3 Tips To Help Build Your Career Worth.
We can all influence it.
I was in Vegas recently, and I needed a bottle of water. It became an $8 Jolt.
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A bottle of water in a store is $1.
A bottle of water at the gym is $3.
A bottle of water at the airport is $4.
A bottle of water in Vegas is $8.
…and, should you have the money to throw around in a fountain of misspent wealth, a bottle of Acqua di Cristallo Tributo a Modigliani will set you back a chirpy $60,000.
Yet it’s all the same product: water.
And you can get it for free out of a tap.
The reason that the same product can sell for such hugely different prices is based on three fundamental principles:
Context: the environment that surrounds the product (e.g., on a shelf in a supermarket, or on a menu at a high-end restaurant).
Positioning: how the product is presented and marketed (e.g., a quick thirst quencher for a buck or a life-changing vitamin enhanced electrolyte mouth bath).
Differentiation: what makes the product better, more interesting or more valuable (e.g., versus any other life-changing vitamin enhanced electrolyte mouth bath, this product has a better taste).
Yes, it’s water. But water is also one of the best marketing examples to use for this Jolt; because if you can do it with water, you can do it with anything, offering some interesting parallels for how we market our careers.
Here are a few thoughts.
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First, context. When we’ve worked in an industry for a while, the collective knowledge we gain is highly valuable: we are surrounded by an environment that underlines and endorses our skills. Never underestimate the world you operate in and the collective experiences you have gained - or will gain - from being in the thick of it. Accountants, lawyers and doctors know this intimately and value themselves accordingly. It’s no different for anyone who has expertise in an area, we just don’t often use it in our favor.
For example, if you’ve been in marketing or sales for 5 years, that’s 5 years of working in the context of an environment that has given you terrific insight and experiences - don’t take those insights for granted.
Second, positioning. How do you present and market yourself to others? We all have the ability to stand for something that we believe in or are good at, regardless of the role or how big or small we feel that role (or impact) is. This might be as simple as being known as a strong communicator because you enjoy it, you’re good at it, and it comes naturally. Use it, regardless of role.
Finally, differentiation. Is there a specific skill or expertise you can bring to a role that allows you to stand out from the crowd around you? For example, using your strong execution skills in a role that was previously lacking that focus? Or your ability to think big picture when there aren’t many people around you who do. Or perhaps doubling-down on how well you get on with people in a team that needs to gel and come together, because you’re the one who can help the team succeed.
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The above is not an exact science.
We are human, not bottled water.
As hard as we may try, we’re all a messy mix of subjectivity, ego and wonderful unknowns, but it’s food for thought for ways to help stand out in a career competitive world.
And, no, I didn’t buy the $8 water in Vegas. I found a fountain and got it for free 😇.