Note: This article was suggested by a guest contributor, Charles Ebert,
and we collaborated on the writing. Keep an eye out for more from Charles.
Memory can make or break your career
Charles Ebert
Are you one of those exceptional people who have command of an extraordinary memory? It’s quite a rarity these days, more so now that we live in a world of instantly available information, via Google and those endlessly useful smartphones.
Like most people, you might think it’s hardly worth building up an exceptional memory, but have you ever considered how having such a memory might impact your career prospects? Here’s just a few ideas of how certain jobs would benefit from a first-class memory.
Talk show host/presenter
To be a presenter or a host you really do need a good memory; keeping a guest waiting while you struggle to recall your next question, or failing to remember that guest’s accomplishments and, perhaps, the details of his or her latest book or film, would hardly go down well with the guest … or the viewing public, for that matter. You’d have to be top of your game to make an impression if you chose this career, and having a poor memory just wouldn’t be good enough.
Journalist
A journalist has to be in command of the situation, whether that happens to be reporting/following up on breaking news, or even something of historic importance. To excel in that career you would need to be able to recall whole strings of details about a subject, and also be able to take notes using shorthand, something else a great memory would come in very handy for.
Manager
Anybody tasked with handling all aspects of a project must, of necessity, have a head for details. To be a successful manager you would need to be able to understand and collate information on a grand scale. If you study memory improvement, you would be far better suited to take on a managerial role. And the only way you would ever be really successful as a manager is if you could gain a full overview of any project you’re responsible for – and that can’t be done unless you have full command of all the details.
Lawyer/Accountant/Financial Advisor
Each and every one of these professions calls for the ability to handle, and remember, many details. In fact, if you were to take on any of these jobs and failed to recall something of great importance, you would have failed your client and almost certainly wouldn’t last long in the job. You can rest assured that anyone successful in these fields makes full use of a terrific memory.
Doctor/Nurse/Paramedic … in fact, medical professional of any kind
Again, with these professions, your ability to memorise lots of data is absolutely crucial, maybe even more so than in any other profession. You might get away with making a mistake as a financial advisor, for example, but make a mistake as a doctor and a patient’s life might well be in the balance.
Not only would you need to memorise lists of symptoms and the illnesses they might indicate, but also lists of the appropriate medications to treat those illnesses. You would also be required to know, from memory, the correct emergency procedures to take in any given situation. A person with a great memory would be streets ahead of the competition when it came to performing work like this.
Public life
If you have ever hankered after being in the spotlight in the service of your town of city, or even your country, then a retentive memory is definitely called for. There is an enormous number of facts that you would need to have ready at a moment’s notice, not to mention that you would have to accurately recall things you said at some earlier stage. There’s nothing an interviewer likes better than to trip up a politician, or anyone in public life, by pointing out that what he is saying now directly contradicts what was stated earlier. Unless you could be confident that you have your facts at your fingertips, perhaps this wouldn’t be the right career for you.
Maybe your career choice tends more to personal development; how successful do you think you would be as a motivational speaker, for example, if you were unable to deliver a speech without repeatedly referring to your notes? It would hardly engender confidence in your audience if you displayed such a lack of professionalism.
Waiter/Personal Trainer/Performer
At first sight, these professions might not seem to have all that much in common, but one thing they definitely do have in common is the need for accuracy. You might not think of a bartender or waiter/waitress as holding down a top job, but these are jobs that call for great accuracy and a top-class memory. Taking orders from customers requires you to be able to hear a list of items and mentally stack them neatly together in such a way that you can recall them later.
A performer, whether actor, singer, comedian, dancer, or any of the many other examples of that profession, also has to have an exceptional memory. Think of Sinatra giving a concert in Las Vegas; could you even imagine him having to stop and take a sly look at a sheet of music to recall what was next on his playlist, or what the next line was? Think of a quick-fire standup comedian rattling off jokes faster than you could even respond to them … again, an outstanding comedian is almost as impressive for his or her memory as for the skill they display in delivering their lines.
And anyone who takes on the role of a personal trainer must also have command of his entire repertoire of exercises, routines, warmups, etc, as well as the right way to deal with injuries and accidents, however they may happen, and to do so quickly and competently.
Your job … your career … your life
I could go on listing jobs and careers that call for superior memory, but I’m sure you get the idea; they’re not just limited to top-paying and prestigious roles. Right from local bartender to prospective international statesman, you won’t get far with a poor memory. And if you take the time to develop an exceptional memory you’ll be far in advance of most people, whichever profession you choose.
Take the time to study memory, and take advantage of this website and its extensive resources. Study one of two of the memory techniques clearly and extensively explained in its pages, and commit to a few minutes of daily practice to master those techniques. You don’t need to develop an encyclopedic knowledge of memory techniques, just to become expert in one or two, or perhaps three. That should be more than enough to give you the edge, the ability to handle bucketloads of data, of whatever kind, and to do it quickly and confidently. And bear in mind, you won’t only become far more effective and professional in your chosen career, your entire life will benefit; having a superior memory always tends to increase your confidence and gives you the quiet assurance that you’re in control of any situation.
Become a memory master, at whatever level, and your career prospects will blossom, and more importantly, your life will be enhanced in many ways. And remember, once you develop your memory skills you will have them at your fingertips for life. Develop them once and refresh them, easily and quickly, with a few minutes practice once in a while, and you’ll never regret it.
Charles Ebert’s bio: Charles is a career mentor, motivational speaker and human resources consultant with over ten years’ experience in the HR sector. Charles is a lead expert at Professional Resume Solutions.Apart from career mentoring, he loves photography and football. Find him on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Google.
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