Being a part of the startup community, it’s frequent to hear people discuss the value propositions of their businesses. They have likely honed in on a unique idea, outlined market segmentation, and the product’s potential benefits. However, how often do you hear of people stopping to craft a compelling message about what value they have as an individual?
Understanding your own individual value proposition is key to building your career strategy. Why? It becomes your touch point for being able to attract potential employers, network effectively, and make yourself stand out. In short, it’s your differentiator.
Seems straightforward, right? So how do you go about defining your own? Follow the four easy steps below to craft yours.
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Start with the basics…and then zone in. Consider the roles you have played, and the responsibilities you have had. Has there been progression as you’ve moved from role to role? Have you established new skills and experiences along the way? Capture and highlight those standout ones.
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Outline your strengths. We are all taught not to be arrogant. However, understanding your knowledge and skills sit at the center of this work. Nearly everyone will claim they are customer focused. Being able to highlight just exactly what you’ve done to make you a standout in this area is what you are going for here. Consider special projects you might have been assigned, significant learnings you may have received, and special recognition you might have received.
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Connect the dots. Whether you are exploring a new job opportunity or trying to take on a new project in your current one, don’t wait for others to come seek you out. Understand what’s being sought after, and highlight how your skills, attitude and aptitude are a great fit. Sitting back and thinking, “I’m so great, my track record will speak for itself!” is a passive approach and will likely not net you the intended results. Instead, take a walk in that leader’s shoes and build an understanding about how they will view your strengths and challenge areas. Then help them connect those dots from your uniqueness to their needs.
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Support your claims. It’s one thing to craft a lofty explanation about the wonder that is you. It’s another to have concrete examples to back up your big claims. As you create and execute clever or innovative pieces of work, set them aside for easy reference. Obviously, you want to avoid confidential material; but work that can highlight measureable achievements and accomplishments will certainly be useful should you need to point to concrete examples.
Pausing to reflect on that which makes you valuable seems like something you might consider only when looking for a new job. I’ll challenge you to think about it far more frequently. Understanding what makes you different, and then being able to articulate it, it will go a long way in building not just your confidence, but preparing you for potential opportunities too.
Christina Luconi is Chief People Officer for Rapid7. Follow her on Twitter: @peopleinnovator.