A negative state of mind can prevent you from furthering your career. There is an epidemic going around the United States that tells career driven people that your skills and education don’t matter, it’s who you know that makes the difference. This negative thought process has stopped many highly qualified individuals from succeeding in their career.
Who You Know
Nobody knows where the thought “if you don’t know somebody you can’t succeed” began. It could have originated years ago when business executives hired family and friends instead of qualified professionals. The problem with that scenario is the family member or friend probably didn’t contribute much to the business. In the end, those business executives either settled for a less than great business or hired professionals that could get the job done correctly.
Become the “Person to Know”
Now that you understand that every business owner doesn’t hire their family and friends, it’s time for you to become the person they should know. The way to do quite easy. First, stop thinking that you can’t get ahead unless you are related to someone. Instead, start thinking that “you” are the one everyone needs to know if they want to have a successful business and take action.
Take control of your career by marketing yourself online with a website, blog and social media profiles. There is far too much focus placed on a resume and not enough on experience, education, and drive. Yes. It’s important to create a good resume highlighting your accomplishments, education and work history. But once you have the resume complete, don’t keep tweaking it unless you are adding current information. Most businesses and human resource departments search online for your information when you apply for a job. This means they also seek out the most talented individuals. Your website, blog or social media platforms can catch the attention of the best headhunters in your industry. This means they will call you instead of you call them!
Becoming the person that people should know takes hard work and dedication to marketing yourself. But the hard work pays off when you realize your competition are still applying for jobs and striking out and you are receiving offers on a regular basis.
In addition to receiving offers from businesses, you also have the upper hand when it comes to negotiations. You have established yourself as a leader and expert in your industry that is highly valuable and can make businesses money. This makes you valuable and businesses are willing to pay and provide benefit packages to attract your attention and keep you working for their company for years to come.
Stop thinking the lucky nephew or niece of the CEO of whatever company is going to get the job instead of you. Instead, take control by marketing yourself, proving your expertise and creating a positive online reputation. Start improving your work ethic today!