• Planning a Career Transition, but don't know where to start?
• Heard about Personal Branding, but unsure how it applies to you?
• Wondering how to sell your skills, in an overcrowded market?

As someone who works with both employers and job-seekers, let me share some career-transition marketing. As a job seeker, the first thing you need to understand is that the job search is not just about you.

Finding a match between employer and employee is like finding a mate. Continuing with this wedding analogy, a wedding is not just about the bride and groom Rather it is about uniting two families. In this fashion, getting hired is about uniting the right candidate with the right company.

Since the company is paying the salary the hiring process is skewed in their favor, especially in a down economy. It is all about what industry contraction or expansion trends, what skills are required by a specific company in said industry and the vacancies they need to fill. Employers and recruiters must build a business case, each time they request funding to fill a vacancy. In these tight, financial times, each hire will reflect directly on the Human Resource Manager who made the decision. Bottom line - any potential 'hire' must meet a company's business needs.

In applying for jobs or while planning a career transition you will need to market yourself to employers. Candidates need to connect the dots and explain concretely how all of their skills relate to a specific job posting. It is not the employers job to analyze your background and then slot you in a position.

A Career Transition Skills Triangle can help you understand all of the angles, which employers require. Consider what a candidate would be like if their skills only filled one side of the triangle or 2 sides of the triangle. Think about the different combinations of skills or lack of skills and how this would impact the hiring and recruitment process. Frequently, the candidate hired is the one who has the highest overall combination of skills from all three sides of the Career Skills Triangle. I would encourage you to look closely at all three skill areas. Do not make the mistake of focusing exclusively on your technical skills. Market all of your skills on your professional paper-tools/resumes and in the interview process. Know your strengths and work on improving your weakness'.

For those of you who are visual learners like me, conceptualize each of the categories below as a side of a triangle. All three skill sets are required to make a complete triangle or whole.

Career Transition Skills Triangle

• Technical skills. These include your computer skills, your job-specific skills and your industry-specific skills. I.E. if you are in FMCG, Fast Moving Consumer Goods you may have specialty knowledge about your particular subsector and product line. These skills are often particular to a specific job role or position. Remember, an employer can easily send you to a course to upgrade your technical skills.

• Transferable skills. These include all of the skills gained through your work experience, life experience and education. These are not job specific skills, but rather innate skills which you carry or transfer from job to job. For instance, on your last job you may have had to create detailed Excel spreadsheets for an Insurance company. This ability to analyze and problem solve at a granular level are your transferable skills. You could apply these general, skills to a variety of work tasks and work situations.

• Interpersonal skills. These skills refer to your ability to connect, relate, listen and communicate with others. These days the term Emotional IQ or Intelligence is very trendy. For instance, you may have had to use your interpersonal skills when selling products to customers in your role as an Alternative Energy Consultant. You had to develop a relationship with your client and build on that trust. This ability to build relationships, listen and communicate clearly are your key interpersonal skills. They may also be examples of your transferable skills.

In order to maintain a competitive advantage as a job seeker, you must consider your target market. The recruiters’ and employers’ needs should be the focus of your self-marketing strategy. A savvy career changer will work hard to research their target market and learn to customize their approach. In this highly charged, highly competitive job market you must take into account the goals, needs and desires of the employers. I would highly recommend that all potential job seekers and career changers take stock of all 3 aspects of their career transition. Develop lists of skills for each of the 3 categories . Create detailed, examples of how you gained these skills and how you used these skills in real world applications.