Differentiate Yourself
27 November 2017
You see, most applicants for a role try to compete on the yardstick of quality, asserting that the quality of their skills, knowledge, experience etc. is better than those provided by other people. Quality is definitely something you want to show you are competitive on, but sometimes it is not enough. If, in addition to quality, you can also identify other ways you stand out then you can present these in your résumé and application. These differentiators can help employers choose you.
Settle in though as this exercise takes a little while to explain.
Below you will find a matrix you can use to explore for areas of differentiation. Along the top of the matrix are core needs that employers have that they are searching for in you, the potential employee i.e. they need you to have appropriate skills, knowledge, qualifications, experience, and personal characteristics to do the job and they need you to show future potential. Along the side of the matrix are avenues for differentiation. For example, the quality of your qualifications is one way to differentiate yourself from other applicants, if indeed there is something about the quality of your qualifications that is better than the qualifications likely to be held by others. For example, maybe a Nobel Prize winner was one of your professors.
Note: Most applicants try to compete on quality, so exploring other avenues of differentiation is where you are more likely to find the most value from this exercise.
The avenues of differentiation listed are to spark thinking. They have been kept loose to allow your interpretation. For example, the Time / Speed / Duration avenue can be interpreted as how quickly you perform a skill or how current your knowledge is, or how long you studied for. It is up to you to utilise the avenues to aid your thinking about what differentiates you. Nor are the avenues listed exhaustive, or necessarily the right ones. You may identify others that are useful in your industry. For example, convenience may be a differentiator if you are immediately available, but others are likely be delayed in when they can commence in the role. Other differentiators might be: Relationships/Connections; Risk; or Fun/Enjoyment. The differentiators are not specifically things such as skills that employers are expressly looking for, but when they see you bring added value in the area, employers sit up and take extra notice.
To do this exercise, grab yourself some coloured pens. Go through each box of the matrix and use one colour to mark where you have value and another colour to mark where others who may be applying for the role have value. Of course you won’t always know for sure what others might have, but give it your best guess. There are likely to be boxes where you don’t make any notations for either yourself or others, boxes where you have value and you know your competitors have value, and boxes where there is only you. The boxes where there is only you are the ones to be most interested in as these highlight the areas you might want to emphasise in your application and on your résumé. These areas also highlight where you want to make sure you keep developing.
Of course, in doing this exercise you might find that there aren’t any boxes in the matrix that you alone can own. This is good to know, because then you can do something with this information. Use the matrix to find an area of differentiation you can push into with additional development, that aligns with your strengths and you would enjoy. For example, in doing this exercise perhaps you find that in your field no one, who is likely to apply for roles you are interested in, really has knowledge about the future of your industry (the Knowledge – Future Orientation box). This might lead you to do a bit of study in the area of digitization.
As an added bonus this exercise can also be used to find ways you can differentiate yourself in your current work so you get noticed. By developing in an area of differentiation you can ensure you stand out from the crowd and give added value to your workplace.
Let me emphasize again, the quality of the work you do is paramount and you will always rise to the top by doing good quality work. Everyone though, is competing on quality and eventually someone will come along with more quality than you. Having areas where you can differentiate yourself over and above the quality of your work can just speed up that rise and make it easier for employers to see the added value you bring.
As always wishing you a flourishing career.
Katherine
