First Step Marketing

Even if you know to select for talent, it is not always easy to identify those who have it. First off, many people don’t know what their true talents are. They may be experts in their chosen field, but when it comes to listing their unique set of talents, they re stumped. As the elder statesman of management wisdom, says:

“Even today, remarkably few Americans are prepared to select jobs for themselves. When you ask, ‘Do you know what you are good at? Do you know your limitations?’ they look at you with a blank stare. Or they often respond in terms of subject knowledge, which is the wrong answer.”

This confusion is understandable. Your own skills and knowledge are relatively easy to identify. You had to acquire them, and therefore they are apart, distinct. They are “not You.” But your talents? Your talents are simply your recurring patterns of behavior. They are your very essence. It takes a rare objectivity to be able to stand back from yourself and pick out the unique patterns that make you You.

Second, when someone applies for a job, he naturally wants to impress. Therefore those few recurring behaviors of which he is aware will be painted in as rosy a hue as possible. In the job interview he labels himself “assertive,” not “aggressive.” He describes himself as “ambitious” rather than “pushy.” More often than not these are not deliberate misrepresentations. They are genuine attempts to describe himself to you positively. But whatever his true motivations, his instinct.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Interviewing Talent: How Great Managers Find It, why are great managers so good at selecting for talent?

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 21st, 2008 at 5:19 am and is filed under Business Management, Career Management, Jobs, Resumes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.