One of the most
effective ways to market yourself as a job candidate is establish yourself as
an expert in the eyes of peers and employers. While establishing yourself as an expert may sound difficult
it’s not as hard as many imagine.
Below are a few tips on how job seekers can become experts:
1.
What
do you know best? Expert status is
not about knowing everything; but it is about knowing a lot about one area of
expertise and being able to effectively convey that information to your
audience.
2.
Write
a blog on your area of expertise.
The blog should aim to convey specialized information in a clear,
concise and simple way. Also, the
blog should look professional and steer clear of any topics that are personal
in nature.
3.
Write
articles for your local newspaper.
While it may be difficult to get your articles published in the New York
Times, it can be a lot easier to break into print on a local level. Take the time to write articles for
your local publications and aim to keep the articles in line with the theme of
your blog. You may even want to
consider writing an ongoing column.
Some publications are willing to syndicate existing blogs which can
translate into more exposure for you as a job seeker.
4.
Teach
a class or offer a one-time seminar at a local community center. If you don’t
have time, don’t worry, you don’t have to invest a lot of time into the seminar
or class. The average seminar or
class runs about one to two hours.
As a final note,
please do not feel shy about establishing yourself as an expert just because
you are currently unemployed.
Being unemployed now does not mean that your years of experience and
knowledge are obsolete, so feel free to put it to work helping you establish
yourself as an expert.