Job search is a hot topic right now, and I received a number of notes from individuals who read my Irreverent Opinions of a Resume Hobbyist post the other day, asking for input about how to craft a Personal/Professional Value Proposition to support their job-hunting activities.  In essence, people want to know how to stand out in a crowd. A well-developed Professional Value Proposition is an essential tool for differentiating yourself from the herd, the pack and the flock!

I said in the post that I view this as the hardest task in developing an effective resume and self-marketing strategy.  This is where you will  spend the most time creating content and agonizing over wording. Many people struggle to effectively articulate how they have created value in the past and how they will do it again in the future.  You need to get this right!

After receiving the inquiries, I spent some time thinking about how to help by offering some guidelines and suggestions for navigating the slippery slope of defining your own Professional Value Proposition.

A quick health warning.  I’m neither a resume writing pro or career coach, although a lifetime of hiring, developing and leading professionals along with many years leading marketing and strategy initiatives at least give me a license to fly here.  Part of Management Excellence includes effective career development, so I don’t feel like I’m too far afield with this important topic.

Please feel free to add in your thoughts and comments below or use the “Suggest a Topic” box in the far right column of this blog.

What is a Professional Value Proposition?

Don’t let the fancy strategy and marketing words get in the way of a straightforward concept.  Your Professional Value Proposition (PVP) is simply a central message that that describes how you as an individual uniquely create value for your customers, companies, co-workers and stakeholders.

When do I reference my Professional Value Proposition?

In short, all of the time.  Your PVP is the core message that needs to come through in your marketing materials—your resume, cover letter and other supporting materials.  It also defines the core message that you will reference and support during interview processes.

OK, I still don’t get the Value Proposition part.  What is it?

In strategy terms, a simple explanation of the concept of “Value Proposition,” is: Why people buy.  Firms and hiring managers will buy you because you very uniquely solve complex problems for customers and stakeholders.  Of course, the devil is in the details of describing why you are unique and providing evidence to substantiate your claim.

Another way to relate to your PVP is as your personal elevator pitch.  If given the chance to pitch yourself for a job during a ride from the lobby to the 14th floor, how would you effectively communicate why the hiring manager should consider you.

Last and not least, your PVP is not a single sentence statement, but rather a concise message map with a core message at the center and supporting messages and evidence hanging off of that core message.

How do I Develop my PVP?  Questions about you.

I’ll offer a series of questions for you as thought prompters.  By thinking through and answering the questions, you will have the materials needed to finalize your PVP.

What is it that you do that creates value for your organization?

For example:

As a leader, I am uniquely gifted at identifying and developing talented professionals and teams that fuel growth and create positive change in organizations.

I connect strategies to execution and guide teams to innovate, experiment, learn and adapt tactics and strategies to better solve client problems.

As a sales manager, I create operationally excellent and innovative sales teams that work relentlessly on developing high quality business by solving specific client problems.

What evidence supports your value-create statements?

This is the part where you need to clearly and succinctly substantiate with numbers and examples.  Include answers to what you did that drove results, how you did it and how you impacted your team and organization.

PVPs Can’t Just Focus on History…You Need to Look Forward

While your past experiences define where you have come from and what you’ve accomplished, the hiring manager is looking at today and the near future at that need solving.  A good PVP will incorporate both the historical examples and data points and then offer a forward-looking component.  You need to connect the dots on how your past adds up to creating value in the future.  Otherwise, you’re just offering a personal biography.

What qualities, skills, approaches, and outcomes can you describe that show why you are unique and different from typical candidates?

Remember, I didn’t say this was easy.  What are your unique skills and experiences and how do they help you create value?  If you reach this point in your exercise and you cannot confidently state why you are unique and distinct (talents, skills, successes, evidence, go forward abilities etc.), then you need to keep working. If you get stuck, ask a valued professional colleague for help.

Who’s Your Buyer? Tailoring Your PVP to Your Buyer:

This sounds dirtier than it is.  It’s actually good marketing.  The CEO seeking an executive hire has one set of needs, HR another and prospective peers have their own.  Your absolute core message does not deviate, but you may emphasize different skills and experiences to better match with the needs of your immediate customers.

The Bottom-Line for Now:

Describing who you are and what you bring to a firm and a team is remarkably important to your search success.  Ideally, your Professional Value Proposition will be a Resonator (thanks, Tuned In authors!): something that shows how you so perfectly solve unresolved problems for your buyers that they have to have your services. Creating the genuine message about you that resonates with hiring managers require a lot more effort than constructing the typical run-of-the-mill chronological/functional resume.

So, tell me about yourself.  Why should anyone hire you?