A lot of times when we are presenting ourselves to potential employers, we describe our work experience thus far. We usually talk about the projects we have been on, the kind of work we have done and the various skills we possess.
But the employer usually is looking for a person that can perform *this* job. By going over your experience, you imply that ‘I am the right person for this job’.
Now is not the time to be implicit but to be explicit.
Let me give you an example.
Job requirement – A startup is looking for a support analyst that can work with the product management team and the technical team to ensure a fully functional product.
Candidate A: I have over 5 years of experience of managing support teams, I have worked with business processes, I have worked on products that are used in social media, I have put together tools to enable disparate teams to work together on projects, I’m usually the bridge between senior management and implementation teams, I have worked on software deployments as well as go-live support cycles. (Implies that that since he has done this, he should get the job)
Now let’s go over to Candidate B who has very similar experience except that it is presented explicitly as specific ways by which he can help this startup.
Candidate B: After understanding the kind of role you are looking for, let me outline how I can be of help to you as a support analyst. I can work with your product management team to ensure that the business process is accurately reflected in the product and also work with the technical teams to ensure that the functionality is delivered. I can also develop approach and tools to allow our teams to work collaboratively given the fact that we have disparate team that need to constantly communicate on work efforts. I can also report out on our activities to senior management and get their buy-in and feedback that can be used to provide further direction to ensure a fully functional product. I can also help to take our product live and lead the immediate support activities to ensure that our product release is a success.
Though this sounds dramatic, Candidate B clearly outlines the value that he can provide and also justifying the business case to hire him*.
If you were interviewing both of these candidates and found them to be very similar in terms of experience..then after listening to the above message, who would you hire?
* I’m using words like ‘he’ and ‘him’ only to refer to a candidate; by no means its intended to sound sexist.
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