No matter what work you do, it can be tricky to find the job of your dreams. And if you’re a creative soul, you’ll know that the level of great competition out there can make it impossible! So what could set you aside from all the rest? What will make you the stand out candidate for any contract or offer of employment? And what could make you so in demand as a creative, that you can afford to turn down job offers?
Reputation
This bit might take a little longer, but could be the most important part of your profile. When you look at services like LinkedIn, you’ll see that you can earn recommendations for your work. Every time you produce something (paid or unpaid) for a client, make sure they can recommend your work through your profile here.
If you want headhunters to come knocking on your door, your reputation must be exemplary. Executive headhunters actively seek people like you that come highly recommended by people they trust. Obviously it can take time to build up this professional reputation. However, it is one of the most important things you can do to ensure that customers come to find you. Imagine a world where you don’t have to spend more of your time marketing yourself and chasing jobs.
Skills
Make sure you have the letters after your name and the skills you need to be at the very top of your game. This might take a little time to develop and acquire. It’s worth it though. If you can prove you’ve got the right level of education and the right skills to provide the very best quality work, you’ll have no end of job offers.
Proof
The first thing you need to do is make sure you have proof of what you claim you can do. Nobody buys anything without shopping around. The one thing that will stop a potential client or employer from leaving your application in the ‘dump’ pile is your portfolio. Your body of work should be all the evidence anyone needs that you have talent, intelligence, and versatility. Make sure you have a hard copy ‘brochure’ or portfolio as well as using your website to highlight what you can do.
The best thing about this is that you can update it, improve it, and add to it whenever you have some downtime. It doesn’t have to feature just the work you’ve been commissioned to produce in the past. Put in your personal projects too. And if you think there are any key areas of your talents that are underrepresented, create something and put it in there.
Most of us dream of reaching that point in our careers where we can pick and choose the jobs we take. Add some clever negotiating skills to your mix. Now you can even make the demands that allow you to be better paid and work more congenial hours to suit your lifestyle. No matter where you are in your career right now, always strive to reach the top of the headhunter’s go-to list.
