One of the most common things I am asked by my coaching clients is “How do I know what I can and can’t do?”

The answer to that is in the title of this post. You must know the rules of the game, or the boundaries, and then “play” your best to the fullest of your abilities.

Let’s take an example. An ambitious person, let’s call her Jo, wants to be in a good position for a promotion. She follows the rules as she knows them – wait for an opportunity to be advertised or spoken about, write a solid application, hope to get an interview, do your best at interview and then wait for the outcome.

When you know the rules of the game you will notice a couple of opportunities that Jo has not capitalised on:

• when you work in a company, you are sure to know and be known to people who are involved in the decision to promote and who can speak highly of you as appropriate during the process
• staffing decisions are rarely made by one person alone, most decisions makers have a trusted person or group that they will go to at least to “sound out” their decision
• job applications need to function as an advertising campaign for the applicant, not just a summary of work experience
• professional contact prior to submitting an application and appropriate follow up can be powerful indicators of your level of interest in the role, and that can make you stand out from other applicants

Similar to an aerial stunt team, if everyone does the same thing then progress is limited. Where is the evolution and excitement if everyone does the same thing? For the pilots in an air show, if they try to do the same thing as others at the same time they will end up in the same space and have a crash. There need to be some co=ordinated variations and differences in timing for it to be successful.

It’s similar for you when applying for a promotion or a new job with another company.

1. Know what is unique about you and how you can showcase that and the benefits it will bring to the role
2. Remember that your Reputation is a significant factor (it’s one of what I refer to as the Four Pillars of Career Success)
3. Understand how to present your experience so it is relevant and compelling

Getting feedback and coaching from an expert career coach and someone who has successfully made their own career transitions is an excellent way of learning how to play by the rules of recruitment and ensuring that you bring your very best to the table.

Contact me for a free initial consultation on how I can help you to increase your success in the world of work.