3 Career Lessons from Donald Trump
Who would think you could get career lessons from Donald Trump? But he has been elected President despite being considered the least qualified candidate. Even his supporters agree with this.
So, what career lessons can you take from his election campaign and apply to your own job search process?
1. Know Your Audience
Donald Trump identified his audience and directed every speech directly to them. The language he chose was specific and highlighted his strengths to grab his followers attention.
Looking for a change in career or a move to a new industry? When writing your CV or going to a job interview, you need to know who your audience is. Who are they looking for? What do they value? Which language will appeal to them?
Unconscious bias in recruitment can come in many forms. Interviewers are drawn to those that look, sound or behave like them or employees already in their organisation. They have a picture in their mind and you need to meet their expectations.
Researching your potential employer is the key to demonstrating to your audience you are the right fit for their organisation.
2. Experience isn’t everything
Donald Trump is widely considered the most under qualified candidate in US Presidential history. With no experience in public service, he demonstrated time and again that he didn’t understand the finer details on a range of subjects.
What Trump did was focus attention on what he brought to the job rather than what he was missing. He emphasised his business expertise and made his lack of public service experience his point of difference.
By selling what he brought to the role, he set himself apart from the pack. He showed how he was different from his opponents. When applying for a job in a new industry, ensure that you are clear on what you bring to the table. Understanding your strengths allows you to sell your expertise and show you could add a new dimension to the job.
3. Believe in yourself
Self-belief can be the biggest barrier for a job candidate. Have you ever read a job ad, thought you didn’t match 100% and not applied?
Donald Trump believed that he could be president. This self-belief meant that he presented himself with confidence and this made those around him believe he could do it too.
Your lack of confidence can be holding you back and others will see it from a mile away. Using language like ‘I believe’ is very different to ‘I can’. If you don’t think you can do the job, why should anyone else?
You need to change your thinking to ensure you aren’t self-sabotaging your job search process.
Like him or loath him, Donald Trump has managed to pull off the ultimate career change that others will be learning from for a long time to come.
