Who doesn’t love the internet? It has opened up a world of information for each and every one of us who is able to access it, and in fact, it has just opened up the world – we can talk to people who live thousands of miles away for free (well the cost of an internet connection) at the touch of a button! It’s also given us Facebook, Netflix and blogs like this one, which are great sources of entertainment! But, perhaps one of the biggest benefits of the internet is its career-boosting abilities…
If you aren’t happy with where you stand workwise right now, there are numerous ways that the internet can help you to boost your career, make more money and lead a more fulfilling life. Here are just some of them:
Improve Your Education
With the likes of SCU Online and platforms like Udemy, where you can learn new skills and even earn degrees and certifications from the comfort of your own home at a fraction of the cost of a standard college education, it’s never been easier to boost your education.
As I’m sure you know, the better educated you are, the more career opportunities that open up to you. Then there’s the fact that, if you want to enter certain professions, like project management or accounting, you need to have certain qualifications to even get your foot in the door and you can easily see how the internet can boost your career.
Get in Touch with the Right People
Networking in the internet age has never been easier, which is good news because it is still as important as it ever was in the career ladder-climbing stakes. Rightly or wrongly, career advancement and landing that dream job is still, to some extent about who you know as well as you know and with websites like Facebook and LinkedIn; it has never been easier to connect with the movers and shakers in your field.
Starting Your Own Business
Obviously, if you want to be a builder or an engineer, you’d struggle to get started online, but if you want to be a writer, artist or photographer, then simply setting up a website and getting started is all you need, Sure, you might not make a whole lot of money at first, but if you work hard and you have the talent, eventually you’ll get noticed and paying gigs will come along in abundance. Sure, you might have to bid for jobs at places like Upwork and PeopleperHour first, and you’ll for sure have to spend a lot of time optimizing your website, but there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to succeed online – many people already have.
Even if you are starting a ‘real world’ business, the internet can help you advertise and let people know of your existence, so it is a great tool to have regardless of the kind of business you plan to start.
Researching Companies
Whether you want to work for Google, Bain & Company or Starbucks, using the internet to find out as much s possible about the company, their hiring processes and the kind of interview you’re likely to be given, will all help you to impress the HR team when you have an interview. The more you know in advance, the better prepared you can be on the day and the more you can blow them away with your knowledge, which could make all the difference when you’re competing against a bunch of equally well-qualified candidates, and since we’re living in an ever more competitive workplace market, anything you can do to tip the scales in your favor is something you should do, providing it isn’t underhanded, of course..
Build Your Brand
Having an online presence, according to some people can damage your chances of landing that new job because your potential employer will be able to see all of the embarrassing stuff you’ve posted over the years, but if you’re careful about what you ost, the opposite could equally apply. If everything you post is fun, positive, creative and showcasing the kind of skills you’ll need to perform in your career of choice, then it could very well work in your favor.
If you utilize the internet right, doing as many of these things as you feel you need to in order to get ahead, then there is no doubt that you will boost your career potential and end up working in a position that you actually want to be in. These tips might be simple, but they really do get results.
