By Linda Van Valkenburgh, MS, CCMC, CJSS
So here we are at Memorial Day. A time to pay homage to those men and women who
help keep us safe at home and to remember those who have given their lives for
their country. As a military mom, I am acutely aware of the sacrifice that the
members of our military make on a regular basis. My wonderful son, who is an Army Captain stationed in Oklahoma, is one of those very people who is helping to safeguard our nation. I salute all of our military for the incredibly difficult job that
they have undertaken to protect our security at home and abroad.
In my last posting, I shared with you the fact that I have been speaking before
numerous organizations about Value Propositions and promised to give this topic
its own “real estate!”
The value proposition is the “spine” of your career campaign. It is used
throughout to let people know who you are in response to your employment role.
You use your value proposition to answer the question, “Tell me about
yourself.” It sets the tone for meetings and interviews; answers the
company’s need; sets you up as an industry expert; marries you to the position;
and informs people exactly who you are.
Once you craft your dynamic Value Proposition, you will use it when people are
seeking your “compass point;” in your telephone interview; your
face-to-face interview; when you send out approach letters to companies; in
follow up after interviews and meetings; and during other situations as
determined.
Just as resumes are targeted to specific roles –> value propositions are also
targeted to the role! Show the person listening to your value proposition that
you can solve their problem! Show them what you have to offer! What
differentiates you from all others?
You will often hear people call it the “Elevator Pitch,” given its name for the time it takes to travel in an elevator, with a great contact, while answering the question, “So, what do you do?” I prefer to call it your Value Proposition because it is a concise statement of the value that you offer to your future employer. Wouldn’t you want to hire someone who can tell you all of this information in 45 seconds to 2 minutes?
So, how do you create this blockbuster of a statement? When I coach my clients, I
ask them to consider who they are aligned with the role they are seeking; think
about top skills and stories in their work life that validate the skills. Then,
I ask them to confirm their skills by showing proficiencies, awards,
publications or other metrics. And lastly, I ask them to describe the impact of
all of these statements. Once we put all of these components together we trim
them down to a compact presentation so that they feel comfortable with the
words rolling off of their tongues. The result is their value proposition!
Please leave me a comment and let me know if this helped you. As always, I wish you
every success. If I can help you in search or with creating a killer value proposition, please contact me at 203-323-9977 or send me an email at [email protected].