so they can make decisions that affect you without your conscious consent. Taking these simple steps can put you back in control for years to come.
About Big Game Hunter Jeff AltmanPeople hire “Big Game Hunter” Jeff Altman to provide no-nonsense job coaching and career advice around the world because he excels at job hunting
And make it easier to succeed in your career. Billions of Dollars in Staffing MisalignmentYou’ll find a wealth of information and job search guidance to help you find a job at JobSearch.Community
Connected LinkedIn:
Schedule a discovery call to discuss one-on-one or group coaching with me during your job search: www.TheBigGameHunter.us.
Overcoming Age Discrimination in the Job Search Process as an Experienced Professional
He is the producer and former host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 job search podcast on iTunes with over 3,000 episodes over 13 years.
We allow this and other articles to be used on your site as long as they include a backlink www.TheBigGameHunter.us and states that it is provided by Jeff Altman of The Big Game Hunter as the author or creator. Does not acknowledge his work or provide backlinks www.TheBigGameHunter.us Subjects you to a $1,000 fine, which you voluntarily agree to pay. Please contact us to discuss using our content as training data.
The article The Invisible Professional: How to Stand Out in Today’s Job Market first appeared on Big Game Hunter Jeff Altman.
