British actor Richard Briers - who is probably most famous for playing Tom Good in the Good Life  70s sitcom – was talking on the radio yeterday about his career as an actor.  He has acted in other TV shows and  in many plays  and well into his 70s now he is currently appearing in a play in London . But he described the time when he graduated from acting school along with actors Alan Bates, Albert Finney and Peter O’Toole ( actors he describes as the “New Wave” ) he said “I think I’ve had it”  . He realised that he would have to find his niche as he could not compete for the kind of parts they would get and  this led to a very  successful career in what he calls ” light comedies”.

He is not alone in finding that he was in amongst many other equally talented people in his chosen profession and his approach is a good example of how to make the situation work for you.

Every year new graduates enter the job market  to be the same qualifications/exam passes. Some will already have an idea of how they want to specialise or to what level in the organisation they aspire but most will take things step by step and gradually work out how they can make their mark. There will be high profile stars but there can only be room for so many of them in any business . But that does not mean that the others are any less talented  – or for that matter valuable and attractive to employers!

The responsibility for finding a way to mark rests with the employee though. It can be tempting to just settle with what is offered – but that can often lead to dissatisfaction and frustration.  And when you do decide to move to another organisation how you did what you did well is just as important as what you did well.  ( something which is easy to overlook and undervalue)

• It might be the lawyer who is particularly dealing patiently  with elderly clients
• Or the HR person whose ability to discuss tricky issues or break bad news is particularly sensitive
• Or the accountant who will take time and demonstrate that they understand the client’s business challenges as well as do the numbers
• Or the recruiter whose interest in people ensures that the right questions are asked at interviews resulting in a great hiring track record
• Or the new hire who makes a point of speaking to everyone to try to get to know people quickly they come into contact with regardless of seniority or if they are in another team
• Or the trainer who has a knack of understanding the needs of the participants in workshops and adapting the programme to suit

In short – when you ask the question “who is  good at..” immediately comes to mind.

So – what are you good at – and have you found your niche ?