Before I became an expert in helping people advance in their careers, I disliked the word “empowerment.” I mean, come on, how do you get empowered? Well, I learned that to become empowered, you must take some proactive steps. Did you ever hear the phrase “information is power”? Well, to get the job you want, you must know very specific information about the job you want. But here’s the rub: that information is often limited, hidden or obstructed. Why is this so? In some cases, those who are competing with you for the same position do not want you to know what they know. In other cases, those offering the job do not realize that they have concealed the information. In most cases, the information needed to get a job or advance is obvious to employers so why would they go out of their way to share it? Sometimes, employers may not even think about the information you do not know.

At this point, you probably want to know what is this “Missing Information” and how long will it take me to learn it so I can get the job I want? The Missing Information is about the tasks, skills and personality you need to fit in the job, and it is about how people get selected. Have you ever really thought about the job you want? For example, do you know what a typical day for an employee in that job consists of? Do you know with whom a person in that job interacts? Do you know if people in that job are generally nice or are they harsh? Why do you need to know this? Because if you know this and you still want the job, then you have to start to act like people in that job and the organization in which the job lives.

How do people get selected for the job you want? Does the boss make the hire? Does a panel of interviewers make the hire? Do you have to take a test? Are people pre-selected and put through some kind of career advancement program to get them ready for the job? If you know this, you can prepare to do well in the selection process and you can place yourself in a very visible location to be noticed.

This is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the Missing Information. That is why my products and services teach you how to collect the information and make informed decisions about what you need to do in order to get the job. This can take several weeks to several months depending on how what you learn matches you today.

If you are looking for a job or you want to advance in your career, you can take constructive steps now to become the person who is a perfect match for the job you seek. This is empowerment. Believe me, a perfect match is the one who gets hired!