By Deb Dib and Mark Hovind
Deb Dib, helps visionary, gutsy six- and seven-figure C-suite executives shorten their job searches, maximize their performance and compensation, accelerate their careers, and even change the world a bit. She holds eight certifications; has contributed to 30+ career books; has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Newsday, and Fox News; speaks at national conferences; and serves on the BOD of Career Masters Institute. Reach Deb at www·ExecutivePowerCoach·com or DebDib@ExecutivePowerCoach·com,
Mark Hovind is the President of www·JobBait·com. He helps six- and seven-figure executives maximize their job-finding odds through value proposition letters targeted at the decision-makers most likely to hire them. Always on the cutting edge, Mark recently pioneered the concept of the “stand alone” value proposition letter. Beta tested and now proven, JobBait value proposition letters are getting 2 to 6 times the response rates, compared to letters with resumes.
Poke your job-seeking head in a decision-maker’s door and watch what happens next. He or she will look up from the desk and ask:
“What do you want?”
Followed in close succession by any, or all, of the following:
1. Why should I waste my valuable time talking to you?
2. What good are you ... exactly?
3. Why should I care?
4. What makes you so special?
5. Why should you get the big bucks?
If, in about just 10 seconds, you provide clear, concise, compelling answers to these questions—answers with tangible benefits measured in dollars or percentages—you’re invited to step in and sit down for a chat.
If you can’t answer those questions—and answer each well—you’re still out in the hall. In fact, you’re out the door.
This scenario happens every day—not in doorways—but as resumes pass through electronic tracking systems and/or across decision-makers’ desks. If your resume doesn’t have what it takes to get attention you won’t get in the door.
No interview, no job.
What does it take to get the attention of a decision maker?
Ironically, it’s the thing that is usually missing from most letters, resumes, and elevator pitches. It’s the one-two punch of a value proposition and personal brand.
Here’s what usually happens without that one-two punch: You craft a resume and letter that says what you do. The first line in your cover letter, or the summary section of your says something like, “I’m a seasoned Chief Operating Officer with offshore outsourcing experience, an MBA and 20 years of experience.”
The decision-maker responds, “So what? Who cares? Go stand in line. You can cut in front of the MBAs with 15 years of experience, but please stand behind those with 25. By the way, what does ‘seasoned’ mean? Are you experienced or are you ready to retire? I have plenty of people on staff with offshore outsourcing experience. Why do I need you? We’re just fine.
You’ve hidden your potential value to the new company so well, behind meaningless facts, that you—a successful and valuable leader—can’t get face time with a decision-maker.
No interview, no job.
Can you turn lead into gold?
If you can do that, it doesn’t matter who you are, or where you worked, or for how long. If you’re currently a janitor who dropped out of high school and only learned how to do this yesterday...it doesn’t matter.
All that matters is the result ... the outcome ... the potential benefit to the decision-maker and the company. All that matters is that you can turn lead into gold. That’s your value proposition.
A value proposition is a clear, concise, and compelling statement of the tangible benefits of your services. It focuses on measurable results, primarily in dollars or percents. It must be crisp and to the point ... without fluff, self-praising adjectives, generalities, or any other vague language that has built-in wiggle-room. And it must describe something that decision - makers want—even crave—because what you do has no value if no one needs it.
What if someone else can turn lead into gold, too?
Let’s say you’re one of a just a few people who can turn lead into gold, and you want the same job a fellow alchemist wants. You’re both very valuable and you’re both on the short list. How does the decision -maker choose?
Let’s say that the decision-maker’s company has been in a downward slide lately. Morale is low, people are leaving, and even bringing on someone who can turn lead into gold may not work to turn the company around fast enough to save it. The people in the company are resistant to change —even good change that could save their jobs.
Let’s say that your alchemist competitor is a real go-getter, make-it-happenyesterday kind of guy. What he says goes—no questions—no deviation. Let’s say that you are just as driven, but are a more hands -on, “Let me get in the trenches, work with the folks, and show them how this will work to their advantage” leader.
Both of you are valuable. Both of you get results. But the decision maker can’t use your value propositions alone to make the decision. He needs to know the contenders better—who you are and how you both do what you do. Who will best fit into the company culture and the management team? Whose style will help deliver the best results?
The decision-maker needs to know more than your value propositions. He needs to know your personal brands. Without that critical information he can’t make the best hire for the situation.
Why? Because a personal brand is a clear, concise, and compelling statement of the intangible benefits of your services. It focuses on nonmeasurable elements—your passion, leadership style, culture, work style, chemistry, and more.
Your personal brand is your promise of value and your differentiation. It’s authentic. It says who you are, how you do what you do, and where you want to be. It guides your direction and decisions.
Your personal brand helps employers make decisions about you.
The power of the branded value proposition.
Neither your value proposition nor your personal brand is enough to guide the best hiring decision.
But the one-two punch—the branded value proposition—helps the decision maker understand the two elements critical to a hire:
1. Can you help the company make money?
2. Will you bring the right chemistry to fit within the company’s culture?
A branded value proposition answers these two questions because its one-two punch combines money and chemistry.
Money (the dollarized value proposition) is the interview driver that gets you in the door and can get you on the short list.
Chemistry (the brand) is the “who you are and how you do what you do” that demonstrates fit and gets you hired from the short list.
Remember that bland, tired profile we discussed? “I’m a seasoned Chief Operating Officer with offshore outsourcing experience, an MBA and 20 years of experience...”
What if you transformed that into a sales pitch with a dollarized impact? What if you stuck your head in the decision-maker’s door and said, “Would you like to increase your gross margins by outsourcing? I’ve already helped others increase theirs from 32% to 41% on the average by moving their production to China...and the program I developed to support displaced employees was profiled in the Wall Street Journal. The jump in margins and positive press helped raise our stock price 10 points.
Now the decision-maker might respond with, “Please, come in, sit down ... tell me more.” Why? Because the decision-maker speaks only one language— money. Yet the decision-maker hires with his head and his gut—and you’ve sweetened the deal with your chemistry.
Your dollarized and branded value proposition is your sales pitch.
That sales pitch is the only thing decision makers want to know up front. Education, job chronology, and title can come later.
Let’s review the components of the “sales pitch” above:
“Would you like to increase your gross margins by outsourcing? I’ve already helped others increase theirs from 32% to 41% on the average by moving their production to China (MONEY) and the program I developed to support displaced employees (hint of BRAND) was profiled in the Wall Street Journal (ENDORSEMENT). The jump in margins and positive press helped raise our stock price 10 points. (MONEY)
Dollarized impact (the value proposition), with a hit of fit (the brand), and a “third-party” endorsement (proof)—opens the door.
Branded value propositions create new jobs.
Suppose in the “China” example above that the decision-maker does not have an open job for the executive who’s asking. But wait, how can he possibly turn down an opportunity to increase gross margins by 9%? Th at’s a $900,000 benefit for every $10 million in sales. Wouldn’t you create a new job for this executive?
The question is not, do you have a position open for me? The question is — would you like results like these? Now imagine your salary negotiating leverage.
Try it ... and test it.
Here’s a challenge: Take out a blank page. You get to write one -sentence on it. That’s it. That’s all you get to send out. Could you do it? Will that sentence be enough to get attention? That sentence is your value proposition and it’s the top of the organizational chart for your resume. Everything else springs from it. It’s the foundation for all your strategy and messaging.
Write down several variations of your branded value proposition. They should be concise, clear, compelling, dollarized, and authentic.
You will not be the best judge of your branded value position.
Send the variations to your former bosses and colleagues and ask what they think. Which do they like best, and why? Which do they like least, and why? What do they see as your value? For what are you known? How are you different? Does your value proposition have legs in your marketplace? Is there a need for it at all? (If there isn’t, it’s useless.)
Don’t explain and don’t justify—just listen, take copious notes, and keep asking for more. You will probably be surprised; you may even be shocked. But knowing the truth and transforming this high -level feedback into a succinct and powerful branded value proposition can significantly improve your job-finding odds of success.
How does this fit into a resume?
First, throw out all your ideas of what a resume should look like and what it should say. Yes, we know that you’ve got a resume. In fact, we know that as an executive you see resumes come across your desk all the time. Yet, how many of those resumes immediately interest you? How many would compel you to call immediately, whether you had an opening or not?
The likely answer is none, or at least not many.
That’s because most resumes and letters never say what a decision-maker needs to know. They don’t speak money, they don’t speak value, they don’t speak brand—they just speak “responsible for…” And they’re often long and rambling, or so short that they are packed to the margins. And they are universally difficult to read.
Now imagine a two- to three-page executive resume that leads with a compelling branded value proposition and contains content that is strategically developed around the decision-maker’s needs. Imagine a resume whose message is based upon dollarized results rather than career chronology, a “responsible for” list, and a few accomplishments. Imagine a resume that attracts the best potential employers and naturally deselects the wrong ones.
Imagine you’re the decision-maker reading a branded value proposition resume. Imagine you’re a decision-maker reading a typical resume. Which one hits the trashcan? Which one gets the call?
The five things your resume just can’t leave out
To be an exciting read and compel a decision-maker to call, your resume (and your cover letter) must contain the following five key areas of impact. They will help you clearly demonstrate your branded value proposition—the “what I do” and the “how I do it.”
Ask yourself what is my...
1. Value Proposition? The key thing I can do and why anyone else would care.
2. Proof? What I’ve done that has value and that predicts I can do it again.
3. Brand? Who I am and how I do what I do.
4. Differentiation? Why I should be hired instead of someone else.
5. Passion? What I think/feel about what I do.
A branded value proposition resume and letter are both built around these five key concepts. Every word counts and no word is wasted.
No platitudes allowed here! What do you do that’s unique to you? If every executive does what you do—leave it out! Who cares?
Start with a branded value proposition profile.
Great resumes begin with focus. Your branded value proposition is your focus. And that focus has to be apparent from the first line.
Great resumes start off with great profiles—a section of the resume right at the top of the page that is a summary of your “best of the best” offerings.
Springboard your resume profile off your branded value proposition.
When creating your profile, think about what industry hiring managers want to know most of all. Use your value proposition, brand, and accomplishment to “tell ‘em and sell ‘em” in the profile.
Carefully edit out any boring and/or self-serving platitudes that creep in. Rule of thumb: if all successful executives do it, leave it out! Say wh at’s different, exciting, vital, and strategic about you. Be bold, be courageous—no baby steps here. Guts and glory! If you’re great, say it—but in a way that speaks volumes of value. Prove it, and it’s not bragging.
Next, brand and dollarize your impact.
With a great profile, a great resume can follow. But you’ll need to make tough choices for that to happen. You can’t, and shouldn’t, write about everything you’ve done.
Of course you’ll need to describe your jobs. But your job descriptions need to be lean and tight. Aim for impact and take the time to get it!
Decision-makers don’t much care about what you know—they care about what you accomplished with what you know. Forget boring “responsible for” paragraphs, and go for the gusto—give ‘em your best stuff.
Then move to the real-deal—accomplishments—the “get you hired” content. Start big then edit down to the essence of your contributions. Don’t forget to make your accomplishment descriptions specific and measurable. How did you hit the top or bottom line? Dollarize your impact whenever possible.
Here are five suggestions to help you develop value proposition accomplishments for your resume. Think...
...What
Not what you know, but what you accomplished with what you knew.
...So what?
What happened? Did it matter? If so, why? What did it mean for the company? If you can answer the “so what” of a statement with dollars and/or percents, you’re there. If you can’t, leave it out. No proof, no power.
...Strategy
What makes the most sense? What is the most compelling? What is the best fit for the value prop and brand? What do you think the reader (decision-maker) wants?
...Value Proposition
One for each job. Think “impact” Think "results." What goes at the top of the org chart for each job? What was your major im pact?
...Two Lines
If you could write only two lines about what you did for the company, what would you say? If you could write only two lines in the middle of a blank page to get an interview—what would they be?
Do you have the courage to create a strong value proposition and brand?
It takes courage to have a strong value proposition and brand. It takes courage to be different and stand out.
Most of all it takes courage to deliberately disqualify opportunities. A branded value proposition resume attracts and repels in equal measure. If you want to be all things to all people, this is not the device for you. But be aware that being all things to all people usually produces the reverse effect. “Generalist” is not a compelling executive descriptor!
A branded resume with a powerful value proposition makes tough choices. It’s strategic. It leaves a lot out and uses only what works best. By doing so, it will disqualify you for certain positions. You can count on it. But it will attract the right opportunities and save you from chasing the wrong ones!
Most of your peers will never do this.
This is going to take you far longer than you realize. It’s not uncommon to spend 20 to 30+ hours to define a value proposition and brand; do research; and prepare, write and revise a resume.
Most of your peers will never go that far. Either they don’t know how, or it’s just too hard for them. Yet the hours of thinking, strategizing, writing, revising—and doing it all again when you decide it’s not yet good enough—will pay off in a resume and letter that place you far above your peers.
Now you know the one thing your resume must say to win!
You know how to build a dynamic resume and cover letter entirely focused around the one-two punch of a branded value proposition. Prepare to accelerate your career!