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Gwen had a formidable obstacle to overcome as well: she had little professional
experience in her area of interest. A recent graduate from college, Gwen
majored in English Literature and Political Science. Now she wanted to
break into the marketing field. She was confident that she could learn
the job quickly and contribute creative ideas. Her friends envied her ability
to anticipate and ride trends. As a child, she used to make up commercials
and present them to her family in the living room. She was sure that she
had raw, untapped talent on which she could capitalize. Still, she would
have to convince the Marketing Manager that her inexperience as compared
with other candidates was trivial.
This task seemed impossible-Gwen did not have a portfolio to share or raw numbers
to reveal her success. But she did have abilities, and she began to focus on
describing these. Making a list of her transferable skills and personal qualities,
Gwen referenced things that she had accomplished in school and through part-time
jobs:
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Transferable
Skills
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Personal
Qualities
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Writing
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Creative
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Editing
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Self-starter
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Organization
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Team
Player
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Team
Leader
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Excellent
Communicator
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Event
Planning
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Attentive
to Detail
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Networking
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Perseverant
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Fast
Learner
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Dependable
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Reflecting on the
tangible things that Gwen could
offer an employer, she realized
that she could excel if given
an opportunity. Still, competitors
for positions probably had many
of these skills and qualities
as well. But what was she going
to do, pretend to act out a commercial
the way she had in her living
room dozens of times? Perhaps
the idea was not farfetched.
During an interview, she could
request an audition. The employer
could test her and her competitors'
abilities by giving them an assignment
to complete. Using this method,
she could demonstrate her creative
potential in a tangible way.
Instead of dwelling on her history,
Gwen strategically encouraged
the employer to dwell on her
future. |
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