The subject of tonight’s editorial is “Your many hidden talents and the ones you are developing.”

I talked to one of our active members recently and the thought occurred to me that all of you are probably developing skills and not even aware of it! Life does have a way of sneaking up on you.

The subject was nominally being able to sell. Most of us went into finance never expecting to engage in the honored profession of personal selling, but all of us who have gone through a job search, perhaps unbeknownst to even ourselves, have become reasonably good at personal selling.

If you think about it, everything about searching for a job develops the skills required in personal selling. For example: qualifying leads, cold calling, networking, etc. are all personal selling skills that you are developing and polishing. Of course, the product is you, but that is not relevant to the issue.

Computer skills are another area where you are probably a lot better than you think you are. In you last job perhaps you didn’t have to do as much work at a computer. That was not your primary assigned task to crunch numbers and sit in front of a computer screen. Now as a member of The FENG you are fast becoming an expert at doing email, downloading files, searching websites, and cutting and pasting to beat the band. Now, try to tell me you aren’t a computer expert. Just compare your knowledge to others. (It can be a land of the blind, one-eyed man thing you know. All that matters is that you accept the fact that you have acquired knowledge and skills.)

Writing skills are another area where you have probably experienced significant growth. Writing a resume and hundreds of cover letters can’t help but make you into a more powerful writer. Check things you have written before with the correspondence you are creating now. You will find it is getting better every day!

How about public speaking? This is another area where I would be willing to place bets that you are getting better. There was a time in my life before my job search in 1991 when I couldn’t get through 3 sentences in front of a crowd without every word written down. Now I lead our meetings and make and take phone calls with no notes required. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without all the skill building that took place during my job search.

And friends, all of these skills are going to make you more valuable to any employer because they are over and above all of your technical skills!

(And if you weren’t talented in your technical skills, you would never have been asked to join The FENG, so there!)

Regards, Matt