“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” Albert Einstein

As a recruiter, one of my favourite questions to ask a candidate is – what value do they think they can offer their new employer.

The responses are interesting to say the least.

As simple as the question sounds, candidates are challenged when it comes to answering it.

Why is this?

Well, simply because when we talk of success, we are focusing very much on our own selves – in other words, your own objectives, goals and aspirations.  This can be striving of a particular position, a promotion, more money, power, control etc.

Yet, when it comes to value, may I suggest we flip the discussion from ME to WE.

Now don’t get me wrong – by focusing on the organisation rather than your own success, does not mean you are sacrificing your own needs, wants or goals.

Quite the opposite actually, when we focus on being of value, we automatically help to ensure our own success.

This is true of regardless of whether you’re are a self-employed individual in your own business, or running a larger business with many employees or you’re an employee within a business.

We do not work in isolation – everyday, we deal with customers, suppliers and with each other in the business.

If you want to attract new customers and keep our existing ones, you have to demonstrate value to your customer (rather than focus on your own success first).

And if you work for someone else, the best way to keep your job is to show your employer that you are so valuable that they simply can’t live without you.

So, going back to the question – how can you offer value to your customers and your employer?

Here are some suggestions:

Be part of the bottom line

If you want to be valuable to your company, then you need to help it make money.  The company measures its Return on Investment (ROI) on you, so you should measure the ROI on yourself as well. Your job is to find out what activities that use your time, skills, and resources offer the most benefit for the business and its bottom line.

Be smart

Too many people don’t understand the basic operation of the company they work for.  Find time to really get to know the business – study and understand the financials, understand who your customers are, know who reports to who and so on.  You never know where your life may lead, so learn as much as you can along the way.

Do more than your job description

If you Just do your job as written, then you run the risk of losing relevance for the business.  While job descriptions offer a guide, they are not the be all and end all.  To offer value, find ways to do your job better, faster and more efficiently.

Love your job!

And finally, if you don’t love your job, it’s going to show – conversely, if you do love your job, that will also show.  So, when employers are looking for employees that they can turn to for ideas, suggestions, and other positions within the company, they look for an employee who’s both hardworking and passionate.

Don’t aspire to be the best ON the team, aspire to be the best FOR the team.

Contact us today on 02 9634 5912 to see if we can help you in any way.