How To Make Yourself Into Someone Who's Both Highly Valued & Extremely Employable

Today I’m going to tell you how you can make yourself into hot commodity that is both highly valued and extremely employable.

Today’s tips will both help you build your reputation--your personal brand & they will help you become a globally savvy employee or job seeker.

Now, before I begin, of course much of my tips come from a Western perspective. That means there are probably some tips that are missing which apply specifically to Korea. So feel free to write in and share your hot tips on how listeners can make themselves highly valued and extremely employable. Share the love everyone!

So how do we do it?

Well, we all know that in today’s’ day and age we live in a world of Globalization. Gawd I’m tired of that word. Despite my dislike for that word, the reality is upon us. So what kind of skills are needed to make you into a super cool employee or job prospect?

Keep these ideas in mind.

A hot commodity of today and tomorrow will be a person who:

Of course has an awesome attitude. Since it really is the first thing people notice about you, you should spend a huge amount of time making sure yours is in tip top shape. How is your attitude? Are you a complainer? A whiner? Or are you a can do kind of person? How do you feel about yourself? Self-love is so cool!!!!

Is quick to adapt to changing technology. Duh! Of course. But, often times we get comfortable with certain technologies as we get older. We stop challenging ourselves to understand the up and coming technologies. Complexity gets the better of us, and we begin to slow down. DON’T! Of course a technologically cool person is and always well be a HOT Commodity!

Loves Diversity! Embrace it. Snuggle it. Become curious about other cultures. Don’t grudgingly accept other cultures and other people just because it’s cool. Develop an honest curiosity to understand other people. I think Korean people do this really quite well. Especially since people have become travel addicts. Focus on the similarities between people of other places. Someone who is open is someone who can have many contacts in many places. Chances are, you’ll be working with people from India, Africa, China, and Brazil. Get used to them. Read books about these places. (ESPECIALLY CHINA!)

Is committed to life-long learning. Another thing I see Koreans doing a fantastic job at. But, again, sometimes we get tired. We make the excuse…schools over. I want to rest. Ok…rest, but keep learning. Learn something that is fun, that doesn’t feel like learning. But commit to opening the pathways in your brain. If you are working for a company, become a sponge. Learn all and everything you can. Don’t limit yourself. A sponge is a really valuable tool to have. Keep that in mind. Everyone loves a sponge. Remember too to give! Be quick to give and teach. Wow! Teachers in all organizations are loved and wanted!

Practices integrity! Cannot stress this enough. What is integrity? It’s wholeness. Honor. Honesty. What does it really mean? Do some research. Begin to practice. Take risks will telling the truth. Do despite the fear. Trust and credibility are so vital in today’s workplace, and they will become more so in tomorrow’s workplace. We live in an age of PR. PR can spin lies and create images in our minds about other people and cultures. If we practice integrity, we can break down the walls of prejudice, and create serious value for our company. A person of integrity is a hot commodity!

Is a self-starter. Don’t wait for people to tell you to do something. Get going. Be the first. Optimism. It’s a beautiful thing. Eagerness. If you are not this way yet, what are some ways you can develop it? How can you become better at this? I really recommend you begin looking into answering it. Top experts agree that the day of waiting to be told what to do are long behind. We have to learn how to be proactive. What are your thoughts?

Practices personal discipline. This basically means work on your reliability. Take care and attention to your work. Do all jobs well. Be disciplined in your thinking and in your approach. How do you do this? I like to practice one step at a time. One thing at a time. Be persistence. All of these tips will require slow practice. But…keep at it. No matter what, no matter how difficult they are, no matter how many times we slip up, we should keep going. After all, they’re good for making us HOT!

Again, remember, if there are certain other tips that really apply to make someone super hot in the Korean market, write in.

Next…a hot commodity of tomorrow is someone who can adapt well. Change is not going to slow down. We all know the reality of it. If anything, it’s going to get faster. Koreans are certain good at this, I feel. But, we all have a sticking point. And humans are just naturally slow to change in certain areas. The best way we can become adaptable, is to focus on being a part of the solution. When change comes, we tend to complain and talk about how bad things are. Instead, focus on what you can do to fix, to help, to add to the solution. A constructive attitude in times of change is a powerfully valuable skill. Practice offering solutions and viewpoints. Don’t be a waiter. Don’t wait for others to offer solutions. Be a conduit of awesome ideas.

Get's busy Upping their creativity. It is never too late to develop and work on this skill. According to so much of what I read, our ability to think creatively is SO VITAL in the future workplace. And I don’t just mean for those who work for Google. In our own workplace. Remember, becoming a valuable commodity means that we are value adders. Our job is to add value to the companies we work for. Creative people think up better ways to manage work-flow. Think up better ways to increase sales. Think up better ways to communicate with customers. Thinkers and creative problem solvers are highly valuable. Find ways to increase your creativity. We are all creative. Even if we think we are not, that’s NOT TRUE! Many of us have just forgotten…that is all. So work hard at this.

Back to attitude. To be hot: Think Can-do, can-do, can do! You know this. Attitude is everything! The future may change things…but the importance of attitude is not something that will.

As you begin to improve these skills, you’ll notice your confidence will increase. You’ll notice that you’ll begin creating an environment that will be seriously more valuable than it was before you got there. We want to be the kind of people who have changed the places we’ve worked at and been a part of. Working on these skills will help you do that.

With that, you are certain to be both more highly valued and extremely employable.

All for now! Ciao!

A special thanks to Karla Brandau at Buzzle. Her words are the inspiration for today's message.