I interviewed 10 to 15 professionals week… folks who have anywhere from 5 to 25 years experience in their chosen field… in my face-to-face interview with them, among other things, I asked them if they know what they are selling to a prospective employer… most often I get a blank stare or I get some insane answer like, “the fact that I need a job”… (I won’t even address this!)
I then ask, in a very kind way, again, “what are you selling to a prospective employer?… What makes you a good employee?… What’s going to set you apart from the 23 other folks a hiring authority is going to interview?”
Often, candidates say things like, “well, I’m just a really good employee!” So, I ask, “what makes you a good employee?”… Often they’ll say something like, “well I’m just a hard worker!” It’s clear that most often, even the most experienced candidates really don’t know what they are selling to a prospective employer…
Successful candidates need to be able to qualify and identify specific attributes, performance and track record that set them apart from other candidates… these don’t have to be miraculous, mesmerizing, superhuman feats… they can be simple, straightforward quantifiable facts that show you are a hard worker and a good employee… the best candidates have a 30 second, “elevator pitch” about why they’re a good employee and why they ought to get hired…
So, if you are a job seeker, have you sat down and written out ten or fifteen quantifiable, provable, factual aspects of your history that make you a good employee?
Do you know what you’re selling?
