Author: admin

AUTHOR
Dr. Kenneth J Troon DBA MBA BBA

So you have good qualifications and good experience, you have seen it all, done it all, surely this entitles you to have a moral right to every good quality vacancy which comes along? Well, no it doesnt of course. No individual has a divine right to preference over other candidates and those who genuinely believe that they should are probably suffering from delusion. This is also somewhat of an arrogant attitude to have.

The fact is that someone with inferior qualifications and less experience may ultimately be better for the vacancy.

Employers tend to be less impressed by candidates touting past experiences and past achievements as justification for employment and more impressed by candidates who are well prepared, who research the vacancies professionally and prove not only how much they want the position, but how well suited they are for it.

The right candidate for the job should make it very easy for the employer to hire them!

We can learn a lot from perusing through a candidates CV, the candidates choice of education, professional qualifications and positions they have been employed in. They way in which the CV is written also tells us a great deal, whether the candidate is willing to take credit for achievements which were not really theirs to claim for example.

A CV which has been developed in a generic format clearly illustrates that the candidate just sends the same CV out for all vacancies.

Whether there is commitment to ongoing self-development or whether it is just something that the candidate did ten years ago. The candidates references are also important both in terms of whether they just about do what is required or whether they go that extra mile.

The fact is that candidates should be targeting the positions that they want.

They should be conducting significant research into both the position they want and into the respective organization and industry. They should develop a unique CV for each position for which they apply. They should prepare a detailed report and presentation leaving the employer in no doubt that they are head and shoulders above any other candidate who may apply, but this should be achieved by demonstrating substance, not by offering the employer empty boasts or promises.

Taking the time to implement a detailed professional career management strategy with a few positions that are tailor-made for you, will be far more productive than sending generic CVs out to thousands of employers when it will be somewhat obvious to them that you have not really put any thought or consideration into your application.

Many candidates just send their CVs out indiscriminately as attachments to standard or even blank emails and in the unlikely event that an employer actually contacts them they will invariably have no knowledge or understanding about the vacancy at all. It naturally follows that if you are unable or unwilling to put any effort into the development and implementation of your own career, then how much effort are you likely to put into the job if the organization employs you?

The list that follows here features the key critical career skills which we at the Academy of Business Strategy feel are important for a candidate to possess if they are going to succeed with their careers.

CRITICAL CAREER SKILLS (CCS)

1.Specific skills and experience rather than generic and the ability to target specific vacancies professionally.

2.A methodical approach to career planning and development.

3.The ability to be proactive rather than reactive.

4.An ongoing commitment to self-development. The more we learn, the more we realize how little we actually know!

5.Modesty and professional courtesy. The former portrays confidence and the latter conveys peer respect.

6.Preparation is everything. Thinking on your feet, while necessary at times, is always reactive by nature. Good preparation invariably avoids having to do this.