Want that dream job? In order to reach your career goal, you must know how to position yourself well and be able to establish yourself as the most qualified candidate to help the hiring organization meet its goal.
Illinois State University’s Career Center provides the following tips to help you position yourself in a way to get hired for an open position.
- Learn about the company’s vision and values, culture and history, and how it measures success.
- Identify the reason for the job opening and position yourself to solve the company’s needs for the position. Talk about how you’ll increase the company’s efficiency and build customer relationships.
- Know the position requirements so you can target your expertise and accomplishments so they are relevant to the job. Be sure to talk about the abilities and skills that you have that specifically relate to the position.
- Highlight what you have done in your career, success you achieved, and where you want to be in the future.
- Communicate any transitions that you had during your career, and share how you used sound judgment in your career decisions.
- Discuss challenges that you faced and how you were able to overcome adversity during your career.
Overall, positioning allows you to establish a clear message about who you are, the experiences you’ve had, and how you can be an asset to the employer.
Once you positioned yourself well to the employer, it will be time to turn the table and ask questions of the employer as well. By doing so, you position yourself as one who has done the necessary research to make a professional decision about a company. Strategically develop questions that communicate and reiterate your interest, experience, values, and work habits along with your strengths and weaknesses.
Illinois State students and alumni can learn more about interviewing and job searching by contacting the Career Center.
