I was reading Ken Kaufman’s CFO blog recently, intrigued by his predictions (trends for entrepreneurs) for 2011. I like to read what financial people think because they have interesting perspectives.
His 11th point is this:
11. Hiring will focus on value-add, regardless of position or responsibility: Most studies and surveys say that hiring will be stagnant among entrepreneurial companies in 2011. But those who do hire will focus on the value each new employee and position will bring to the company. They will … only hire when an employee is the only way to advance towards their goals and objectives.
I think this may be true in non-entrepreneurial businesses also.
So the question is: how do you position yourself so your value-add you can bring to a company and a position?
Too many times a job seeker talks about their past, assuming the interviewer can deduce the conclusion.
They give a list of accomplishments with great pride. (They forget to tell you how they can do that for your company)
Do you know why a company should hire you? Can you articulate that?
Here’s an exercise to get you started: imagine you are in an interview and answer the question:
What can you do for our company as we work towards our objective of _______? (insert a goal there – possibly growth, profit, revenue, cost savings, etc.)
Start your response with:
I can help your company ____ by ____.
For example:
I can help your company get $1M in new revenue by developing a sales system with your existing resources.
… or something like that.
For 2011, define HOW you bring value to a company, or a project. Thinking this way might be one of the greatest things you do for your career.
