The Sales Cooke comes in contact with a lot of people looking for work right now. Unfortunately, these numbers are increasing. It is essential that a search candidate be sharp in differentiating themselves in this highly competitive environment. Your unique value is that differentiator.
There are three components associated with your role as an employee:
1. What you get paid to do.
2. What your employer gets from you.
3. That unique component that makes you special and valuable.
The first two components are quite easy to understand and identify with. The functional job title, the roles associated with that “job” and the experience you bring to that position are all covered here. However, when the Sales Cooke talks to people about what makes them unique, the answers usually center around those experiential based contributions that they think are special. Unfortunately, this is not the type of “unique” I am looking for. In reality, everyone has these experiences. While very few people have the exact same experiences; the similarities are uncanny. As a result, it is hard to make much of a distinction between candidates.
To stand out in the search process, you need to identify the components of your experiences and personality that makes you truly unique as a person and as a professional. I am talking about core values like high integrity, energetic, passionate, adaptable to change, inventive, creative, leader, relationship builder, team thinker, etc. These are not buzzwords simply built into a resume. No, these are behavioral traits and values that are easily and clearly demonstrated in the interview process. It is a behavior that is so internally wired into who you are and how you work that you easily exude those behaviors in the interview and in life. When a person comfortably and clearly demonstrates their confidence in who they are and what makes them special, employers are always taken by the positive demeanor associated with those behaviors. This is what employers remember. They remember your personality and your style and your values, not your generic stories and experiences.
Want to be successful in the search process? Define and present your unique value.