How to write a value proposition statement for your resume?

“Your value proposition statement is what differentiates you from the other seekers for the same job.”

---

In the business and marketing world, the value proposition is a promise of the value stated by a company that summarizes the benefits of the company's product or service and how it is delivered. In a job search, it means more or less the same but here instead of a product you are advertising your skills and strengths.

Just like how customers have countless options for credit card processors, employers also have countless options when looking to hire new people, so you need to convey not only what you do, but also the value you bring by doing these things.

A good resume always contains a proposition statement that states the seekers’ skills, strengths, and accomplishments, and how he or she will add value to a company.

A clear and believable value proposition can dramatically increase your chances of being hired and the number of interview requests you receive.

Starting your resume off with what you can offer to the table, instead of what you want to receive or achieve, makes you come across as a strong candidate, and will win yourself more interviews.

Consider your resume as an advertisement for what you’re selling.

---

Understand your proposition by answering a few questions about yourself :

• What are the most important positions you have worked previously?

Start at the basics. List all the job titles you have held and the duties that came with them.

For example, let's say you worked as an account executive for a company providing sales and support for your company’s clients. Your duties must have included selling products to your clients, engaging in a relationship with the buyers, taking steps for providing customer satisfaction. Add all these details as your proposition.

• What were your accomplishments at your previous positions, or how did you do better than the people at similar roles?

By answering this you will be able to look beyond the titles and duties, you begin to realize your value proposition and how you are different people applying for similar positions. A good resume always makes the candidate stand out in the crowd.

• What were the projects that you have worked on previously?

Analyze what were the key projects that contributed to the company’s growth. How efficient were you in managing the project? These points will provide how good you are at managing and how efficient at big roles.

• Are you a good team player?

The answer to this question is critical because it can tell an employer if you have valuable “soft skills,” which will indicate how well you will fight with the new organization.

• Did you work with others to share ideas and solve problems?
• Was there a high degree of cooperation?
• Did you pitch in for others when someone needed help, such as to meet a deadline?
• Was there a strong sense of camaraderie on the team?
• Did they like working with you?
• What would have been the outcome of the project if you had not been on the team?
• Were you able to work effectively with people who belonged to other parts of the organization and had very different areas of expertise?
• Did your previous experience help you realize something about yourself that you hadn’t realized before?

There must have been moments of epiphany when you realized something new about yourself. It may have been the case that you now have realized some of your strengths which you didn’t know that you had earlier. Try including them in your proposition to make a good resume.



For your efforts did you receive the accepted recognition?

Answer if you were able to please your employers with your work and challenging assignments. Did you receive any formal recognition for a job that you did well?

Recognition may reinforce your professional accomplishments. It may also be the point where your value proposition comes into focus. In other words, if there is a recognition that sticks out in your mind, it will lead you to the reason you earned it.

---

For writing a good resume proposition try the following steps by analyzing yourself:

• Understand what kind of employers you want to be targeting:

Think about what kind of companies and industries you will be targeting or focusing on. What will be the requirements in the target industry and what skill set will be required for that.

Write the proposition statement accordingly for the resume.
Since a good resume with the required proposition catches the attention of the employer.

• Find the connection between your experience and the requirement:

State how your experience, accomplishments, and successes will help resolve the hiring company's problems. This will be helpful when it comes to proving you can deliver value.

• How you stand out of your competition:

Work on your SWOT analysis. Once you have completed your SWOT you will be able to analyze what are your selling points and it will help you create a clear value proposition.

The selling points are one of the major things that makes a good resume and may help you land your job.

• Strength up your resume:

Analyze what can be your best answer to the point of “why you should be hired”.
Incorporate the reasons from your SWOT and use numbers and digits to prove your point. Use only two to three sentences to communicate your value proposition.

---

How to add an effective value proposition statement in your resume

• Relate your assets:

A good resume always contains a list out of all the skills, accomplishments, experiences, and strengths that make you a unique and valuable candidate. Find out the key skills, experiences, or accomplishments that best relate to your target position and write the proposition statement accordingly.


• Use numbers:

Provide numbers to demonstrate your tangible results, as demonstrating to the employers what kind of results you will be proving if they hire you. A great way to demonstrate how you can add value to a company is by including numbers and digits in your letter.

• Focus on the present:

Unlike the whole resume, the value proposition statement should not focus on the past. Tell employers what you can do for them, rather than what you’ve done for others. Use present tense rather than the past tense as it is a great way to stay focused on the present and look towards the future.

• Personalize your resume:

A good resume contains a tailored proposition statement that fits a particular company and job position. Make sure your resume proposition statement addresses what the particular employer wants, and what you have to offer them.

• Provide a link:

Provide the link to your LinkedIn page or your personal website. This will allow an interested recruiter to access more information about you. A good resume must contain contact information.

• Be brief :

Make the proposition short and crisp. Try using bullet points to highlight three or four of the key reasons for how you are a unique and valuable job candidate. Try not using more than two lines for each bullet point. Use the strongest point at the top.

• Be bold :

Use bold, particularly strong words or phrases to catch the employer’s eye.

---

Habits that might decrease the impact of your value proposition:

• A “busy” resume

A resume that looks too busy or crowded will work against the power of its value proposition. You want to present prospective employers with a good resume by providing a clean looking and “reader-friendly” resume.

• Too Much Information

While transparency is always commendable, offering a superfluous amount of information in your resume is not only unnecessary but a distraction from your value proposition. Therefore select what’s important and what demonstrates not just that you did your job, but that you were great at what you did.



Focusing the Objective on Yourself

Leading your resume with an “objective statement” is often a common practice. Many candidates make the mistake of starting their own objective, which is not helpful to employers and certainly will not make your resume stand out.

Skip your objective, and start your resume off with a compelling value proposition or professional branding statement.

Using More Terms than Examples

Hard-working, creative, collaborative, team-player”: Employers are used to seeing these words on virtually every resume that they read.

Your resume should go a step further by actually backing up the terms you use to describe yourself. Rather than simply stating you have a successful track record in a particular area, provide specific examples of instances where you excelled.

Check out the video

Click to create your CV

“We would love to help you create your CV. You can connect with us at hello@cvowl.com and consult an expert”

Overlooking Important Keywords

A good resume should be written in accordance with the job description. Search the description for “keywords” and incorporate them appropriately throughout your resume.

Researching how applicant tracking systems operate is an important task for all job seekers and resume writers. By researching that your results will be a good resume that will catch the employer’s eyes.

A good resume effective that lands job interviews come down to how well you know yourself, know your customer and can sell yourself, it’s a good practice to take an occasional inventory of your skills, job accomplishments, and personality traits.

Together, they can serve as a marketing statement that can help you illustrate the value you can bring to an employer. Also keep in mind that if the employer sees a high level of value in you, you just might land a dream job which will boost your value proposition even higher.

---

Your CV or resume is your first impression for any company. With the help of CV Owl, you can get a well-structured CV and your time will be saved. Everything on your CV should be written in a formal manner and in a precise way. You have only 20 seconds to impress your recruiter with your CV, make the best out of it. Visit our series “The HR Talk” where we help you know everything about your job interview from the recruiters.

Try CV Owl as we help you furnish a fully-formatted in a chronological order resume on our RESUME BUILDER or cover letter. You can also try our CV REVIEW SERVICE, through which you get a CV writing expert reviewing the insight of your CV and advising you so that you can make your CV stand out.

---