If you were on an interview for your ideal job, would you have mentioned the most recent Comic-Con? The latest game releases? The recent travails of smartphones or tablets?
Maybe you should have.
One of the things about being, well, the geeks and fans and otaku we are, is we're often painfully well informed about news issues, at least with stuff we like. We know about conventions and releases, games and manga, shipping issues and scandals. We know a lot of stuff.
Are you using it in your job search, or to impress your clients? If not you're wasting all that knowledge in your head:
- You could use the news to show you're well informed about the right issues – depending on what the interests of your client or potential employer are.
- You can use the news to strike up a rapport with the right people by sharing mutual interests.
- You can use the recent geek news you're following to show your awareness of trends and patterns in the economy.
- You can show that you have specific knowledge of the client or company's recent activities.
All that news and knowledge in your head isn't just cool. It isn't just a good tool to plot your job search and your career. It's a way to show to people what you know and develop a good connection with them. Potential employers appreciate someone who can connect and someone who is informed.
So don't hold that geek knowledge in – let it out at the right time.
– Steven Savage