• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

• An engineer who has graduated from Toastmasters, or a similar public speaking program, could have an edge because he or she can also be a spokesperson for the company.

The preceding job hunters added an unexpected but welcome dimension to the job because they highlighted their value-added in their cover letter and later in the interview. In essence, they shifted the interviewer’s focus to areas they knew others were not likely to have.

On a more personal note, my wife was selected for a job as a drug and alcohol education supervisor by focusing her cover letter, resume, and interview around her military experience. The fact that she has a degree in psychology and ran several addiction centers qualified her for the job. But I’m convinced she was chosen because the selection committee knew she had the self-discipline to create the course material and the presence to deliver it.

Your value-added can come in the guise of:

• Complementary skills

• Alumni

• Attitude

• Industry contacts

• Domain expertise

➤ Complementary Skills

For example, a nurse who becomes a doctor could leverage her bond with nursing staff when managing a medical team.

➤ Alumni

I can’t count the number of people who have specifically asked me to recruit Wharton or Harvard grads because they would have experienced the discipline needed to graduate from those institutions.

Microsoft recruits engineers from the University of Waterloo because many employees are alumni. Want to know what happened to all those high achievers you went to school with? Surf over to www.classmates.com and start networking.

➤ Attitude

Employers understand that passionate employees outperform normal employees 10-to-1. Passion is a simple cost/benefit equation and qualities like drive, ambition, and vision tend to come as part of the package. Here’s an example:

Fresh from Teachers College and two thousand miles from home, my younger sister Monica decided to apply for a coveted position as a kindergarten teacher. She did her homework. She briefed me on the highlights of the six-hour interview, and I asked what questions they asked her. She replied, “Well not many really.... I asked most of them.... I started by saying I was not very experienced at interviewing so did they mind if I asked a few questions ... and the time just flew ... we talked about best practices, educational philosophy, and the work ahead of us.” I roared with laughter. Monica’s passion was evident by her preparation. Monica is the most passionate teacher I’ve ever met—it shows in the eyes of her students’ parents and the hearts of her students.

➤ Industry Contacts

Time is money, and if you can leverage your industry contacts to get up and running in a new job faster than the next candidate, all things being equal, you will be hired. Your contact list is very valuable. Are you leveraging it correctly?

➤ Domain Expertise

For a job hunter, domain expertise is knowledge and experience that has been acquired through a track record that represents a core competency in a specific technical area or marketplace (e.g., you could be a property manager who understands everything there is to know about HVAC systems, which in the building facilities industry makes you worth your weight in platinum).

Domain expertise is a hot commodity for headhunters. Someone in banking could be a success in insurance or financial services. Sales professionals in the technology industry often have both domain experience and specific industry contacts, making them more valuable than the next candidate.

GUERRILLA TIP

This “new economy” and relentless cost-cutting place great strains on the ability of managers to pick those few candidates who can provide them with the value they need to stay alive. Since top people knock on the door daily, you need to:

• Differentiate yourself by demonstrating you bring more to the job.

• Highlight your complementary experience in your cover letter.

• Exploit alumni points of reference.

• Leverage