Describe the value you provide to employers in just seven words.
Think about how you save or make a company money, justifying the cost of hiring you and paying you the salary you want and deserve. This could mean you generate revenue, solve problems, or improve processes. Take a moment and write down those seven words before continuing.
Why Most Job Seekers Get This Wrong
If you’re like most people, you probably listed seven words describing what you do—your tasks, skills, or responsibilities. But here’s the problem: that’s not how you effectively market yourself.
This is one of the most common mistakes in job searching and personal branding. You are a business-of-one, and if you focus only on listing your features (skills and tasks), you're making the same mistake businesses make when they fail to highlight their benefits.
Features vs. Benefits: The Key to Standing Out
BigstockPeople don’t buy features; they buy benefits. The same applies to hiring managers. They want to know how you’ll make their lives easier, solve problems, save or make them money, alleviate pain, or help them grow the business.
For example, as a career coach, I could list my features: resume and cover letter help, LinkedIn optimization, interview prep, and networking guidance. But that doesn’t tell you why I’m valuable. Instead, I should focus on the benefits, keeping them to seven words or fewer:
- I help people land new, better jobs.
- I help people make more money.
- I help people get better job offers.
See the difference? When you shift from listing tasks to articulating value, you go from being a "nice-to-have" candidate to a "must-have" candidate in your job search.
What's a sign that you're not effectively translating your features into benefits in conversations? If you’re landing interviews but not receiving offers.
If you’re not getting interviews at all, your resume and LinkedIn profile aren’t demonstrating your value clearly.
Unlock Your UVA (Unique Value Add) for Free
BigstockThe problem is you were never taught the right way to market yourself as a job seeker. That’s why I worked with AI specialists to create "Unlock Your UVA," a free interactive tool designed to help you uncover and articulate your workplace strengths.
In under two minutes, this tool analyzes your responses and provides insights into how you create value in the workplace. No more guesswork. No gimmicks. No credit card required.
You can access "Unlock Your UVA" inside my Free Resource Center today.
Remember, there’s nothing wrong with you—you have the talent and skills employers need. You just need to market yourself correctly. Let’s unlock your UVA and transform your job search today!
Good luck! Go get 'em.
