It’s NOT About You

Posted under Career Management, Letters, Resumes on April 8th, 2007

Your job search is not about you. From an employer’s perspective, it is not about what you need, what you want, or what you expect.

It is totally about the value you offer him. What you can do for the company that goes right to the bottom line. How you can solve their pain, improve workflow processes, increase profitability and/or productivity, or otherwise make things better.

When you recognize your unique contribution (brand) and understand how to effectively articulate it, you will begin to compete on a playing field that has little competition. That is because,

––Your resume is value–driven rather than responsibility–driven.
––Your cover letter is clear about what you can do for the company rather than about what you want.
––You have built and constantly nurture a solid network by giving as well as receiving.
––You can “walk the talk” by backing up your experience with C–A–R (challenge–action–result) stories that speak directly to your value.

There are few job search candidates who take the time to do all four well. Those who do, have a distinct advantage over the competition.

Posted by Cindy Kraft

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One Response to “It’s NOT About You”

  1. Karen Katz on 12 Apr 2007 at 11:23 pm #

    At the risk of sounding evangelical, I have to add a resounding “Amen, sister” to Cindy Kraft’s post about the importance of demonstrating your value to an organization. In your written communication, be vigilent about removing the pronoun, “I.” Consider WIIFTh - What’s in it for them. Amen, sister…

    Karen Katz

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