Let’s now see how you can define your personal value proposition in an easy, effective and concise way along with an example:
# 1 Define who your customer segments are
Just as when a company creates a product or a service, it does so for a specific segment of customers, your resume should be oriented to a segment of potential companies that could employ you.
Think about for example mobile phone companies, which offer different packages of services for their customers, or in clothing brands that target a specific audience.
You are more likely to get work targeting a particular sector or group of companies, than targeting any company.
The key is to think of companies as if they were your customers, who will pay you according to what you can do for them:
Solve their problems: for example, legal or tax areas of companies usually deal with problems that may have companies with public administrations, clients or other competitors.
Meeting their needs: professionals who work for example in areas such as accounting and financial reporting, which are necessary for the company to fulfill its obligations.
Fulfilling your wishes: consulting firms often participate in specific projects with different objectives, such as the design of reporting systems adapted to the reality of the company, market studies or competitors, etc.
Make your aspirations a reality: the Marketing department, for example, tries to meet the goals set by the company in terms of selling products or services and meet its expectations of economic growth.
# 2 Do a SWOT Analysis of Yourself
The first thing is to self-evaluate yourself. Being aware of your strengths and weaknesses helps you set goals intelligently.
The SWOT analysis is widely used in the business world to analyze the chances of success of a company in a market. Apply this analysis to determine where you are most likely to succeed if you are looking for work.
Using the SWOT analysis, what you will do is analyze your:
Weaknesses: points that can make other companies prefer candidates before you (experience, training, age, languages, etc).
Threats: what risks you run as a professional when choosing certain jobs (job stability, salary based on results, career possibilities …).
Strengths: those aspects that stand out most from your professional profile, and that are the ones that can help you to get work (experience, training, age, languages, etc).
Opportunities: what opportunities you have as a professional given your profile (such as working in different countries, access to a labor market with little competition, higher salaries, career, etc.).
This analysis helps you determine how to formulate your value proposition in terms of competitive advantage.
# 3 The problem-solution socket
Now that you have focused on those companies where you think you have more options to get a job, and on the other hand you have self-made, it is time to make the problem-solution fit.
Problem-solution matching is how you are going to help the company achieve the objectives of paragraph 1, that is, solve your problems, meet your needs, desires, and aspirations, offering your skills and knowledge.
It is about understanding the problems of the company and presenting you as the solution of them.
This is how you build your personal value proposition adapting it to the reality of the company. This way the company clearly understands the benefits of hiring you. Try to formulate these benefits in terms of income or expenses, since ultimately every company hires you to increase your income or decrease your expenses, either directly or indirectly.
An example of a value proposition
Keep in mind that your value proposition must be consistent throughout the selection process, that is, you must convey the same idea in your CV, in your LinkedIn profile and in your job interviews.
Here is an example of what would be a value proposition in the extract of your Linkedin profile:
Professional in the Online Marketing sector, able to successfully execute each project in which he participates using the minimum financial and human resources.
He has specialized in the following areas:
Web positioning: development of brand positioning strategy in Internet niche markets. The strategy includes the analysis of competitors, the detection of competitive advantages and the differentiation through design, content, and customer relationship.
Content Marketing: content plan to increase the engagement of users with the brand.
SEO: organic positioning in search engines by using keywords.
Marketing on Youtube: positioning and growth of channels on Youtube.
Viral growth of online projects: to achieve accelerated growth in projects with a low budget in environments of high uncertainty.
Outstanding achievements: Creation and positioning of the brand “Hunt your work”. +20,000 users / month within 3 months. Creation of Youtube channel with more than 2,500 subscribers and more than 300,000 reproductions in 6 months. Elaboration of the content plan and creation of the same. The project has been implemented with a high budget and people restriction (one-person company).
Let’s look at each of these paragraphs to see what each of them brings:
The first paragraph works as an advertising slogan: I emphasize my competitive advantage, which is both the benefit that a company would get when hiring me.
The second paragraph delves into every aspect that sets me apart from other professionals and fits with the needs that can have a company that has an online presence.
The third paragraph quantifies my accomplishments and verifies that the skills and abilities I say I possess are true.
Your personal value proposition is not restricted to just a curriculum or your LinkedIn profile, your personal value proposition is what you will use in the interview to convince the interviewer that you are the right candidate.
In short, your proposal of personal value, will help you to better position yourself in the labor market and increase your chances of finding employment.