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FINDING YOUR UNIQUENESS IN TODAY'S JOB MARKET
by Carole Martin, The Interview Coach
If you have been reading articles or listening to news reports
about the job market, it becomes obvious that the number of
people currently seeking jobs outnumbers the jobs that are now
available.
If you happen to be one of those job seekers, you realize that
you are competing against the odds. The question is, "How can you
make yourself stand out when there are so many other candidates
looking at the same job?" The answer is to "focus" -- focus on
what makes you unique.
Let's assume that you have an outstanding resume and that you
make it to the top of the stack of resumes of people to be called
for an interview. You, and maybe nine or ten other equally
qualified people for the position, that is.
Because companies have so many candidates to choose from, they
are interviewing more people so that they can select the "best."
When you are lucky enough to be invited to an interview, it is
essential that you be ready to sell yourself, to let the
interviewers know what makes you unique, what added value you can
bring to the position--in other words, why you are the best person
for the job.
By doing some basic preparation, you can determine your
uniqueness and where you should focus your attention. The first
step in this process is to identify your five strengths. These
strengths are the areas where you do very well.
This may take some thought on your part. What are your strengths?
Think about previous performance appraisals - what was said or
written about you? What would your co-workers or ex-bosses say
about you?
. List the skills and experiences you have that would be
required in the type of job you are seeking. For instance, a
technical job would focus on programs, languages, and platforms, etc.
. Give some thought to those skills in which you excel,
those that are referred to as the "soft skills." These skills can be
viewed as transferable- you can take them with you to any job you
hold. Examples of these skills are your communication and people
skills, or your time-management and project-management skills, or
your ability to build strong relationships, or your ability to
influence others.
. Lastly, think of the personal traits that make you unique.
Maybe you never miss deadlines, or perhaps you are willing to do
above and beyond what is asked, or perhaps you have a great
attitude. (Don't dismiss these traits--many people have been
fired for negative personal traits rather than for lack of
knowledge).
When you have identified your five strengths, make a list of
those strengths and some examples of when those strengths have
helped you achieve results on the job. It will be essential that
you can not only identify your strengths, but that you also have
examples and stories of times when you demonstrated those
strengths in the past.
The next step is to look at the job postings and ads. In fact,
look at several job postings that would be of interest to you.
Your goal is to find key words and phrases. For this exercise,
don't limit yourself to geographical location. Look at jobs of
interest located anywhere.
When you have several postings, read each word and sentence
carefully, taking notes as you do. What are they looking for?
What words appear consistently in almost every posting?
Now, take a piece of paper and divide it in half. On one side of
the paper write, "What they are looking for," and on the other
side, "What I have to offer." Each time you apply for a
position, it will be invaluable for you to know how you stand
against what they are looking for. This exercise will help you
see how close a match you are and where you should focus.
Your next step is to add your uniqueness to the "What I have to
offer" list. Some postings will list additional skills required,
which make it easier for you to see what is important to them. An
example would be, "Must have excellent communications skills,
strong organizational skills, and be a willing team player." If
these words appear in most of your posting examples, then make
sure that these are a part of your focus. Can you work these
words and your five strengths into the interview to demonstrate
your fit -- and then some? Some postings will be more vague about
what it takes to get the job done and will require reading
between the lines to determine what other skills are necessary.
In summary, by narrowing your uniqueness to these five basic
points, you can guide the conversation to include this
information. By focusing on five strengths, you will be prepared
with examples of times when you have used these strengths.
Whenever possible, give examples to show how you have "been there
and done that," and can do it again. It will be necessary to
demonstrate that you have what it takes, and then some, to be
unique in this market.
When you walk out of that interview room, your interviewers may
not remember all five of your points; but if they remember even
two of the points that make you unique, you will be ahead of the
game!
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Carole Martin is a thoroughbred interview coach. Celebrated
author, trainer, and mentor, Carole can give you interviewing
tips like no one else can. Subscribe to her free email
newsletter, "Interview Fitness Training." at
www.interviewcoach.com. Her workbook, "Interview Fitness
Training - A Workout With the Interview Coach," has sold
thousands of copies world-wide and she has just released her
latest book, "Boost Your Interview IQ," both available on
Amazon.com.
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People Between Jobs (PBJ) is an outreach program of the First Presbyterian Church, Elkhart IN.
PBJ is a resource point for those in job or career transition.
Contact us at http://presby.net
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