“In the future there will be a shortage of employment, but work will abound” – Unknown
This magnificent quote, whose author I do not know, I had the opportunity to read it during a trip through California, specifically at Stanford University and, although in the first moment I did not pay too much attention, it was recorded in my mind and every day I have more and more present.
The future is something that fills us with uncertainty, even more with the disruption and the speed of change that we are living in our days and that will continue to increase and the first thing this phrase discovers is what our attitude is, of which it will depend on staying with the first or second part of it. If we stop in the first part, we are condemned to wander in a kind of professional zombie apocalypse, without a clear course; However, if you decide to leave the “comfort zone” and keep the second part of the sentence, the opportunities undoubtedly will appear.
Companies hire employees … and BUY SOLUTIONS
Start thinking of yourself as a product, know yourself, explore inside and discover what your strengths are. There is something that you do very well, much better than most, and that is where you must focus. You are able to be the solution to a problem that many professionals and companies surely have, and are willing to pay for it; That is why it is important to make the so-called SWOT analysis but on a personal scale, in order to make you aware of your weaknesses and threats (to manage them) but most importantly, your STRENGTHS and the OPPORTUNITIES that will generate you.
Put yourself as a product in the market
Once you are clear about what you contribute as a product, you have to prepare yourself to become visible; It is time to create your PERSONAL BRAND, and that is something that must be done WELL from the beginning, because “there is no second chance to make a good first impression”. That is why it is essential to put yourself in the hands of a good professional who will not only be able to help us give our best version, but will also guide us so that we are the ones who realize our values and how to transmit them, which will be an essential learning that we will carry on our background forever. I do not suggest names in this article for obvious reasons, but privately through my LinkedIn profile you have me at your disposal in case you want to know who, in my absolute and humble opinion, may be useful in this regard.
Nowadays, and thanks to tools like Linkedin, it is very easy to gain visibility.
Make yourself visible
Now it is time to approach your client, so you have to be completely focused. Look for professionals to follow, who periodically publish tips and recommendations very useful, very effective and, best of all, they do so in an altruistic way. Comment on their posts and those of those who also comment, and you will create a broad and solid network. Decide the companies, sectors and locations where you think you can be a great alternative and contact managers and key people. This is something easy to do by using properly the large number of filters that LinkedIn makes available to us. It is absolutely essential that, when requesting connection, you identify yourself and explain what you do, in a respectful and sincere way, because there is nothing worse than receiving connections by the mere fact of connecting. If you don’t want to be one more, don’t behave like one more. Differentiate yourself from the first moment. This is not about collecting contacts, but about interacting, contributing and learning. The same must be done when they contact you.
Learn from rejections and never give up
Finally, nothing is easy, so you are very likely to have to face rejection situations, but these situations are opportunities to improve, to refine yourself as a product and to be a better professional proposal. Therefore, keep going; Today’s rejection will be a better opportunity tomorrow, but we must maintain a positive attitude. Therefore it is essential to make a good personal analysis so that we have the absolute conviction that we are that perfect solution that someone needs and that, without any doubt, will appear in our path.
Magic solutions do not exist and distrust those who offer them to you (and even more so from those who sell them to you), but an appropriate attitude, a clear approach and working on the right line will make us much more prepared to be able to detect the opportunities that will appear and that we be identified as the best possible alternative.
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