Are you good at public speaking?

Work on your public speaking and presentation skills

If you solve an IT problem and no one notices, have you really solved it?

Public speaking is one of the most important skill that any employee can develop if he or she wants career advancement.

The person who gets noticed at a meeting or a conference is always one that has presented well. Other presenters may have known their subject inside and out or presented interesting ideas. But if they cannot present that message well, they won’t be noticed, and their message will suffer, too.

Presentation is the No. 1 skill to get you ahead. It’s not enough to know something well and do something well. You have to present it well, too. If you can present to your coworkers or to clients, you will stand out from the crowd and do well in your career.

Take ownership of your career…

If you want to succeed in your career, you have to take ownership of both your triumphs and your failures.

Celebrate your triumphs, analyze them, and learn how you can emulate them and build on them in the future.

You need to take ownership of your failures as well, accepting responsibility for them without letting them drag you down and learning everything that you can from the mistakes you make.

Many times, failure is a much more effective teacher than success, and most if not all of the world’s most successful people would not be where they are today if they did not accept their mistakes and learn from them.

Is your LinkedIn Profile mobile friendly…

MAKE SURE YOUR PROFILE IS MOBILE-FRIENDLY (CHECK YOUR PROFILE ON YOUR PHONE)

About 40 percent of LinkedIn users are using the mobile app. While LinkedIn itself is mobile-friendly, you will want to ensure that your profile is, too.
Like we mentioned earlier, your mobile device will preview up to 42 characters of your headline. Additionally, it will only preview up to 140 characters of your “About” section—the exact length of a classic tweet.  Make sure they count.
Frontload your headline and your summary with the most important keywords and details about you. Additionally, it will share your latest three pieces of activity—whether you shared, commented on, or liked an article. Under “Recommendations,” the LinkedIn app will only show your most recent recommendation. Make sure it’s a good one!
The best way to make sure your LinkedIn profile is impressive on mobile is by taking a look at yourself. Curate where you can. Make sure your “About” section isn’t getting cut off before you share crucial information.Is you

Leverage LinkedIn

LET RECRUITERS KNOW YOU’RE ACTIVELY SEARCHING (CAREER INTERESTS)

Recruiter and hiring managers aren’t clairvoyant, but they are very active on LinkedIn. If you’re looking for new opportunities, let recruiters know.
Under Career Interests, switch the toggle over to let recruiters know you’re open to new paths. You can also be more specific and let recruiters know what you’re looking for from there four options:
  • Actively applying
  • Casually looking
  • Not looking, but open to offers
  • Not open to offers
You can also set the locations, how close to your current home you’d like your opportunities, whether you’re open to working remotely, and how much work you’re looking for (ie. full-time, contract, part-time, internship, volunteer, or temporary.)

Are you leveraging Social Media?

Do you have a Linkedin or Twitter? Especially if you’re interested in tech, you’ll want both to keep up with tech news and professionals in the space. Make sure you have a nice headshot and don’t be afraid to share to the world what you’re working on.

Think your resume is complete?

Get your resume edited, ASAP.

Consider paying a professional or getting someone in your future field to make some recommendations on your resume. Chances are there are ways they can help you sell yourself better. You only have a few seconds to impress a recruiter so you want to make sure your resume stands out.

Are you asking enough questions?

Always ask questions.

Don’t know how to get from point A to point B? Ask! Need to know how to edit your cover letter for your dream job? Ask! There are lots of people who want to see you win. Reach out to HR at the company if you’re curious about the specific trajectory of a role. Get your colleague who’s in the role you want to give you feedback about your application. You can also check out Glassdoor, Reddit, or Quora and someone will be able to guide you to an answer.

Share your wisdom

Wisdom is the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight. But it transforms into something truly powerful when it is shared.

Why? Because all the wisdom in the world is meaningless without application.

Yet many leaders eschew this and choose instead to hoard their insights, fearful of giving them away. They don’t understand a simple truth: sharing your wisdom doesn’t diminish your impact; it amplifies it. And today, the best way to magnify your message is to harness the power and reach of social media.

Write a blog, create an article on LinkedIn or Facebook, but do share your wisdom and insights so that you can establish yourself has a subject matter expert.

Everyone has a story

Tell the story of your Career

Everyone has a unique story, but not everyone leverages its power. Properly crafted, your career story helps to differentiate you from your competitors, highlight your value, and to draw others to you. It provides a common thread that weaves together your personal and professional experiences, as well as your transferable skills, making it easy for others to connect the dots. Knowing and being able to articulate your career story clearly is transformative; use it wisely.

Having a story and being able to make it relatable to your interviewers is a critical success factor. Work on getting your story put together and practice it during mock interviews or with your peers/mentors.

Know Your Employment History

Be sure that you provide accurate information on your job applications and resume. Don’t guess as to where you worked and when. If you don’t remember the details, recreate your work history before you apply.

The most important thing is that you be truthful about all information you give to prospective employers. If you’re worried about what prior employers will say about you, proactively cultivate and supply positive recommendations to counter any potential negative feedback about your performance, or attitude.