How to Showcase Your Value to a Potential Employer
Before you start writing your job performance, determine what “success” means in your previous roles. If you worked in sales, success may be measured by the number of clients you have. If you are a teacher, success may be measured by students’ grades and test results. Make sure you know what success looks like in every job you have held.
Prepare a list of the ways you achieved success. Once you have identified “success” in your past jobs, create a list of the times you exceeded expectations to achieve that success. For example, you might mention a month when you gained a significant number of new clients or a time when your students’ test scores improved dramatically over the year.
Determine the value of that success. Once you have a list of your achievements and successes, think about how to quantify that success. Numbers help hiring managers see exactly how you added value to the company. These figures do not have to be related solely to profitability; they might also refer to time saved, costs reduced, or process improvements. For instance, if you were an administrative assistant, you could explain that you converted your office to an electronic system that saves the company about $1,000 annually in paper supplies.
Prepare a list of awards you have received. Mention any awards or other forms of recognition you have received at work to show that employers recognize your importance to the company.
Use value-related words. Use active verbs and other words in your resume and cover letter that help demonstrate how you added value while working at previous companies. Some words you can use include: achieved / nominated / won, created, reduced / increased, developed, established, improved, launched, revenue / profits, saved, under budget.
When and How to Mention Your Value
Highlight your achievements in your resume. In the work history section of your resume, do not simply list your duties in each previous job. Instead, include examples of how you added value to each company. You can use bullet points to showcase your accomplishments in each role.
You can highlight a few key examples of adding value in your resume summary, if you have one. For example, an editor might write a resume summary that says: “Freelance editor with 10 years of experience reviewing articles, papers, and books. Edits an average of 200 pages per week for a variety of award-winning authors and magazines.” This summary measures the editor’s success in terms of their ability to handle a large volume of pages and a variety of clients. It also highlights their experience with quality writing.
Share a story in your cover letter. In your cover letter, highlight two or three skills that demonstrate how you fit the job. For each skill, mention a time you used it to achieve success for your company.
For example, you might say that you are a teacher with strong classroom management skills. You could specify that you manage classes of up to 35 students and have won three teaching awards for your effective classroom management.
Examples of How to Show You Added Value
Use these examples as inspiration when writing your resume and cover letter, and when preparing for the interview.
Work history section of a resume:
Work History
Senior Events Coordinator, ABC Events, Boston, Massachusetts 2017-Present
– Planned and executed over 125 events, including tactical meetings, fundraising, and workshops for groups of up to 300 participants.
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Managed event budgets of up to $50,000, completing events on budget 100% of the time.
– Received an average of 4.81 out of 5 stars from clients.
Assistant Wedding Planner, Claire Smith Weddings, Hartford, Connecticut 2015-2017
– Assisted in planning and executing over 25 weddings with receptions of up to 250 guests.
– Responsible for managing relationships with over 20 vendors in the Greater New England area.
– Managed budgets of up to $100,000.
– Promoted from Assistant to Assistant Coordinator due to excellent budgeting and organizational skills.
Paragraph from cover letter:
You state in the job description that you want a server with extensive experience in a fast-paced environment. I am very comfortable and familiar with working in large, busy restaurants. I was a host at ABC Restaurant for three years, seating an average of 300 tables a day. When I moved to a runner and then a server at XYZ Bar and Taproom, I serviced 200-400 customers on weekend nights. I once received the “Employee of the Month” award for my ability to handle the pressures of a busy work environment.
Ideal response to an interview question:
I have a lot of experience working in startup environments like yours. I enjoy the opportunity to be innovative and creative, which is what startups provide. You mentioned in the job listing that you want an innovative thinker who can use creativity to increase efficiency. That’s the kind of work I love to do. For example, in my previous role as Operations Manager, employees were often late to meetings. I realized the solution was to create a more efficient scheduling system for meetings. I transformed our office into a new scheduling system that reduced missed meetings and room assignment errors by 20%. I also provided three training sessions on the new system so there would be no mistakes from users, even in the first week of using the system.
Source: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/how-to-show-an-employer-you-have-added-value-at-work-4588193
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