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– Abigail Baker is a writer for Faxage, the value leader in the internet fax service space.

 

Everyone who works for a living is conscious of what general value they bring to the table. It
happens naturally, and our work ethic begins from the moment we decide to set our alarms to
wake up on time. More often than not, we follow up on that intention and arrange our lives so
that we can be present in our workspaces both mentally and physically–at that point, the real
work begins.
Ultimately, the value that we add to our daily jobs becomes habitual, and when we look for new
professional opportunities, we often forget to make a conscious effort to communicate our
skillset as a much-needed asset to potential employers. It’s essential to realize that no matter
how good your resume is, demonstrating the value that you bring to any position is necessary.
Including a stellar representation of your professional merit can make or break opportunities,
and these three main focus areas will help you stand out from the crowd.

American RecruitersLeverage Your Strengths
A great best practice to adhere to even if you aren’t actively seeking a new position is to keep a
work journal or any type of working document that outlines the goals that you personally want to
achieve in your place of work, and log any areas that you feel you’ve changed and impacted.
Keeping a record of your professional experiences can be helpful in gauging progress in a new
position.
It’s also a fantastic resource for when you are seeking a new job because we often forget the
work we’ve done when we look to transition to a different company. Writing down your strengths
and specific scenarios where you’ve successfully demonstrated particular skill traits will help you
bring a rich set of information to interviews and networking opportunities that leave a lasting
impression.
It can be difficult to identify the strengths that separate you from your competition really
are, especially when these are behaviors that you exhibit every day. It’s important to understand
that strengths that may come easily to you are not standard for every employee, and even
though it might feel like you are glorifying an average skill, finding employees with skills such as
attention to detail, organization, and high learning agility is difficult for employers. A few traits to
consider during your self-assessment are:
● Learning agility
● Time management
● Teamwork
● Customer or client focus
● Problem-solving skills
● Communication
● Technical competency
● Flexibility
● Integrity
● Lifelong learning
● Work ethic
● Timeliness
● Anticipation of needs

Demonstrate High Standards of Excellence
It’s easy to verbally express well-known traits of excellence, but what will set you apart from
your competition is developing your own personal definition and being able to describe specific
instances of how you upheld this standard despite obstacles and conflict. Connecting the
concept of excellence (versus perfectionism) to your own set of core values will give
interviewers more insight into who you are and how you work.

Communicating your dedication to excellence should include an overview of not only your
strengths but also how you troubleshoot problems, deal with adversity, manage conflict/change,
and absorb new information.

Excellence can be viewed as the fuel to your skillset. Your skills are the “what” of your
professional persona, and excellence is how you will leverage your skills to achieve an end
result. When talking about standards of excellence, it’s critical to take a deeper dive into your
methods, processes, tactics, tools, and how you measure success.

Researching the company that you are interviewing with to see what their standards of
professional practices are or their mission, vision, and core values will help you to create
alignment and a shared narrative that will resonate with them.

Show (Don’t Tell) Your Potential Employer Why You Are an Asset
Stories will be the most powerful tool in your resource kit when it comes to demonstrating your
value and will send home the message as to why you’re an asset to potential employers. When
you are telling stories about your work, make sure to be strategic and succinct.

Explain what the problem was that you were facing, your role/responsibility, and explain the
solution and present impact of your influence. Demonstrating your value effectively should never
include saying anything damaging about previous employers or coworkers. Staying focused on
your stories and experiences is vital.

Skills are one part of selling a potential employer on your value. The other part is your physical
and digital branding. Whether doing a virtual or in-person interview, it’s critical that you have a
polished look and use professional language. When doing a virtual interview, be sure to speak
to potential employers in a quiet place with no background noise.

Your digital brand is also a great way to demonstrate value and add assets such as
whitepapers, articles, certifications, case studies, and any other artifacts that show how you go
the extra mile. Your complete professional package will get you your dream job, and
demonstrating your value should be an active endeavor that is weaved through every part of
your interview process and digital brand.

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