After initial introductions and the ensuing handshake he commented “I’m really sorry to take up your valuable time. I know you must think I’m a nuisance, and I don’t mean to be such a bother.” Even his body language indicated a serious lack self confidence, which was really saddened me. I could just imagine him repeating this comment at a networking meeting or worse yet, at an interview.

Whether you are representing yourself at a network meeting, an interview or even just having a coffee with a network contact – it is vital to portray a professional and successful image.

Unfortunately this person did not realise that the message he was conveying, could be viewed as negative or weak by some people, and by projecting anything less than his absolute best could harm his reputation.

To avoid becoming a casualty of communication catastrophe and undermining yourself and your abilities try some of the tips provided below:

• Avoid using weak and ineffective communication when promoting your ideas such as “You probably won’t like this idea but how about…” or “I’m probably way off track but …” Instead use strong communication when presenting your ideas; if you don’t believe in what you are saying or what you stand for, how can you expect others to?
• Emulate the physical ‘presence’ and mannerisms of self-assured and confident people. Stand tall with your head held high. Use a firm (although not hand crushing) handshake, smile, and remember to speak clearly and maintain eye contact with the person to whom you are communicating with. 
• Don’t beat yourself up if you make a mistake, but rather view it as an opportunity for continued learning and personal development. Everyone makes mistakes, but it is in the way you learn from these and pick yourself up that makes all the difference. One of my favourite quotations is ‘There is no failure, only feedback.’ So, if a situation did not deliver the outcome as planned, review it and understand how you can improve on it, so that next time you are in a similar situation you can achieve a better result.
• Learn to accept congratulatory praise and compliments and don’t lessen the impact of your achievements by saying “Oh it was nothing really.” Be proud of what you have accomplished! Instead say ‘Thank you!’ to demonstrate your gratitude for being acknowledged.
• Avoid using negative comments about yourself or your skills as this not only projects a poor self-image, but does little to enhance your self-esteem. Stop feeding your negative self-image by diminishing your skills and abilities, but rather be proud of who you are and what you have to offer.
• Don’t portray or describe yourself as a victim when faced with a problem. Rather, take on a proactive demeanour by demonstrating your ability to face challenges head on, even if that means asking for support from those around you.

Remember, how we interact and communicate with people around us and with ourselves (through internal communication/thoughts) can significantly impact how we are perceived. Ensure you are perceived in a positive and professional way by adopting some of the above tips!

By the way you’ll be pleased to know that after spending some time with the person I mentioned earlier, we were able to work on his marketing documentation as well as his communication and presentation style. He’s having far more positive results within this job search, which is pleasing to hear.

If you feel like you could be jeopardising your (online and offline) networking and interviewing efforts by not projecting a professional persona, then come and listen in to our upcoming radio show ‘Help! I need a job’. We’ll be sharing important online and offline networking communication strategies to help you win that job.

Employers are now more than ever placing greater emphasis on a candidate’s employability skills than they are on a candidate’s grades in the selection process. While Australian employers have been following this principle for some time – interestingly international employers (who were, up until some time ago, focused primarily on grades) now too are far more interested in a candidate’s employability skills than just their grades alone. So students beware – if you think top grades alone are going to guarantee you a role, you could be sadly mistaken. 

The Australian Bureau of Statistics early this year stated that youth unemployment levels had risen to 24%. This means that all students should be implementing sound career management strategies whilst studying to ensure they are able to differentiate themselves within a competitive market.  

And, according to the feedback I’ve been receiving, being able to demonstrate employability and transferable skills is critical and will allow a graduate to have the upper hand in the job market.

So what are employability skills and how can you develop these?

The Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and the Business Council of Australia (BCA) have developed the following list of employability skills, which can also be referred to as ’soft skills’:

- Initiative

- Communication

- Teamwork

- Technology

- Problem Solving

- Self Management

- Planning

- Learning

While studying it is important to continue developing your employability skills. Here is a list of activities you can consider to increase these important skills:

- Voluntary work – even if the work is not necessarily in your field of study.

- Part time/casual work – again, either in your field of study or any other environment that will allow you to demonstrate development and growth of the above-mentioned skills.

- Join school groups, societies, committees and any extracurricular activities and ensure you are an active participant in their events.

This information is extremely valuable when developing your personal marketing document – your résumé. The fact that you will probably have limited experience in your field of study, including the information from your extracurricular and other involvements as detailed above, will allow you to create a document of substance, while demonstrating key employability and transferable skills to a potential employer.

Consider including these sections when developing your résumé:

- Extracurricular involvements: memberships and sporting involvements are always a great way to highlight employability skills;

- Volunteer work;

- Work Experience, completed either through your tertiary or secondary schooling years;

- Awards and other areas which have recognised you for your contributions and achievements;

- Technologies and understanding of computer applications, specifically if they relate to the industry/role you are targeting;

- Special projects and assignments that you received impressive marks for to demonstrate your understanding of the information. Include information about the projects, your specific involvement (especially if this was a team-based assignment) and the outcome of the project;

- Academic achievements, including the subjects you have successfully completed, especially the subjects you received top marks in to demonstrate a solid grasp of the information.

As you can see, the list is quite extensive and should provide you with some impressive information to include in your résumé, in order to highlight your transferable and employability skills to a potential employer.

All the very best!