Use Your Career
Profile Statement to Gain an Edge

Crafting a strong career profile statement and becoming fluid in it's delivery will take you half way to your goal. Understanding how and when to use it will take you the rest of the way.

The first opportunity to utilize this tool may come with filling out the employment application. Many applications ask why you are a good candidate for the position (or something similar). Paraphrasing your career profile statement will stand you in good stead.

The other times your career statement can help you come during the interview. Use your profile statement as early in the interview as possible and again just before the meeting ends.

The following are illustrations of when and how to do that:

• "Tell me about yourself." This is the most common job interview queston. Faced with this question 98% of the time people will recite their work history or worse yet include too many irrelevant personal details.

  You will stand head and shoulders above the crowd if instead you deliver your powerful career profile.

  First Impressions are lasting!

• Some interviewers spend most of the interview talking about themselves or the company and very little time asking questions of the candidate. In this situation being a good listener is key.

  But you must also make sure the hiring authority has a favorable impression of your abilities.

  Your career profile will come to your rescue.

• When the interviewer is experienced and well prepared it's not likely the "Tell me about yourself." question will come up. In this situation deliver your profile as early in the conversation as it is feasible to do so. It's an excellent answer for "What are your strengths?"

  This will position you well for everything that follows.

• At the end of the interview, after asking what questions you have, many times the interviewer will ask if you have anything to add.

  Now is the time to restate your profile. Even if she doesn't ask just before you leave you can say something like, "I just want to reiterate (state your profile here)."

  You will leave with your strongest selling points top-of-mind for the interviewer.

Practice, practice, practice saying your profile out loud. You can either enlist the help of a friend or practice in front a mirror. It's OK to vary the wording a little as you restate it but make sure the message remains the same.

I guarantee that if you take the time to craft a strong career profile and then master the delivery you will be miles ahead of your job seeking competition.

Using the career profile statement is easy. Yet it's one of the most underused tools in the job seekers' tool box. Use it and You will...
Gain an Edge to Win the Job!