You need an elevator pitch.
I was speaking with a retiring Veteran of the United States Marine Corps the other night when it hit me.
I have worked with hundreds of prospective Project Management Professional (PMP) candidates helping them translate their experience into project management speak for the PMP application. They then use this newly acquired skill to translate their résumé content as well so they can present themselves as project managers. However—and here comes the realization—it isn’t enough!
In today’s highly competitive world, you can’t assume the reader of your résumé sees the value you bring them. Heck, you can’t even assume they read it! It’s a Twitter world. You’ve got 140 characters or less to make them realize they are holding their next interviewee. If you don’t, the résumé chock-full o’ awesome project management experience that follows is never seen, much less appreciated, and much less acted on.
Why?
As Seth Godin famously put it, it’s not about email anymore, it’s about Me-Mail! They have to see how you can help them, or they go to the next résumé. The old-school days of “Here’s me and all the stuff I’ve done in the past” are gone. You still need the content, but you need a story that clearly and consistently delivers and reinforces the message you can help them throughout your résumé. They’re the main character, not you. You need to deliver a powerful Employer-centric Value Proposition.
Lucky for you, there are employers waiting to hear your proposition at the upcoming G.I. Jobs Virtual Career Expo, where you can chat one-on-one with recruiters looking to hire veterans. Registration is free, but seats are limited, so be sure to reserve your spot at the link below today!
What is an Employer-centric Value Proposition (EVP)?
The EVP is the opener of your story of how you provide value to the employer. It’s the inside jacket content that draws them into each chapter because they’re excited to read your story. It’s the promise you’ll fulfill in the remainder of your résumé.
It is a Twitter-esque “headline” statement of 140 characters or less. In that extremely limited, precious real estate, you have to clearly state who you are, and what you can do for them. In one sentence.
It tells who you are professionally, what you can do and who you can do it for.
If you are my audience, you know it! You see yourself and your needs in it. It’s that way on purpose. Down to every last punctuation mark and space. Just as importantly, you also now know whether you should keep reading or not to see how I can help you.
Who I am isn’t as important as who you are and what you need. I’m only important in that moment if you see how I can help you. That’s the question an EVP answers, clearly and concisely, “Can this person help me?” Your answer to this employer is your Employer-centric Value Proposition.
