How to Show Your Value During Your Job Search

'Cause baby I put the con in confidence

And what you're offering has no value to me

"Too Much Love" by Little Cub

If beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, isn't value as well? The individual defines value. What you value may not be the same as what others do. That is why it is crucial when showing value to anyone, including a prospective employer, that you understand what is important to them.

When looking for a job (or desiring promotion), it is vital to get to know and understand your audience. Do your research, minimizing guessing what the organization or person values. 

Selling yourself on what you think is of value is a fool's errand. Understanding what others will value and demonstrating it through your actions helps you to forge relationships. When people hire, they are looking for two things: 1) You can do the job well, and 2) You are the type of person they would like to have on the team. Showing what you offer that others value helps you address both.

When looking at your job search, these are four areas where you can show value.

1) LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the go-to professional social media platform. If you are looking for a new position, you will want to be engaged on the platform. Here are some ideas on how to provide value to others that might get their attention.

Thoughtfully Comment on the Posts of Others (Including on Company Pages)

Don't just read a post. Comment as well. Not with a two word, "Nice post" message, though. Make your comments thoughtful. What did you learn? How did it make you feel? Have you had a similar experience? Maybe you disagree. Provide the writer with feedback. They will appreciate knowing how their words impacted you, as will others in the LinkedIn community.

Share Your Knowledge, Inspire Others, or Challenge a Belief

Only 1% of all LinkedIn users share content. That means that it is an excellent opportunity for you to show your value on the platform. Share your stories of successes and failures, both in your professional and personal life. Have you worked on an exciting project or met interesting people? Do you want to give kudos to a colleague? Celebrate an important life event with others? This is a great way to show your value to others.

And do not forget to also respond to comments when others graciously take the time to provide feedback to you.

Let Individuals Know Why You Want to Connect

Writing a note when you want to connect with someone is a courtesy that many people don’t do. You want to make it easy for the other person to readily agree to the connection by showing why the relationship will be beneficial. How can they benefit from your connection? Maybe you have shared experiences such as a school or former employer. Perhaps you are in the same profession and can learn from each other. Maybe you admire their work and have the information you can share that might help. Whatever the reason, make it clear that there is a benefit and don't make the individual guess what that is.

2) Networking

Networking should be a cornerstone of your job search. Unfortunately, many people view it as an exercise in getting people to give you something, either their time or access to people. Those things can happen, but usually only after you give something of value to others.

Effective networkers are those that are givers first. They are always offering something to others to be of service and develop relationships and are not just transactional. 

Be a Connector

Who do you know in your network that would be a good person for someone else to know? Connectors see commonalities between people and make a proactive effort to shepherd people together who can help each other. 

Resource Sharer

There is information everywhere, but many people do not have the time or inclination to find it. That is where you can be of value. Share what you know freely with others. Do you have advice on software for project management? Have you figured out how to do something through trial and error that you know would save people time or money? Be a resource to others in whatever way you can.

Referrals/Job Openings

Do you let your network know about opportunities that might be of interest? Are you going through your network and reaching out to individuals that might be interested in a job at your organization? Even if it turns out a position is not the right fit for the person, you have shown that you are interested in them and their success. 

3) Resume

Those reading your resume will include people you network with, HR personnel, and of course, a hiring manager. What you put on your resume is up to you. Unfortunately, many people believe that writing down their job duties is sufficient. It is not. That shows what you were supposed to do. It tells nothing about your value to your businesses nor the reader.

Your Professional Summary

For all except new graduates, you should start your resume with a professional summary. This is a short, 3-5 line overview of your career. Think big picture. What are you known for, and what knowledge skills or experience do you possess? Don't make the reader guess. Tell them here.

Skills or Competency Section

Here is where you list the skills you possess relevant to the position you have your sights on. Important here is to let the reader know what you explicitly offer. But you can't just say it. You also have to show it. That is where your Experience Section comes in.

Your Experience Section

Here is where you truly show your value. In the other sections, you say your value. Here you can demonstrate it with accomplishments from your work life. Show the results of your work with metrics that provide the reader with an idea of the achievement's magnitude.

If you have a unique skill or talent, here is the place to showcase it.

Education, Certification or Other Professional Development Sections

If appropriate, add these sections to highlight what you have learned and the knowledge you have that may make you unique in the job market.

4) Interviews

Interviews are where you have to be compelling. You are up against others that the employer feels can do the job. Now they want to know which of the candidates will be able to do the best job. You have to convince the employer that you are the person that will provide the most return for their investment.

Research the Employer

Researching the employer helps you to understand what is important to this employer and hiring manager. Since your value to the organization is not what you say it is but what they think it is, you need to understand the organization and what it stands for --- same for the hiring manager. That way, you will know how they will interpret your value. Look at how the company presents itself to the public. What do they put out on social media and their website? What do employees say about the company through comments on Glassdoor? Read the hiring manager's LinkedIn profile. What is in the About section? What has been this person's work experience? What was said in any recommendations? If you can, talk to people that work there or have worked there before. What insight can they give you? With this information, look at your knowledge, skills, and experience and hone in on what part of your story would be of interest to the organization.

Practice Telling Compelling Stories

Everyone likes a good story. Employers want stories that paint a picture of the successes you have had. They are looking at what you did in similar situations, what challenges you faced, and how you overcame them. Just like a comedian practices their routine to tell compelling stories, you need to do this as well. Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, and Result) or SOAR (Situation, Obstacles, Action, and Result) or even CAR (Challenge, Action, Result) to frame your stories. Make sure that you tell a complete story with the result. That result needs to be important to the employer for them to care about it.

If You Can, Show and Not Just Tell

Do you want to wow the interviewer and make you stand apart from the other candidates? Provide work samples that show what you can do. You need to be careful of disclosing confidential information, but if you have project work that can show what you can do for the employer, bring it with you and have it as a take-away. Don't have anything appropriate to share? Then showcase your value in some work that is a demonstration of what you can do. That could be a new logo design by a graphic artist, a digital media plan for a marketing professional, or a customer evaluation of operations for someone looking for a general manager role. 

Conclusion

To show value, you need to understand your audience. Figure out what they value, and in all aspects of your job search, demonstrate this value. Doing so time-and-time again demonstrates your personal brand. When it comes to making a decision about hiring you, they can feel comfortable that you will be the right fit, will perform well, and provide great value in the short and long term to the organization.

You may also enjoy,  What Value Do You Bring to an Employer.

Shelley Piedmont is a job search coach. She wants to help job seekers put their best foot forward by providing the tools for a successful job search. If you need career coaching, resume preparation, interview skills assessment, or LinkedIn profile assistance, she can help. Schedule a 15-minute no-obligation consultation.