How to Demonstrate Your Value to a Prospective Employer

How to Demonstrate Your Value to a Prospective Employer How to Demonstrate Your Value to a Prospective Employer There should be a single thread that is both evident and consistent through your job search. It needs to come out in your résumés, cover letters, LinkedIn profile and during interviews. It all boils down to selling yourself, and the question is how do you do that in each document and at each stage of the job search process? You must demonstrate your value. Sounds complicated, right? You’re probably asking how you can figure out what your value is. And once you do know, how can you possibly show value in words? Here are some do’s and don’ts to help you get it right. Do show what you’re trying to get across. If you constantly write things like, “Sandra was sad,” “Sandra was mad,” “Sandra was excited” in a creative story you’re writing, not many people will be intrigued to read further. Showing emotions is what makes a story work effectively, and examples are what make it work. So instead of writing that you have great communication skills, think of specific examples from your work history where you’ve demonstrated them. That’s what should go in a résumé, cover letter and on your LinkedIn profile. Don’t tell an employer what your value is â€" show it with examples. It’s what any good creative writing teacher will tell you. What does this look like in practice? Don’t use clichéd phrases such as, “excellent written and verbal communication skills.” You are simply telling your reader you have those qualities, and anyone can say that. Do make your materials understandable for a wide audience. Ask someone unfamiliar with your job or industry to read your résumé and cover letter to alert you to places where clarification is needed. Acronyms should be written out, and companies or organizations that are not well known require a concise description. Don’t assume your reader knows your industry or your job. While the person may have written or helped write the job description, he may not have an in-depth understanding of what is required for the job and in your profession in general. Do provide quantitative and qualitative results of your work. This can be difficult for many professions, but you don’t necessarily need metrics to show results. There are ways to show the impact of your work in words. Did you save your boss or colleague time? Did you perform research that eventually led to a publication by a colleague? Don’t lie or exaggerate numbers or statements. Estimates are OK to use, but you should not be inflating your achievements. These fibs are usually instantly recognizable to people who read scores of résumés and constantly interview candidates. Saying you oversaw a product launch when you did not is not OK.   Do demonstrate for a potential employer how you can help them do business in a smarter way. If you’ve improved processes in your past jobs, it is likely you can do that for a prospective employer as well. Make sure those examples are in there.Don’t make overconfident claims. If you write in a cover letter or say in an interview that you know the company has made mistakes, and that’s why a competitor is outpaced them, you may not get very far. You’re still an outsider, and coming in and being critical right off the bat is not going to help your cause. Even if it’s true, their employees probably don’t want to hear it from you. It just gives a bad impression.Do include awards, honors and recognition. Awards and honors should have their own section rather than be hidden under job descriptions in bullets. If a colleague or client gave you compliments on your work, find a way to use these in your cover letter and/or interview. You can also ask for a recommendation on LinkedIn. Don’t hide things you ought to be proud of, and don’t make your reader dig for the information. You received the award or recognition for a reason. Highlighting these only helps you. While it’s not easy to show your value in writing or verbally, it’s a skill you must learn for your job search and your career. Think about when you meet a new person who interests you professionally. Are you going to tell them, “Hi, I’m Mike. I am a great leader and an excellent communicator”? Yawn. You need to show them what makes you a great leader and an excellent communicator. How are you different from your competition? Why should they want to talk to you instead of another candidate? If you aren’t using examples with impact to demonstrate the benefit you bring to an organization, no one will be inferring it for you, and it’s not likely you’ll get a call for an interview. Do be thoughtful about what you’ve done and what stands out, and show them all you’ve got to offer.