* Focusing on what makes ‘you’ special. We sometimes think, “Oh, everyone can do what I do” – not true, because we all have unique ‘ways’ of doing things.’

* I love your analogy around the horse and carriage proprietors and how this one gentleman provided ‘more value’ than many of his competitors. He was festive in his attire and cared about detail (including the feather). I liked this: “I noticed he wasn’t sitting at the curb for long — he was soon galloping around the park with customers in tow.” The image of ‘galloping’ was so energizing, akin to how a job seeker feels when he is moving along so rapidly during a successful interview process, or even better, when he has successfully landed his new job and is contributing energetically to his day-to-day goals.

* The section of your post discussing ‘context’ is worth reading 2 or 3 times. Unfortunately, human nature is to think, “I achieved this, and that, and that” without putting it into context with how it helped the company achieve something bigger/better. Or, as you point out in your text, the job seeker must extend the message to show how his past will help a target company’s goals/fill their needs, going forward.

There’s much more I could point out about your rich post, but I’ll stop there!

Excellent job, as usual, and thank you for partnering with me on co-coordinating the monthly collective – it pushes me to extend my vision and write about new areas/topics!

Jacqui

It is so easy to stay focused on yourself and what you want when conducting a job search. It’s so critical to stay focused on your target employer’s needs if you want to be seen as relevant and a solution to an employer’s problem.

Thanks for the great advice!
Megan