The famous salesman and sales trainer Zig Ziglar used to point out to rookies that It is not what you have got; it is what you use that makes a difference.

To achieve steps throughout your career - your first job, a promotion, a job or a career change you must sell the primary product - YOU.

Just as a successful sales person must know their product, you must know your qualifications and be able to communicate them clearly to employers in a resume, in a cover letter, and in interviews.

To help ensure wise job and career choice, you need to clarify what values and work preferences are important to you.

Thoroughly inventory your qualifications, including your training, education skills, and work experiences. It is vital that you identify your intrinsic values and work preferences.

Your personal career inventory will be an important source of information when you develop your resumes, cover letters, job applications, and more.

Employers may want your inventory information when considering you for a job. Included in your personal inventory are basic personal data and information are education and professional training , work experience skills and accomplishments as well as well as people that you can utilize as references.

The first step in compiling your personal career inventory is documenting your education and training. This information includes specific dates, places, career relevant courses and activities, skills and accomplishments. In addition you will also need to document your memberships and achievements in personal and other organizations related to job and career targets. This information will help you identify or confirm an appropriate career choice, develop resumes and cover letters and prepare for job interviews.

It is as if you need to put yourself under a microscope to look at every detail properly. Ask people who know you well to help you document your accomplishments.

You should consider scholarships, honors as well as awards that you have received. Dont forget his competitions that you have participated in describing accomplishments try to be as specific as possible. For example list - Won first place in school writing competition or voted President of the senior class.

When identifying the skills and accomplishments you achieved throughout your education, training and organizational activities, consider two kinds of skills that employers are seeking: job specific skills and job transferable competencies.

Job specific skills are the technical abilities that relate specifically to a particular job. For example in accounting, preparing a balance sheet by using accounting software customized for a client job specific skill. Front end alignment on a vehicle is a job specific skill for an auto mechanic. Operating a CAT scan machine or other medical diagnostic equipment are other job specific skills.

On the other hand transferable competencies are abilities that can be applied to more than one work environment. For example, both accountants and auto mechanics are required to have such transferable as reading, writing doing mathematics and general computer proficiency skills. Other transferable competencies include working well with others, organizing work and materials, solving problems, making decisions and managing resources.

Remember to o achieve steps throughout your career you must sell yourself.

You must know your qualifications and be able to communicate them clearly to employers in a resume, in a cover letter, and in interviews.

This is essential