(ThySistas.com) If you’ve got bills to pay and mouths to feed, then your job is obviously going to take up the large majority of your time. If you’re not satisfied with the work you’re doing right now, you may feel pretty limited in how much you can move ahead with your career, considering how strained your time is. However, there are still a number of ways you can make yourself more employable with the time that’s given to you. Here are just a few…
Volunteer
Volunteering for a length of time will not only allow you to expand your skillset and demonstrate your commitment to a job, but also gives you the massive satisfaction of giving back to your 
community. Volunteering doesn’t have to mean dropping everything to go and build a school in Ethiopia, although this is certainly admirable if you can do it! No matter where you are in the country, there are going to be at least a few flexible volunteering opportunities in your local area. You can try getting in touch with a local charity to see if they could do with any help, or offering your time to help with a local community project. If there’s nothing in your area that’s jumping out at you, you can search for opportunities through the National and Community Service website.
Learn a New Skill
Though it may not be the easiest thing to commit to in your spare time, learning a new skill is the fastest way to make yourself more employable. Start off by searching for jobs that would be a practical next step in your chosen career path, and noting the skills and qualifications that they typically ask candidates to have. You may be able to develop these at your current job by asking your boss if you can take on more responsibilities. If you’re shooting for something more demanding, look into night classes in your local area. Or, if you need to be at home for the kids, or night school just isn’t practical, check out some online distance-learning companies like
Maryville University. A surprising amount of desirable skills can be learned for absolutely no money through various online resources. Using Excel, Word and PowerPoint, as well as some basic coding skills, can all be learned through YouTube and similarly accessible platforms.
Get Yourself Seen
A large part of making yourself more employable these days is simply making sure you’re seen by employers. Polish your resume, and upload it to some popular job hunting websites so that employers can see it. If it’s appropriate to the career you’re going for, you may even want to set up a personal website and use it to exhibit some examples of your work. Signing up to LinkedIn can also be a very smart move, as it allows you to search for jobs, network with people in your industry, and show the world achievements that make you a more attractive candidate. Visiting businesses in person and handing in your resume can also go a long way in this increasingly digital world.
Staff Writer; Latasha Jones