You're in a competitive job market. How can you stand out from the crowd? Whether you're looking for a new job, a promotion, or a career change, you need to showcase your value and differentiate yourself from the competition. Here are some tips on how to do that in the context of business strategy, with a focus on resilience and adaptability.
What makes you different and better than other candidates? What skills, experiences, and achievements do you have that are relevant and valuable to your target employer or industry? Your unique selling proposition (USP) is your personal brand statement that summarizes your strengths and benefits. It should be clear, concise, and compelling. Use it to craft your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, and elevator pitch.
Some points to consider that may not be obvious: - what makes you unique may not only be your set of professional experiences, it can and likely does include personal experiences and knowledge. - your USP is not static, meaning that you may have a select subset of professional and personal experiences which you highlight to one company (and makes you stand out in their space) and a different subset of your professional and personal experiences that are you USP for a second company. Don't assume your USP is the same for everyone. For example, as a personal interest, I hold a 100-Ton USCG Master Captain's license. That may not mean anything to one company but it may very much help differentiate me to a maritime related technology company.
Presenting yourself authentically and passionately is essential to standing out. Showcase your unique strengths, let your light shine brightly, and with perseverance you will flourish in your chosen path.
If you don't know how to identify your Unique Selling Proposition (USP), others will certainly try to come up with their own interpretations. Do not allow others to doubt your competence.
I'm telling you a golden secret that most people won't. "Resume comes first, Skills come later" You can spend years in mastering skills, doing graduation and various online courses but it won't matter if your resume isn't ATS friendly. So focus on that first and then showcase your skills along with your success rate in each of them. For example: Bad way of writing your work ex: Completed a research involving various corporate clients Good way of writing your work ex: Successfully collected and analyzed responses from 200+ businesses including 100 Fortune 500 companies, and 100+ startups on customer satisfaction survey. So focus on your resume, and write your skills and work ex properly.
La discrétion, le réseau, l'écoute et l'intelligence situationnelle sont des piliers centraux à nos nombreux succès... Dans notre approche les softskills sont mieux valorisées que les dipl?mes !
Employers want to hire people who can think strategically, not just execute tasks. Strategic thinking is the ability to analyze situations, identify opportunities, and create solutions that align with the organization's vision and goals. To show your strategic thinking, you need to provide examples of how you have applied it in your previous or current roles. Use the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) to describe the context, challenge, action, and outcome of your strategic projects or initiatives.
More than show knowledge on strategic tools, which have a bunch of them, it is important to demonstrate a wide vision from a situation, indicating insightful thoughts, actions for long term and connecting this strategy with a data-driven behavior.
Covey taught me a priceless principle that would forever change my outlook on the nature of education and experience. He said, “Richie, experience is overrated. Some people say they have twenty years’ experience, when, in reality, they only have one year’s experience, repeated twenty times.” That statement blew my mind and opened windows of opportunity all around me. In an instant, I felt free from the self-inflicted mental bondage I had created for myself about my age and my feelings of experience-based inadequacy.
Situation: The sales team struggles with new product launches and customer retention. Task: Improve sales performance, focus on successful product launches & enhanced customer loyalty. Action: Conduct a comprehensive sales process analysis, implement targeted team training, introduce a CRM system for better customer engagement, and collaborate with marketing and product development for strategic alignment. Result: I anticipate a significant increase in sales performance within the first quarter, including higher new product launch success and improved customer retention rates. This approach aims to not only boost immediate sales but also establish a resilient sales framework, driving sustained growth and market leadership.
I have used the STAR method, but I think a more natural way of storytelling is the CAR method - Challenge, Action, Results. I find that this method helps me create more concise, simplified stories that are easier to modify to your audience. Perhaps both the STAR and CAR method take you to the same place, so it might be a matter of choosing the one you feel most comfortable with and sticking to it in all your interactions.
Indeed, applying STAR model is basic to prove it! But also apply strategic thinking to the interview itself. Did you read about the business? Did you strategically think about what your contributions could be? Did you strategically position yourself in the candidate pool? Go beyond the STAR model, which is a must.
The business world is constantly changing and evolving, and you need to show that you can adapt and learn from new situations and challenges. Employers value people who are resilient, flexible, and curious. To show your adaptability, you need to highlight how you have handled change, uncertainty, and ambiguity in your work environment. How did you cope with stress, overcome obstacles, and solve problems? To show your learning ability, you need to showcase how you have acquired new skills, knowledge, or perspectives that helped you improve your performance or achieve your goals.
Adaptability: Cultivate a mindset that welcomes change as an opportunity for growth. Continuous Learning: Commit to ongoing education and skill development to stay relevant in a dynamic work environment. Open-Mindedness: Be open to new ideas and perspectives, fostering a culture of innovation. Resilience: Approach challenges as learning opportunities, building resilience to navigate uncertainties. Networking: Connect with professionals in diverse fields to broaden your knowledge and adaptability. Feedback: Seek and embrace constructive feedback to fuel personal and professional development. Proactive Approach: Take initiative in exploring new technologies and methodologies to stay ahead in your field.
Be aware of the reality around you and make it a point to change as per the market demands. Keeping yourself Continuously updated with knowledge and learning new upcoming skills will ensure you sustain in this dynamic business world. Remember as per Brian Tracy 'Continous Learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field'!
In my experience, showing resiliency, flexibility and curiosity can be done with the STAR or CAR method. What is important is that at the end of the story it's very clear what you learned and how you integrated it into your professional life. Basically, we should demonstrate a "continuous improvement" mentality.
Impossible to choose capacity to learn if you are not ready to admit you don't know everything; the stage of competence. Harari says the scientist revolution was actually a revolution of ignorance. Until humankind was not ready to admit we did not know it all, we were not able to evolve. Bear this in mind if you want to show your capacity to learn.
Ver?nderungen und Unsicherheiten im Arbeitsumfeld sind unvermeidlich. Indem Sie zeigen, dass Sie in der Lage sind, mit Stress umzugehen, Hindernisse zu überwinden und Probleme kreativ zu l?sen, demonstrieren Sie Ihre Belastbarkeit und Flexibilit?t. Es geht darum, eine Haltung der Neugier und des Engagements zu kultivieren, die es Ihnen erm?glicht, aus jeder Ver?nderung zu lernen und zu wachsen. Ebenso wichtig ist es, Ihre Lernbereitschaft zu demonstrieren. In einer Welt, in der neue Technologien und Methoden kontinuierlich entstehen, ist die F?higkeit, neue F?higkeiten und Kenntnisse zu erwerben, entscheidend. Zeigen Sie, wie Sie aktiv durch formale Bildung, Selbststudium oder praktische Erfahrungen lernen.
Networking is not just about exchanging business cards or sending connection requests. It's about building meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships with people who can help you advance your career. Networking can help you access hidden opportunities, gain insights, and get referrals. To build your network, you need to be proactive, strategic, and genuine. Identify who you want to connect with, reach out with a personalized message, offer value, and follow up. To build your reputation, you need to be consistent, reliable, and professional. Deliver quality work, meet deadlines, communicate effectively, and seek feedback.
At one point when I was in between jobs, I would send 60 CV's out via LinkedIn, Careerbuilder, Indeed, or directly through company websites and would only get 1 interview. A 60:1 ratio is incredibly frustrating. And what I later found was every solid opportunity presented to me came through my network. So your reputation matters when it comes to getting a new job, so how you've treated people in the past and what they know you to be an expert for is what matters most.
Partner | West Africa Economic Advisory Leader | Financial Advisory at Deloitte
Reputation precedes an individual. A strong positive reputation and personal brand is a testament to the quality of the person and track record. Be known as a dependable, reliable, result-oriented professional. This will certainly distinguish you from a crowded job market. Your network is related to your net-worth. For senior executive positions, your network is very important and a major part of the package your employer is willing to pay for. Therefore, ability to demonstrate a strong credible network which will be utilized in the delivery of your duties, by itself, is a unique selling point.
Networking should happen whether you are in a career transition or not. I make a concerted effort to be active on LinkedIn and also to return recruiter phone calls and assist those in transition as much as possible. Not only is it the right thing to do but it pays dividends to you when roles are reversed.
A note on reputation - to build your reputation you need to be consistent, reliable and professional AND you also need to be aligned to you USP. Every action, every activity, every piece of content should help you towards supporting you USP, to building the value of your personal brand.
Networking is something to be built throughout your career and your reputation will help in this construction, mostly by engaging with other people from your niche, sharing knowledge and supporting others with your expertise
Finally, don't forget to show your personality and passion. Employers want to hire people who fit their culture and share their values. Personality and passion can make you stand out from the crowd and demonstrate your enthusiasm and motivation. To showcase your personality, you need to be authentic, confident, and positive. Express your opinions, show your sense of humor, and be respectful. To showcase your passion, you need to be curious, proactive, and engaged. Ask questions, share ideas, and show interest.
Showcasing your personality and passion involves: 1. **Authenticity**: Be genuine in your interactions, letting your true self come through. 2. **Enthusiasm**: Convey your excitement for your work and the value you can bring. 3. **Confidence**: Speak and act confidently about your abilities and aspirations. 4. **Positivity**: Maintain a positive outlook, which can be infectious and appealing to employers. 5. **Opinion Sharing**: Share your thoughts and standpoints respectfully, showing you’re engaged and thoughtful. 6. **Humor**: Where appropriate, use humor to show your approachability and to make connections.
What matters the most to anyone who's working with you is how passionate you are when it comes to work. Everyone seeks results. So if you are passionate about something, don't hide it.
One thing I’ve found helpful is to share past experiences respectfully and honestly. It shows how I love what I do and allowed me to relate my passion with real life experience.
1. Over communication and follow up with decision makers throughout the interview process 2. Demonstrated competency in your previous roles 3. Asking good questions and then demonstrating that your listening by shutting up and then asking good follow up questions
Der Schlüssel ist auch hier: Authentisch sein! Bring your whole self to work! Natürlich situationsbezogen abgewogen aber ich muss nicht spielen, dass ich einen Top Tag habe, wenn mein Kind die ganze Nacht krank wach lag und mein Mann und ich ebenso. Ich darf menschlich sein. Verletzlich. Fehler machen. Lernen und meine Meinung ?ndern. Wenn wir das vorleben, schaffen wir insbesondere als Leads eine Kultur die dies auch für unsere Mitarbeitenden erm?glicht.
In many of these steps, but specially for networking, you need to leverage the power of Artificial Intelligence. For example, you can use AI tools to better understand your target company or industry, to quickly obtain the lingo of the industry, to identify the SMEs, etc. With this knowledge and with your USP, you can then leverage AI to (for example) identify relevant articles or courses that can help you improve your credibility.
Call them up, to proactively push for the next stage, rock up early, dress accordingly, send follow up thank you email, and if you genuinely want the role, show them that, by your attitude and actions.
Every business needs to answer the question: "Why us vs the alternatives?" Any of us are no different. Think in terms of outcomes. How are your clients or employers better once they've worked with you? That's where you can start and should be the basis for a compelling point of differentiation because you are unique in combining your skills and experiences. It is your job to combine those with the outcomes to paint a clear picture for your potential bosses and customers.
Take the time to understand the mission and values of the company before you apply/interview/network Speaking with someone and already knowing the principles they live every day really helps the conversation feel more natural Researching company mission/values shows that you’re willing to take the extra step and regularly doing more than the average person
Adam Smith, in his work entitled Theory of Moral Sentiments, wrote, “The sentiment which most immediately and directly prompts us to reward, is gratitude.” Thanking is a form of payment that exponentially pays forward both personally and professionally. People are far more likely to collaborate with, hire, or refer a grateful person than an ungrateful one. Additionally, experts on positive psychology have shown that the trait of gratitude actually increases overall happiness and decreases depression. In order to build genuine relationships, experience greater fulfillment, and set yourself up for significant and meaningful success, always express sincere gratitude, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant the contribution may be.