How To Show Employers You Have What They Need

Ozerina Anna; BigStock

With a degree in hand, you’re a freshly-educated job seeker ready to take on the world. You just have to get a job first — preferably in your major.

You’ve had an internship or two and plenty of coursework that helped you build skills. Your challenge is communicating that experience in a way that captures employers’ attention and convinces them you’re the right person for the job.

In fact, half of employers say they have trouble finding candidates with the skills needed to fill open positions, according to CareerBuilder’s 2015 Candidate Behavior Study.

Here are a few creative ways to prove your skills to employers and help you get a job:

Start and maintain a personal brand blog

Tweets and status updates are great, but you need a bigger channel through which to communicate your knowledge and prove your skills. Start a personal brand blog where you can share industry-related ideas, write about what you learned in school, or your experiences at your internship.

Employers can read it to get to know you in-depth and see that though you don’t have much real-world practice on your resume, you have plenty of potential.

Use professional photos

Not to say your selfie game isn’t strong enough to help you get a job, but images you take on your own don’t have the same professional vibe as those taken by an actual photographer. Professional photos will build your credibility through enhancing your image as a professional.

Hire a photographer or a friend with a professional-grade camera, who practices photography as a hobby, to take quality photos for your professional networking profiles, blogs, and online portfolio. Dress professionally and choose a location with a neutral background and natural lighting, to look your best.

Make an introduction video

One of the most creative ways to get employers to notice you is through an introduction video. In a video, you can prove your skills through how you carry yourself, speak, and the ideas you address. You can use video to answer the inevitable “tell me about yourself” before employers even request.

Talk about your background, education, and any hands-on experience you have in your desired industry. Also mention your industry-related passions, professional values, and hobbies — if applicable. These unique characteristics will help set you apart from other candidates so you can get a job.

You can use YouTube or a program like iMovie and embed the video right on your blog and professional networking profiles.

Design an infographic resume

Visually engage a hiring manager by providing an infographic resume — it’s a nice break from the usual black and white text. On the resume you can prove your skills in a compelling way turning any facts and figures into colorful graphs and flowcharts. State any notable wins you had at previous internships, or show your areas of study.

Show industry-related events you’ve participated in. Illustrate your personality by sharing your DISC or Myers-Briggs type information. If you’re in a creative field like art or design, you can prove your skills easily by using what you’ve learned in school to design the document.

After submitting your basic ATS-friendly resume and application, reach out to the employer to introduce yourself personally. Do some research online through CareerShift or LinkedIn to get the hiring manager’s email, and send your infographic resume along with a message expressing your interest in the position.

Standing out in a saturated pool of talent isn’t easy. If you boost your personal brand with a few online tools, you’ll be noticed and get a job in no time.

What are some other creative ways you might prove your skills to employers? Share in the comments below!