what employers are looking for in candidates for the type of job you
have been discussing.
The P.E.A.K.S. acronym can be helpful here. Each letter of
P.E.A.K.S. suggests a question you might ask:P: “What personal characteristicsare highly valued by employers?”
E:“What experienceis highly valued?”
A:“What kinds of accomplishmentsare employers looking for?”
K:“What knowledgeis highly valued?”
S:“What skillsare employers looking for?It is helpful to know which of the above P.E.A.K.S. is most important to
employers in a specific field: Personal characteristics? Experience?
Skills? And why do employers feel this way?
As noted earlier, the answers to these questions will give you some
good guidelines for selecting items to include in your targeted Can-Do
Portfolio. And you can learn if there are areas where employers will
perceive you as weak or even unqualified, so that you can make some
improvements before actually applying for a job in this field.
Ask about which personal characteristics that add value are per-
ceived as key.As noted earlier, the P category, personal characteristics
that add value, is typically perceived as very important by employers.
However, the precise definition of what these characteristics are will
vary with industries and employers. So asking the interviewee ques-
tions like the following is important:“Which of the personal characteristics that you mentioned are most
important?”
“What would you say are the top three personal characteristics that
add value in the eyes of potential employers?”Ask “why” questions to understand the mind-set of the people in the
organization and field you are considering.You want to understand not
only whatemployers in a particular field and organization feel is im-
portant but also whythey feel this way. The better you understand the
key assumptions and biases that shape the mind-set of the people you
will be showing your portfolio to, the easier it will be to select the right
items and present them in the right way.
Unless your interviewee happens to know the particular person
with whom you will be meeting for a job interview, there is no way to
know for sure what the particular biases of the individual will be. But
there do tend to be certain professional biases that practitioners are
likely to acquire in their field. Organizations can have a particular
corporate culture that is likely to influence the thinking of all of their
employees.
Rather than talking about mind-set, which might be an unfamil-
iar concept, the best way to learn more about the professional biases of
practitioners in a particular field and organization is to ask your inter-
viewee a lot of “why”questions. As your interviewee answers the vari-56 Part I: Building, Using, and Maintaining Your Career Portfolio