If you are actively looking for a job, in addition to sprucing up your resume, activating your network, there is one other thing you can do – something that will be valuable beyond the job search phase.  It is learning a new skill or competency or upgrading your knowledge of a subject area.

Of course, you can go to a library and pick up books.  Or join an online learning portal such as Lynda.com (now part of Linkedin.com), Udemy, or Coursera.   But there is a resource that job seekers do not think about – it is a site called BrightTalk.com.

BrightTalk.com is a knowledge portal where corporations post their learning videos, webinars, demos, panel discussions – often to promote their products and services in implicit or explicit ways.  Company executives, sometimes accompanied by analysts or other industry experts, share their perspectives, knowledge, and ideas.

For a job seeker targeting a specific company or an industry, this could be a treasure trove of information, insights, and knowledge.  You can parlay the learning in many ways.

Benefits of BrightTalk.com for Job Seekers:

• Identify live webinars or recorded sessions and tutorials in the subject area of your choice. This is an excellent way to gain knowledge from industry experts on current topics.  You will be up to date on what’s current and trending and what is vital to companies in the field.
• You may be able to ask questions and show your understanding of a subject and engage in a conversation with the speakers. (This applies mostly to live webinars, but for recorded sessions, you can leave a comment or reach out to the posters.)
• You can parlay this knowledge in interviews with a specific company or similar companies in the sector. Saying, “BTW, your webinar on “ABCD Topic” was very insightful,” will differentiate you from the other candidates.
• You can follow the speakers on other venues such as Twitter and LinkedIn and gain from their posts and knowledge sharing.

Use Case on How BrightTalk.com helps a Job Seeker:

Latika Johnson is a systems analyst looking for a new job.   While she was open to another position in a similar role, her primary interest was getting into emerging technologies such as RPA (Robotic Process Automation) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Latika signed on to BrightTalk.com, which is FREE for viewers, and searched for relevant topics from companies where she wanted to find a role.  Once she found the right webinars as well as recorded sessions, she not only learned a ton viewing/participating, she also was able to parlay the knowledge to connect with the industry leaders and pick their brains and engage in thoughtful conversations.

Soon after that, in an interview, Latika’s interviewer was one of the speakers of a webinar.  Latika was able to bring in the topic of the webinar and expressed her thanks for the insights and perspectives.  She also mentioned how attending that webinar led her to dig deeper into the subject area and how she is prepared to leap to the emerging technology space.

Viola! Latika Johnson was able to parlay the knowledge into a dream job.

You have nothing to lose but a lot to gain. Knowledge is power. And amass the power of knowledge for FREE.  Please sign up for a free account at https://www.brighttalk.com.