UNVEILED…… How to develop your COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE And Stay Abreast Of The Game.

Have you noticed that there are thousands of millions applicants in the labour market competing for job slots and a large percent are been injected each year. Also given the current global meltdown; there is no doubt that more people than usual are going to be competing for employment opportunities this year and employers have a large option to choose from.

With the terrain so tough, it is important you learn how to develop your competitive advantage and stay abreast of the game. So in this piece you will learn how to use your IT skills, employability skills, knowledge of your prospective employer and having a plan to secure your dream job and achieve job security.

People pay you for the value you create and the problem you solve for them. The business world is now a stiff competition that employers are no more interested in paying large chunks of money to employees who just do the duty assigned to them but they are ready to pay even any amount for that employee who can increase their competitive edge and make them stay in business.

To succeed in your career, you need to learn to be a problem solver who can use initiative without being told. To develop your competitive advantage you need to:

1. Build your IT skills; we are now in the information age where information is power and a great one at that. You will have an edge if you know how to use the computer and not just the basic Microsoft word but the more you know the better. Imagine, if you are vast on the internet, it saves you time to get things done and make you give informed decisions compared to someone who gives suggestions that are already outdated. Know that you are in the age where an information today may be outdated by tomorrow or next and which if implemented, may lead to disaster. Therefore, you need to keep abreast of things. Taking courses and certifications in the IT industry will make you have a huge advantage over your peers which will give you a flip in securing your dream job. Another avenue to have a competitive edge is also to develop your employability skills.

2. Develop your Employability skills; the whole bulk of job seeking is determined by how well you communicate and relate with people. The decision to employ you or not starts from the first day you go to a company to ask if they have a vacant position. To ensure that you are qualified for employability; there is need for you to develop your communication skills, your interpersonal skills (how you relate with people), your skill to work under pressure and your ability to work with a team. You need to increase your ability to make things happen.

To ensure that you secure your dream job it is necessary to show your employer “what you can deliver when the chips are down”.

3. Have a Plan; having a goal and planning the achievement of the goal will save you the stress of seeking for a job and will hasten your chance of getting your dream job. Know what you want in the short and long term and develop a game plan to achieve them. Know your role and understand your strengths and weaknesses and how you can use it as an opportunity or reduce the threats in securing your dream job. This will prepare you in handling your prospective employer when applying for a job or in the course of an interview. Act only when it is appropriate, don’t use all your energy on irrelevant things and leverage on the relevant events. Having a plan will shorten and lessen your burden and time in securing your dream job.

4. Have Knowledge about prospective Employers business; employers are out to employ hands that can move the company forward. Applying for a job or going to an interview without any knowledge about the company, their challenges, strengths and weakness and offering to work for them is an indication that you have nothing to offer them and this may make you lose the job. There is need for you to have adequate knowledge about the organization; their staff strengths, customers, market share, their most prominent problem and offer to help them solve this problems.

From the research you have made. It is sure to make them open the front door to you in getting your dream job.



This highly guarded secret of developing your competitive advantage will make you irresistible and will guarantee you get your dream job. It is also important that you package your experience and expertise in an irresistible killer resume and ensure that you secure your dream job after getting it.