How to Land a 100K Job – Part 3

Make sure you have read the first two parts I wrote earlier:How to Land a 100K+ Job - Part One, and Part Two. To summarize the qualities that I’ve seen in candidates who can command 100K or more:

1) Have solid work experience in which you have gained Clearly Invaluable Experience with Measurable Results

2) Have solid work experience with a Big Name in the market or an up-and-coming company gaining recognition

3) Experience of working close to the customer

What else can you do to be a  standout candidate?

4) Be an Expert

100Kers have focused on, nurtured and grown a specific talent to the expertise level. I’m not necessarily talking about people with PhDs who have published research papers. I’m talking about knowing your strengths and mastering them. You know your subject matter inside and out, having worked in different scenarios and environments, confronting different problems and challenges with your subject matter, approaching it from different angles. You can present on your topic, or teach or train others about your subject. You have become a resource on the topic for others. Being able to walk the talk is a huge part of the equation when it comes to getting the bigger jobs. Those with whom you interview (most likely top-level management) will have that same level of understanding, and if you aren’t at their level, then you aren’t going to get much from them.

To  master your strengths, here are what many 100kers would tell you:

a. Move up to higher levels of responsibility throughout their career

Rarely have I seen a 100ker take a step back in scope of responsibility, or even a lateral move. 100kers look for opportunities to gain more experience - each successive job has greater levels of responsibility and accountability, adding more skills to the candidate’s repertoire. While there will always be a point when they hit a ceiling or have some trouble, their main goal seems to be to push that ceiling as high as they can, before they start thinking of lateral moves or stepping back a little in either a new company or new position.

b. Stick to the same industry

100kers build on their expertise, strengths, and networks so they tend to stay in the same industry. They rarely skip from one industry to another due to setting back their scope of responsibilities and accountability since they have to enter at a lower level. If they do change industries, they still stick to their expertise – for example, an implementation consultant who is a systems expert can implement in a telecommunications company as well as a pharmaceuticals company requiring the same software.

c. Get a degree (or two)

Your parents and your high school teachers weren’t wrong. A tertiary degree is essential! A minimum of a Bachelors degree is required. Masters or Professional degrees, even better. It may not necessarily be the field that you are currently working in, but it should be in a somewhat relevant field and at a reputable University or College. The bottom line is, a college education filters who would even be considered.

d. Continue your education

Even with the university degree under their belt, 100kers are self-motivated to improve their knowledge and skills by continuing their education in their industry and field, or whatever to make them a stronger candidate. I always see on their resumes a list of seminars, training workshops or certification courses that the candidate has taken throughout their professional career.

If you take a step back, what you see is a person who is investing in himself, conscientiously working on self-improvement, taking the time, effort and opportunity to educate himself, gain new skills to enrich, as well as complement the skills he already has. That shows a high-degree of discipline and ambition, which are great characteristics of 100kers.

Next Actions:

• What is your field of expertise? What do you feel are your strengths?

• What can you do to master the strengths that you have?

• What training can you get that is already available to you at work? Elsewhere?

Comments

[alpha]

I totally agree with Steven that esp. c. Get a degree(or two) is very important. Furthermore, I think that you would never be able to replace with things you get at university, such as books, friends,,,