Get branded knowledge for that competitive edge

There is fierce competition for top jobs in the market - not just in Sri Lanka but across all countries. With the global mobile workforce, it can only get more competitive.

While knowledge is not the only demand for the job you desire, knowledge is key to any job. Knowledge essentially raises one employee above another and it allows you to advance your career.

You acquire knowledge for many reasons and purposes. The knowledge I talk about today is for commercial success. Simply put, to earn money.

Without knowledge, we could not accomplish much in life. The more knowledgeable you are in a particular field, the more money you are worth.

In general, brands are important in our lives because they provide a connection. As consumers, we tend to respond more positively and surround ourselves with things that are familiar, well known and respected.

It allows consumers to understand the offerings from a given brand.

Similarly, branded knowledge is important because they separate the best from the ordinary in the mind of the customer from other competitive offerings.

This difference prevents a slide into knowledge commoditisation which can hardly attract any value. If all products largely seem the same, what competitive advantage can you have? I hope you now realise that generic knowledge does make sense.

People buy people

In the job market 'people buy people', so you need to create a demand for you to get picked by someone else. The demand in the job market is driven by elements such as knowledge, skills, experience and other personal attributes to go with them.

Your challenge is to let people know why they should employ you, promote you, or buy from you in case you are an entrepreneur.

Knowledge translates to delivery of quality performance. In the good old days, 'knowledge' was 'knowledge'. It didn't matter from where you got knowledge because the supply of knowledge was limited and there was hardly any competition, hence there was no necessity to differentiate.

In contrast, knowledge today comes from various sources and at varying levels of quality at different prices. Employers, therefore, find it difficult to distinguish good from the bad.

Commodity

Knowledge like any other service or product can either be a mere commodity or a brand though we are not consciously looking at it that way in Sri Lanka yet.

Close your eyes for a moment and recall all the degrees that are available at local and foreign institutes and feel how your perception towards each one of them changes. I'm sure you will begin to understand what I am saying.

Elements of branded knowledge include the reputation of the institute which offers the qualification, its track record, relative ranking versus other institutes, performance of graduates who have got the same qualification from the same institute, profile of the lecturers, wins and accolades the institute has received in the past, independent quality certifications and the perceptions formed.

These principles remain the same for any level of qualification or knowledge at any level. Branded knowledge is important in that they allow employers to form expectations about the value of knowledge, thus aiding and shortening their purchasing process via job interviews.

Don't be hasty to get knowledge and waste your time and money and frustrate yourself too in the long run, rather get branded knowledge and create a competitive edge for success in life.