In my last post, I talked about the importance of crafting a strong positioning statement so that you can clearly and briefly tell others what they need to know to help you in your job search. Sometimes people get stuck on how to differentiate themselves from the competition. Often, it’s your passion—or sweet spot that will shed light and bring answers.
Client’s sweet-spot positioning story
Ted had spent 12 years as a corporate accountant at a Fortune 500 medical technology company, until he was downsized out. He really loved his work, but was having a tough time drafting his positioning statement. “It just seems so — I don’t know – dull. There’s no sparkle to it,” he told me.
“Okay. I’m an accountant. I have skills in auditing. Working in the division providing state-of-the-art diabetes devices, I audited multimillion dollar contracts with major healthcare systems.” Ted’s voice then trailed off. “Frankly, it’s not very exciting.” I could sense Ted’s frustration. I asked him: “What did you enjoy doing most at your last job, Ted? What excited you about it?”
“I love finding mistakes. I really enjoy discovering that one wrong number in a stack of spreadsheets or reports. I get great pleasure when at the end of the day, I know I’ve found an important error,” Ted answered. “That probably sounds weird, but it’s the truth,” he said.
“And …” As he was about to go on, Ted’s voice morphed, taking on an excited edge, with louder volume and a higher pitch. “I hadn’t thought about this in awhile,” he told me. “I found an error that saved the company $5.6 million over just 7 months! I’m very proud of that,” Ted said with a smile in his voice.
“So, why don’t you include that in your positioning statement, Ted?” I asked. “It’s a given that your positioning statement should convey what you do well—your profession, your particular skills. But, it can—it should—also paint a vivid picture of how you are unique, what you really love to do—your sweet spot,” I added.
I’m not sure if it was my imagination, but it seemed that when Ted finished our call that day, his previous shy demeanor had switched gears dramatically. He sounded like a man with conviction and purpose. He was off to rewrite his positioning statement.
What’s your professional sweet spot?
My friend and colleague, Julie Walraven shared a great definition from Adrianna Llames, “When passion, purpose and skill intersect, you find the ultimate career sweet spot that makes it easy to commit yourself to success.” Julie often prods her clients with a great question: “What sets you on fire?” I love this one! What sets you on fire?
Ted’s epilogue
When I last connected with Ted about two months ago, he was pleased with how his search was going. He was landing interviews and felt an offer would come soon. “Oh,” he said in that last chat. “I wanted to let you know that I have another sweet spot. A new Harley that I’m taking on a weekend trip up north. Not sure if I’ll work it into my positioning statement; but you never know!”
Photo: gotgenes
