How to find Value in Unemployment

We all know by now the importance of creating remarkable products and services in order to succeed as a company. And we know that playing it safe is actually risky.

What’s also worth knowing is that this philosophy continues on beyond the business level and into the world of job-seekers. In the UK, there are over 350,000 graduates emerging from universites each year. What makes you stand out?

Certainly there are traditional things that the best graduates will have on their application, including any number of the following: good school, good A-level grades, volunteer work, extra-curriculars, good university, year abroad, summer work experience, Master’s level degree, etc.

But what is interesting is the opportunity now to develop hugely valuable skills that are valuable to employers without needing permission. All those attributes listed above are what recruiters would expect to find some evidence of in a CV; they prove you’re a functioning member of society and have followed the accepted path up to this point.

What about those who have more, though? Those who recognised that in the world of web 2.0 you don’t need to be in a marketing department to be a marketer, or that you don’t need to work for Google to build software. The great people in their respective fields don’t seek permission before doing something, they do it because they want to and know that the work will come to them.

If you’re putting together remarkable projects or remarkable websites, then you become a more remarkable candidate. If a recruiter has already heard you mentioned by a colleague or has come across some sites you designed, then they already have the proof that you’re someone of value in the field that you want to enter.

How can you tell a recruiter you’re passionate about what they do if you’re just waiting for them to hire you before you start doing it? If you were truly passionate, you’d be doing it already.