Reality TV and the media have sometimes given pageants a bad reputation, but while my husband and I attended the Miss USA Pageant last night I found myself thinking about how relevant pageants still are for today’s woman.

Think pageants are only about strutting your stuff on stage in front of judges? Think again! The techniques women learn to compete in pageants are the same ones they can use to climb the proverbial career ladder. Check out these 5 pageant tips that can be directly applied to excel in the workplace:

Tip #1 - To ace the interview: Be extremely knowledgeable

2012 Miss USA Preliminary Competition Introduction, courtesy of MUO

Pageant queens don’t ace the interview competition just because of their looks; they do well in interviews because of their brains and personality.

“When you compete in a pageant, from local to international levels, you quickly realize that answering a variety of questions flawlessly is a huge element in the competition. You never know what questions you’ll be asked so you have to prepare for anything. Essentially, your answer needs to be as beautiful as you are on stage,” commented Christina Clarke, Miss Washington USA 2012. “And while beauty might get you noticed, it’s brains that are the most important aspect when it comes to competing in a pageant as well as competing for a job in business.”

Your goal…learn everything you can about the company, industry, key competitors, and needs of the customers. Then put your knowledge to work during interviews for your dream job by dazzling them with your wisdom and ideas.

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I love this fantastic article from Forbes - so wonderful to get a positive viewpoint about pageants out in such a mainstream publication.  It’s about time people realise pageantry is about more than just looking pretty.