10 Things You Love About You
After I got my latest job rejection, my friend the life coach Jan Loiselle gave me some advice.
She said that I may not have given enough space in the interview to explain all the things I bring to the table.
She suggested that I write a list of things that I can do, so I can remember next time to emphasize the breadth of my talents and experience.
So here’s my list:
Writing
Editing
Photography
Social media content
Web content management
Print coordination
Publication design
Email communications
Research
Presentations
(For most people, there’s probably a lot more than 10 things that you are talented in. But I would recommend focusing on 10, just for the sake of this exercise.)
So here’s the challenge: take a few minutes and write out your own list. Then spend a few more minutes writing out a narrative around each list item: your specific experience, successes you have had with it, how it relates to the job you are looking for.
The idea is to expand your range, and increase your confidence in your abilities.
Jan reminded me that just because the job description doesn’t include something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t mention it. If you think your talents align with the job, be sure the people who might hire you know about it.
I would love to hear what your list includes. Please add your own list to the comments on this post, or just reply to this email. Thanks.
NOTE: If you know me at all, you know that I’m a pop culture guy. And while I try to write pretty straightforward headlines for these newsletters, this one came to me and I couldn’t get it out of my head. “10 Things I Hate About You” is so much more than a standard 90s teen movie, and I highly recommend it.
Wow, 10 feels like a lot! Maybe it's because my list of things I really want to do is getting shorter, lol. Here goes:
1. Writing
2. Editing
3. Email marketing
4. Website content management
5. Organizing (redoing a website, organizing a company's whole Google Drive, etc.)
6. Project management
7. Social media
8. PowerPoint presentations
9. Process development and streamlining
10. Culture building
Phew! One thing that's good about getting older is that you have more things you've learned to do, and I think it's helpful to remind ourselves of that when we're job hunting. You also have a better sense of what you enjoy doing!