Illuminate Your Value to Your (Potential) Employer!
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Have you ever been asked to share your weaknesses during an interview? For some, this question can catch them off guard. Others have been taught to disguise our strengths as a weakness (e.g., “I care too much” or “I work too hard.”) We have probably all done this at one point or another. We try to appear humble and still paint the best picture of ourselves.
While some people seem overconfident in their abilities and can even appear boastful, most people have a hard time recognizing and conveying their unique value. It can be very difficult to portray what sets you apart in a way that doesn’t seem prideful or arrogant. And when applying and interviewing for jobs, the inability to portray your key strengths and value can unfortunately lead to elimination as a potential candidate. It is critical to convey your unique value so that you are recognized as an irreplaceable asset to the company.
The ability to demonstrate your unique value is an art – it takes balance and savviness to effectively communicate your best attributes while also maintaining humility. This is one of the most common comments we receive from clients at The Wilbanks Consulting Group – “I’m not good at expressing my strengths.”
In fact, a recent Vice President approached us with this very question – while he is quite happy in his role, he is not happy with his recent progression in the company. He feels that he isn’t properly demonstrating his significance and thus feels that he has been passed over for more senior opportunities. As part of his coaching, The Wilbanks Consulting Group is helping him define his accomplishments and strengths so that he can demonstrate his worth to his employer. This exercise can take time - we work together to reshape mindsets that have been set in place from childhood. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t seem natural to identify and express your strengths. It is a process, but you will become more confident as you put forth the effort.
Discovering Your Unique Value
What does it even mean to demonstrate your personal value? In a nutshell, you want to make a potential employer recognize that you would be a vital part of the organization and they need you on the team. If you are currently looking for a job, you want to portray yourself as the best candidate for the job. You want to leave the potential employer with a feeling that they cannot move forward without you. When you properly demonstrate your value, you make the interviewer realize that it could be damaging if you join a competitor and not their organization.
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Why is it So Hard to Convey Your Unique Value?
While it might seem awkward to express your personal value, there are actually concrete psychological reasons that individuals have difficulty discussing their strengths. In fact, Psychology Today defines several reasons that make it difficult to recognize and express our strengths. They identify six reasons that make it hard to see your own strengths:
“We don’t see ourselves the way others see us” – we internalize our feelings and/or see things we started but didn’t finish, even though the general population will never know these things. Outsiders see the work product and recognize our strengths, while we question ourselves because of struggles we encountered or doubts we had during the process;
“Our strengths are things that we find easy” – because things come easy to us (and quite possibly are strengths!), we assume everyone finds these tasks to be easy and don’t consider them to be strengths;
“Our strengths are often things we find hard” – when it takes more difficulty to complete a task or we have some struggles, we don’t think we deserve credit for doing these things well. Just because it was more difficult to cross the finish-line does not mean that this is not a strength;
“We think too narrowly about what a strength is” – we don’t consider processes or coping mechanisms we use to help overcome difficult situations as a strength. The ability to persevere and make it through something difficult can be a strength, just as much as the actual act of doing something. Consider the “softer” skills too;
“Our most extreme traits are both strengths and weaknesses” – when we are good at something, we can actually overcompensate to the point it becomes a weakness (e.g., we use the skill too often). This causes us to think of ourselves as inauthentic when we consider it a strength; and
“We often get caught up in social comparisons” - just because we can think of someone else who can/does a skill better than us does not mean we don’t also possess the ability to do it well and consider it a strength.
Thinking through these reasons, it’s a wonder anyone can show their true value. But those that do demonstrate their value are the ones who are successful, sought after, and retained in companies.
How To Identify Your Strengths/Value
Obviously, demonstrating your strengths and your value to an organization is critical to your success and advancement. But how do you effectively do this? Identifying your strengths is an introspective process. You must set aside dedicated time where you can consider the contributions you have made to previous organizations and allow yourself time to analyze past performance. You need to give yourself grace throughout the process, especially if you have never really spent time considering what you are good at doing.
Indeed has provided a short guideline to begin evaluating your strengths:
“Review your job responsibilities” and find at least 2-3 things that you do well on a regular basis.
“Consider your weaknesses,” which will help illuminate areas where you don’t struggle.
“Identify your personality type” to showcase some of your strengths. If you don’t know your personality type, you can take assessments such as Meyers-Briggs. As part of Career Exploration Coaching, the experts at The Wilbanks Consulting Group can walk you through these personality assessments and help you identify how to utilize the results.
“Make a list of strengths,” whether or not you think they are demonstrated in the workplace. This exercise will help you consider all your strengths. Then further categorize these strengths as technical and interpersonal skills. You will quickly see which strengths are unique to the workplace, and even how some of your interpersonal strengths can add value to your career.
Additionally, LiquidPlanner identifies some additional ways to identify your strengths. Two very practical ways include:
Listening to compliments from others - often other people can see our strengths, even when we have blinders to them. Rather than dismissing a compliment in an effort to seem humble, say “thank you” and consider what may have led to the compliment.
Spending time identifying what you love doing, as we often love the things that come naturally to us (or in other words, that we are good at doing!). If you enjoy certain aspects of your work, it is highly likely this is an area where you add value. And perhaps, there are additional opportunities where you can volunteer to capitalize on this strength.
The most important thing when identifying your strengths and personal value is allowing time (and permission, if you struggle with this!) to be introspective. This process will take time. Our personal thoughts can deceive us, and we need to spend time to combat the negative thoughts that try to minimize our positive attributes. We need to be reflective, considering feedback and accolades we have received. We need to consider what came easily to us, and what was more of a struggle. Set aside time with a warm cup of coffee or tea and settle in for a long conversation with yourself.
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You’ve Identified Your Strengths. Now What?
After identifying your strengths, it is important to effectively convey where you add value by utilizing strategies to express your personal strengths. In fact, being deliberate to convey your value is a critical differentiator between you and other job candidates. You should take the opportunity to show what you will bring to the role that other candidates will not. Try utilizing these practical ways to set yourself apart from the competition:
Ensure that all of your career tools (e.g., resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letter, etc.) are sharing your strengths and value. At The Wilbanks Consulting Group we define your value as your Unique Selling Points (USPs) - essentially your strengths that set you apart from the competition. Once defined, all of your job search tools should convey the message. We have experts ready to translate your strengths and USPs into your career search tools, and we would love the opportunity to partner on your career journey.
Weave your USPs into your networking opportunities. Make sure that you have a targeted networking strategy and are effectively conveying your value during your connection points. According to Apollo Technical, “networking is the most successful way of finding a meaningful job and attaining career success. 80% of professionals find networking essential to their career success, almost 100% believe that face-to-face meetings build stronger long-term relationships, and 41% want to network more often.” At The Wilbanks Consulting Group, we find that 74% of new roles are found through personal networks as opposed to cold applications. If you need help with your networking strategy, reach out to The Wilbanks Consulting Group.
Portray confidence when expressing your USPs during job interviews. The Wilbanks Consulting Group gets it - if you don’t have much experience interviewing, it can seem awkward and unnatural. And even if you are an experienced interviewer, the process can still be daunting. At The Wilbanks Consulting Group, we can come alongside you to help craft the perfect message to convey your strengths and personal value. And we will give you opportunities to practice that messaging in a safe environment. Our interview preparation is one of our most popular services for clients - it helps build confidence and gives our clients assurance for both virtual and face-to-face interviews.
Get advice from others about your USPs. While searching for a job, it is important to surround yourself with a supportive network. At The Wilbanks Consulting Group, we have a unique opportunity for clients in which they can participate weekly with other job seekers in a forum specifically designed to provide focus and direction for the job search. During the Competitive Job Seeker Forum, job seekers have the opportunity to continue development with a learning opportunity, and then they participate in goal setting and accountability for their search. Often, the other job seekers share positive attributes about their counterparts. It is a unique experience to gain additional insight and confidence from people who can be empathetic to the process, because they are going through it themselves.
Once you land your dream job, don’t forget that you need to continue to showcase your value to your employer. You want your employer to recognize that the company is a better place because you are there, and it would be a detriment if you left. Try these practical tips to continue to illuminate your value in the workplace.
Demonstrate your knowledge of a subject to identify as the resident Subject Matter Expert (SME). By showing your competence, you will slowly be seen as THE go-to person. And this will naturally elevate your value to the company.
Offer to train others on your competencies. This can be formal training during a staff meeting or a class, or it can be informal training by mentoring a more junior employee. Whether training is formal or not, others will begin to see you as the resident expert and come to you with questions and needs.
Discuss your strengths and value during performance appraisals. Your manager will likely ask “what did you do well this year?” This is your opportunity to shine! Prepare, and don’t shy away from telling your story.
Be positive so that people enjoy being around you. Be seen as a team player and a positive influence on the team; encourage others and ensure they can count on you to do what you have committed to do.
For even more ways to illuminate your value, Neese Personnel has defined “Five Ways to Demonstrate Value to Your Employer.”
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Need Help to Convey Your Unique Value?
The experts at The Wilbanks Consulting Group recognize how hard it is to identify and convey our strengths and individual value. If you struggle with this, recognize that you aren’t alone!
Because so many people have difficulty expressing their strengths and proficiencies, The Wilbanks Consulting Group has a distinct process to help clients identify their Unique Selling Points (USPs) and then properly express them in their Resume, Cover Letter, LinkedIn Profile, and during Interviews. This is also a critical piece explored when defining your Job Search Strategy.
We also work with individuals who aren’t interested in leaving their current employer but want to propel their career forward through advancement and leadership progression. If this description fits you, perhaps some ad hoc coaching would be a better fit to help you demonstrate your value in the workplace.
Wherever you are in your career search, a consultant at The Wilbanks Consulting Group would love the opportunity to partner with you to identify and effectively express your USPs. To learn more, schedule a free 30-minute consultation today!