How job seekers can prove their strategic prowess

Increasingly, hiring partners and team leaders are looking for candidates who can be a trusted advisor and business consigliere. However, it’s hard to show those intangibles on a CV.

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If a company wants to hire a strategic mastermind, how do they go about finding one?

More important, if you have the chops to be a C-suite whisperer, how do you show that to a hiring manager or talent recruiter?

Jamie McLaughlin, talent expert with JWM Talent, offers a peek behind the curtains for what companies and agencies are thinking about when they go looking for communicators who have a deep understanding of business strategy.

The strategic advisor

Both PR pros and the businesses they work for want to expand the role of the communicator in the organization. That means PR pros must have the tools to be a strategic advisor to the leadership team.

McLaughlin says many organizations want to see whether PR pros “understand business, not just communications.”

He adds that this aligns with many communicators’ career goals. “A lot of PR people don’t want to be limited to just talking to the media and considering the impact of the media. It’s a much more holistic approach to things.”

How can a PR pro demonstrate those abilities in the job application process? McLaughlin advises that you put some thought into your interview prep.

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