What is your superpower?
And how it can charge up your job search
A few years ago I asked my mother that classic question, “If you had a superhero’s power, what would you like it to be?”
There are so many choices: invisibility, invulnerability, flying, shapeshifting, manipulating electricity or the weather.
She thought about it for a long, long pause. Then she said, “I guess flying. Because then I could fly down to Florida to see how your brother was doing.”
That was so my mother.
Then, after a beat, she said:
”But then what would I do with my purse?”
I’ve written in this space before how your age can be your superpower, and how writing can also be a superpower when you’re looking for a job.
But I think it’s worth considering: what is your real-life superpower?
What do you do better than virtually anyone you are competing against for a job?
My superpower is proofreading. And I don’t just mean that I’m good at proofreading. It’s almost a brain condition. I can look at a giant restaurant menu I’ve never seen before, and instantly my eye goes to the one misspelled word.
I can watch a YouTube video where they flash text on the screen for a second, and I have to rewind to confirm that one of the words was misspelled. And it was!
I’m not going to put “proofreading brain condition” on my resume. But I can consider how my editing capabilities can inform all of my job applications, and my interactions with potential employers.
What is your superpower?
Thinking this through has a lot of advantages for your job search.
It boosts your confidence. It reminds you that you have a way to differentiate yourself from the masses of people you are competing against for jobs.
It gives you direction. What sort of work aligns with your superpower? Are you focused on jobs that will let you use your superpower effectively?
It helps with networking. Can’t figure out what to communicate on social media about your job search? Talk about your superpower.
It helps you grow. Think about how you can make your superpower even more effective. Where can you go from here?
It makes you stand out. That’s the goal, after all, isn’t it? You have to make it to the top of the pyramid.
Bonus tip: One of the cliché interview questions is, “What would your superpower be and why?” Instead of saying flying or invisibility, why not talk about your real-life superpower?
If you do this, be sure to follow up stating your superpower with a specific example connecting it to the job you’re interviewing for. Examples are key in interviews.
Branding expert William Arruda said in Forbes:
”Fine is the ugliest four-letter word that begins with F when it comes to career success. That’s because people don't get excited about things that are fine, average, OK, acceptable.
Don’t be fine. Be extraordinary.”
See you next week.
Good one! My superpower is seeing the problems with anything. That applies to proofreading and editing, but also pretty much anything else. Not sure it's something I'd advertise in a job interview, as it's not problem solving — it's problem identifying! I often have to hold back, like when my husband comes up with some crazy idea; he's an idea person, and I have to be careful not to shoot them all down because I see the issues with them.