Re-Create Yourself as a Solution!

Whenever someone tries to go out and get a better job, or even that all important first job, they think about how best to word their resume or cover letter. Most people know that writing an effective resume and targeted cover letter is the best way to get noticed and called in for that crucial first interview. The bottom line is that your resume and cover service as a way to get your "foot in the door" but from that point on, it is how you position yourself that means the difference between success and failure.

When most people start looking for a job, they think about their experience and how that experience might relate to the job for which they are applying. Directly relevant experience is wonderful but similar experience carries significant weight as well. When you look at any kind of experience or skill, we usually think about how that will prepare us for the job we are applying for. That makes sense but I like to take things just a bit further.

Everyone looks for people to help them resolve s situation or problem. If I am looking to hire someone, I want a person who is going to make my life easier and more productive. I am going to look for someone who is a problem solver. I want to find that person who is going to stand between me and the problems and take care of them for me. If I can find that person, chances are I will be strongly motivated to hire them.

Everything today is about "value". The more "value" you bring to a company, the more desirable you will be to them. The problem is that some people might not "see" everything that you represent to them during an interview. To help them through their short-sightedness, you need to create yourself as the "perfect solution" to their needs.

If you look at yourself as a solution, and try to project that image to the interviewer, you stand a better chance of making people aware of all that you can do. Take a look at these two responses to the same question and see which one makes the applicant appear to have more value:

Interviewer: "I see you have experience with our line of widgits? How many years experience do you have?"

Applicant: "I have 5 years experience with your products so there will not be much training required."

Or, how about this answer:

Applicant "Yes, I have 5 years experience with your products. In my past position I was able to resolve most customer problems or questions immediately which resulted in higher customer satisfaction. Not only that, but I was able to remove a significant burden from my supervisor by resolving most problems before they got to management level."

Now, if I am a manager or supervisor listening to that answer, my head would be thinking about how wonderful it would be to have someone that could take most of the angry customers away from me. What a powerful motivation that would be to hire that person!

Everyone always looks for ways to make their own lives better or easier. They are going to hire sales people with a history of selling the most product. They will hire the mechanic with the most experience and reputation. In short, they will hire the person that gives them the best chance for success for the least effort. It may sound cynical, but it is 100% truth.

We have a lot of buzz-words about people who solve problems. Self-starter, pro-active, detail oriented, etc. These are all descriptors for people who are solutions for their company. These are all terms for someone who can go out and become the solution for what is needed when it is needed.

So the next time you think about going after the next opportunity or employment opportunity, think about how you can position yourself as the very solution for the other party. Think about what type of problems or issues that person has to deal with and let them know exactly how you can step in and take those unpleasant tasks away from them.

If you can plant that seed in someone's mind, you stand a great chance of being chosen over everyone else. So, get ready, be prepared, and be a solution.

David V. Greis
The Customer Service Training Institute
http://www.infowhse.com