Developing Your Personal Value Proposition
Posted December 5th, 2011
If you are job hunting, you obviously want to set yourself apart from all of the other job hunters out there, to show how unique you are.
According to business consultant Bill Barnett, an effective way of doing this is to establish what he calls a “personal value proposition.” It is similar to value propositions for a product, Barnett says, that is, the benefits a product provides and its cost.
For example, one job seeking manager set his target market for companies that are operations-based, firms that can benefit the most from making improvements in their performance. This person targets companies that are in trouble, businesses that need to have new things built, new management practices put in place. He isn’t a turnaround specialist, or someone who comes in with a cutting knife. But he also isn’t interested in taking the helm of a smoothly running operation and just maintaining the status quo.
He looks for private companies with sales between $150 million and $1 billion. He is not interested in start-ups or huge conglomerates. This person also looks for the right environment. Companies which for him pose an ethical dilemma – such as alcohol, tobacco, and gambling enterprises – are also not on his list of preferred employers.
It may sound like he is unnecessarily limiting his options. But he is recruited regularly by companies who are aware of his strengths and his preferences. He doesn’t get calls from the companies that don’t fit his preferred employer profile, but he does get calls for jobs that fit his personal value proposition.
To develop a personal value proposition, you need to set clear parameters of the kind of place where you would like to work — a place that needs what you have to offer. You naturally want to take your career in a certain direction, so clearly defining what that direction is – as in the example above – will enable you to be more effective at your work.
But the real bedrock of your personal value proposition is establishing what your strengths and weaknesses are – what you know and what you can do. You need to be very clear about these.
The last step in developing your personal value proposition is connecting your strengths to your ideal job, showing an employer how your strengths fit with what the company needs. There should be a clear, firm connection. One way to help make this connection is to give evidence of your value by your accomplishments through reports and other measurable achievements.
If you’re looking to bring value to a company in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Bayside Solutions today. We can help you find work in some of San Francisco’s best firms. We look forward to hearing from you.
