It’s time to reframe the mentalities we have around whether or not we’re qualified for a job. Words like “I can’t,” and “I don’t” discourage us from believing in ourselves. Stop fixating on what you have not done or what you don’t do and focus on what you already have. Shifting your mentality and the language you use during the job search will change your career trajectory.
Here are tips on how to supercharge your strengths and land the job you’ve been searching for.
Identify Your Value
You possess a number of universal skills that make you a qualified candidate. These skills might include project management, budget creation, team leadership, editing, creative design, public speaking and more. Write down some of your universal skills to paint a fuller picture of your skillset and emphasize them during your interviews. Remember you are interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you, and you possess a plethora of applicable skills that make you a qualified candidate.
Learn to use language like: “I am the go-to person for this” and “I am adaptable.”
Apply Your Unique Experiences
Perhaps, you were a camp counselor in college or you started your own Etsy shop and sold handmade bracelets. Maybe you managed a social media account for a church or nonprofit or you helped plan a sibling’s wedding. All of these experiences add more expertise to your resume. When you are preparing for a job interview, add these experiences to your talking points, and learn to sell your unique experiences.
Learn to use language like: “I have X years of experience doing this” or “My network calls me frequently for this.”
Emphasize Your Passion
That saying “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life” is referring to passion. Think about what you are passionate about and what comes naturally to you. These are the details that will impress your future employer.
Learn to use language like: “I am a complete nerd about this…” or “I am passionate about this.”
Landing the job you want isn’t all about on-paper qualifications. It’s also about the unique vision you can offer a team, your eagerness to grow in a new opportunity, and the courage to be the outlier in an already defined environment.