Mellopix.com
Over the years, you’ve acquired quite a nice collection of valuable stuff: skills, insights, experiences, connections, and know-how. Imagine that you keep all these career assets in a big, jam-packed suitcase.
Unfortunately, your suitcase has no handle.
This oversight makes it difficult for you to easily move your strengths from one place to another. When new job opportunities arise, they disappear before you manage to huff and puff and shove your suitcase in that direction. When a potential client is ready to make a big purchase, you “race” towards the action, but you move so much slower than your competitors that you were never really even in the race.
This is why you often feel that less-qualified professionals are being hired, promoted or rewarded while you are not.
It is why you get treated “unfairly” and have trouble making your voice be heard.
It is why your career isn’t advancing as quickly as you would like. It’s why your neighbor has a Tesla and you have a Subaru.
And now for the news you don’t want to hear: it’s your own damn fault.
You don’t need me to tell you that you lack an easy and memorable way to describe the value you add. You’ve probably spent half a decade or more on LinkedIn with a profile that’s so generic you sound like 28 million other professionals. You’re not positioning yourself properly.
You’ve spent a lifetime developing your skills, but you’ve barely spent the blink of an eye crafting clear and compelling ways to describe those skills.
What a waste.
I don’t mean to upset or insult you, but I am trying to get your attention.
Look at George Bradt’s profile. He’s a former classmate of mine who has built a great career as an onboarding expert. George’s headline reads: executive onboarding expert – helps new leaders and teams deliver Better Results Faster.
No surprise, George attracts a lot of valuable, high-profile clients.
I recently came across Zach Messler, a self-described product marketing guy. Here’s how his LinkedIn summary opens:
It’s simple, really.
There is a continual stream of cool technology developed that solves tough business problems. But, too often, its success is limited by the wrong positioning…the wrong message at the wrong time…the wrong story.
Creating that story that conveys the real value…the message that resonates…the positioning that builds the brand?
That’s what I do.
Now that’s a handle.
You’ve only been aware of Zach for about 20 seconds now, but let me ask you a few questions…
Does Zach work for cereal, deodorant or toilet paper companies?
Does he help financial services companies?
Could he help a technology company gain traction in a crowded field?
No, no, and yes.
Being competent isn’t nearly enough. You need to be clear and compelling. You need to position your career with as much expertise as you devote to your job.
Instead of just working harder and waiting, waiting, hoping, and waiting to be noticed, try investing some time in adding a handle to your suitcase. At first, it may seem like a frustrating fool’s errand, but eventually you will find the words (and maybe a few pictures) to describe what makes you special.
In my experience, once people realize how much the lack of a handle slows their career progress, they take the time to fix the problem.