Daily Career Connection

Career opportunities are no longer an issue in the twenty first century. There are no limitations to what one can do. In fact, the basic challenge that one faces when making career decisions these days is to choose from the spectrum of career opportunities that are available these days. Gone are the times when one would think of medicine, education, government jobs etc. in terms of a career option. Career opportunities these days have taken leaps into some very unconventional and creative domains.

There has never been a dearth of dreamers. And with newer vistas opening up, everyone is working towards attaining the kind of career they have always dreamt of. However, before deciding upon any career, you must plan for it carefully. A self inventory helps an individual subject to decide better on what he is looking for in terms of his career. The world is also moving at a pace like never before. Under such circumstances, most people are considering issues like balancing their private and professional lives better. Therefore, when planning a career, consider your likes and dislikes. (more…)

In sales and marketing you always look for the USP of the product or service that you are promoting. USP stands for Unique Selling Proposition. It is what makes your offer different from all the others in the market place. You too have a personal USP.

What is it that makes you different from all the other people in the world?

One of the truly amazing things about this world that we live in is that no two people are exactly the same. Even so called identical twins are different because, although they may have started their existence genetically the same, their different life experiences have created unique individuals.

There are probably many things that are unique about you but what we are looking for here is something unique that can help you achieve your goal.

The term USP was coined by Rosser Reeves in his influential book on advertising titled “Reality in Advertising” published in 1961. He states that the Unique Selling Proposition must contain three ingredients.

The first ingredient is that it must offer a specific benefit that comes from buying your product or service.

At this point I think it is important to make a clear distinction between a benefit and a feature. A feature is a particular aspect of a product or service. A benefit is the reward gained because of that feature.
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Thanks to Melanie at www.lifetips.com for providing this great tip.

Traditionally there are three types or formats of resume:

1. Chronological- This is the most typical type. It lists your work experience in order of most recent to oldest. It is focused on experience, but does not allow for highlighting skills, as skills are listed under the job where they were performed. This format also emphasizes work history gaps, and should not be used if this is an issue for you.
2.  Functional- This format places emphasis on skills, and not much on work experience (the job themselves). It is a good style for people with gaps in their work histories such as students, people returning to the workforce after an absence (like stay-at-home parents, or people returning from an extended illness), or anyone with limited experience in the field (such as recent graduates).
3. Combination- As its name says, this is a combination of chronological and functional. It affords the opportunity to use the best parts of both types, allowing skills to be highlighted yet also giving a chronological list of work experience. As with the chronological resume, this type of resume is not effective if there are work history gaps.