Make your job application into a value proposition

Employers are not so interested in how good you are; they want to know how you can help them.

They don’t want a résumé extolling your virtues; they want evidence that you can - and want to - meet their needs.

You should write your application, résumé and cover letter, as a value proposition. A value proposition is a ‘promise of value to be delivered’, a statement which demonstrates how you intend to meet the employer’s specific needs and summarizes why an employer should choose your services.

It’s a credible account of how you can meet their specific needs which will do most to grab their interest and get you shortlisted for an interview.

But it’s not just the résumé and cover letter which need to proclaim your value proposition; it’s the whole application process from first research to starting in the new job. Here are seven steps to making your application into a value proposition which will really grab the employer’s interest.

1 research – online

You cannot offer solutions to an organization’s needs if you don’t know exactly what those needs are. If the position has been advertised, read the position description carefully to get a good picture of the role and how it fits into the organization. If the position has not been advertised, look at the advertisements or position descriptions for similar roles in comparable organizations.

To build a picture of how you envisage it would be to work in this sort of role in the organization you are targeting, study its website, its annual report and press releases. Examine its social media presence, its LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram pages.

As you do this, identify people’s names. Look them up on LinkedIn and discover if you have any contacts in common so that you can connect with them. Find them and follow them on Twitter and, when you feel confident to do so, comment on their tweets and so demonstrating your understanding of the organization’s needs and implying your ability to help meet those needs. This will also help you to start planning how you might tackle the work which in turn will help you convey your value proposition.

2 in person research

Online research will provide a good picture of what those needs are but to get the real, insider information, you need to talk to the insiders and the people you have identified through your online research are often the best way to start.

Connecting on LinkedIn and following on Twitter are good ways to start building a rapport with these ‘insiders’. Through connecting and commenting on posts or tweets, you start to get your name known and your expertise.

When you feel it’s the right time to do so, start an email conversation on the technical aspects of the position. Ask questions to confirm or correct your visualization of what needs to be done to meet the need. As your understanding grows, you will be able to further develop your planning of how you would like to meet those needs. As you demonstrate your understanding through discussing your developing plan with your contacts, you are proclaiming your value proposition.

3 demonstrating that you have the necessary skills

One tool which you will definitely need to convey your value proposition is the ability to effectively describe your skills and experience in interesting and convincing ways. Two important ways to do this are the elevator pitch when you want to grab the interest of someone you are just meeting for the first time and the achievement (or accomplishment) statement which are so effective in written applications and in answers to interview questions.

When meeting someone new, the best way to convince them that you are worth listening to is to introduce yourself with a persuasive and accomplishment-packed elevator pitch. ‘Accomplishment-packed’ means including evidence of something you have achieved.

Let’s take this example from someone seeking a role in sports administration. It focusses specifically on what the person has done that is relevant to the role being sought.

“I have been actively involved in sports administration through Little Athletics on a voluntary basis for the past 5 years – and I have really enjoyed it.

“For the past three years I have taken on responsibility for public relations and promotion and, I’m pleased to say, we now have more than 600 young people attending.” *[i]

In just 55 words, the candidate conveys motivation, energy and initiative – very attractive traits indicating someone well worth talking to. And having grabbed the listener’s interest, it’s a great time to follow up with a Call to Action (CTA). “I would love to help you increase membership of the tennis club. Could we meet to discuss how this might be done?”

And now that you’ve started talking, the best way to convince people of the authenticity of your value proposition is to support your claims by using achievement statements (also known as accomplishment statements). Instead of saying “I’m very good at that”, demonstrate it by telling a brief story about something you have accomplished. It doesn’t have to be world-shattering, just something you are proud of and which demonstrates that you have the qualities required to meet their needs.

Penny Marshall (fictitious person) applying for an assistant manager position in a retail gift shop writes:

“Increased gift shop revenue by 17% over the three years I was Manager and Acting Manager at the Watermill. Because almost 80% was due to passing trade, this was achieved largely through developing team spirit, emphasizing and coaching in customer service and improving visual merchandising.” [ii]

Achievement statements are what make your written application and the answers you give in the interview such persuasive power. They are what powers your value proposition.

4 cover letter

A few years ago, a cover letter was almost thought of as an optional extra to a job application. Now many employers state that they won’t consider applications without one. Cover letters are essential.

In their ‘Job Seeker Toolkit’, Randstad defines the cover letter as “a summary of why you are right for the job” and I think that’s a pretty good definition. Being less structured than a résumé, a cover letter provides a great vehicle for conveying your value proposition.

Your evolving plan of how to approach their needs will clarify your understanding of the job and enable you to clearly demonstrate how you are the right person.

Richard Parker (again a fictitious person) is angling for a sales and marketing position with a building company (also fictitious). Here is an excerpt from his cover letter.

“Bow River already has an excellent name in the residential housing market in Calgary. This I believe is largely due to your insistence that all your workforce demonstrate customer focus at all times. This is the way I work too.?

“As Sales and Marketing Manager for Over-the-Top Roofing Supplies in Williams Lake, I became quickly aware that local builders would prefer prefabricated roof trusses because of the cost and time benefit and also the consistent quality. The two established roofing supply companies focused solely on sales of gutters, tiles, shingles and sheet metal. I presented a business plan to management, the proposal was adopted and manufacturing premises obtained. I impressed on the new team employed to construct the trusses the importance of making products which would more than satisfy our clients. As a result, the start-up business grew rapidly to gain greater market share than either of the two already established businesses.” [iii]

For more on how to convey your value proposition in your cover letter, click here.

5 résumé

Your résumé is more formal but it is still an integral part of your value proposition. In addition to providing structured and credible testimony to substantiate the claims made in the cover letter, the résumé itself needs to show how you want to benefit the organization.

Everything in the résumé should help the employer envisage you in the job, as a member of their team. It is a résumé, a brief rationale of why you are right for that specific job; it’s not a CV or curriculum vitae which, in Latin, means the story of your life.

Let’s see how Tracey Desjardins (another fictitious person) started her résumé for the position of IT Project Manager for a growing pharmacy chain.

“Energetic, business-driven IT professional holding B Com in Digital Business Management with substantial project management experience. Used both waterfall and agile methodology to design and implement infrastructure projects and application hardening resulting in significant improvements in capacity, reliability and security. Consult fully and collaborate with all departments to ensure that the system best meets their needs.

“PMP, CAPM, CSM, Agile and Oracle certified; use Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN) to plan projects in collaboration with management and United Modelling Language (UML) to draw up specifications.” [iv]

In this brief introductory profile, she outlines all her skills and experience in IT project management and demonstrates that she is ready and able to develop the IT infrastructure the growing pharmacy chain requires. This is the value that the employers are looking for.

6 interview

There is no part of the application process where it is more important to convey your value proposition than the interview. This is largely where the hiring decision will be made. This is where your attitude is on display, your confidence that you can meet their needs and resolve their problem and your strong desire to do so. They are looking for a confident, cheery, can-do attitude.

You need to fully understand the organization’s needs and know how you would like to meet those needs. This is where the thoroughness of your research, including your contact with people within the organization for information interviews, will be on display.

Go into the interview having already prepared a plan for how you would like to meet their needs and use this as a basis for discussion. Take an aspect of your plan and ask if this is the sort of approach they are considering; show them that you have thought about their needs and you’re keen to get started.

7 walking the talk in the new job

The proof of the pudding they say is in the eating. And a worrying statistic is that approximately 50% of new hires fail within 18 months. You need to keep projecting your value proposition as you start in the new job.

Set your objectives, create timelines and focus on meeting the organization’s needs as efficiently and effectively as possible. At the same time, engage others in the project, keep them informed, ask their advice, collaborate with them and seek their collaboration too. Make yourself a member of the team and you’ll be on the road to success.

The wrap up

There may be lots of accomplishments that you are proud of but, unless they demonstrate how you could meet their needs, employers will not be impressed by them. They are focussed simply on what you can do for them.

Therefore, throughout the whole application process, it’s the clarity of your value proposition which will bring you success. This clarity will come from the thoroughness of your research, discussions you have had through information interviews and the plan you have been developing.

The plan will shape your value proposition and make it central to every communication you have with the organization, whether information interviews, written application, interviews and the all-important first few weeks in the job. Your value proposition is central to your success.

[i] How to Get a Good Job After 50 – 2nd edition, p 93

[ii] P 274

[iii] P 286

[iv] P 293