I can often be counted upon to engage in a discussion around business purpose - identifying what a company truly stands for if you strip back all of the fun, and sometimes irrelevant, messages. Knowing what your company is about is fundamental to the success of your business. Knowing what YOU are about can unlock opportunities you may have not even known existed.
In life we often focus on how are perceived. This starts with children at school trying to impress their friends or teachers. We grow up, form our opinions and communicate them in a way that we hope portrays us well. At work we think about progression, promotion, client wins. When do we take a step back and consider on our own purpose? I don't mean why we were put on this earth, but rather what is at our core. What happens if you strip back everything else you do and consider what it is that YOU are fundamentally about? This isn't the same as knowing your personal brand, although that is really important too. This is about knowing and owning what is absolutely unique about what you have to offer.
Let's focus on our professional personas. When you take away the corporate jargon, the fancy language, the targets and the numbers, what do you really stand for?
What do you do that no one else does?
We pose this question to all our candidates and typically the answers leave us wanting. "We are creative...we are focused...we are driven...we are collaborative." These are lovely answers but they don't differentiate you from the other driven, motivated, creative and collaborative people who are competing for the juicy roles. So what does?
Unfortunately we cannot answer that question for you. Only you really know the answer to that and only you can articulate it. When you do, it will be incredibly worthwhile.
In a world where sadly more and more people are searching for work everyday, the best piece of advice we can share is to identify your true purpose. Understand the core of what you offer, what no one else does and find a way to communicate that. Weave it into your CV. Have it at the tip of your tongue for an interview. Know what differentiates you from everyone else. It is hugely powerful to know and own what you and only you can do. Once you uncover that - you will be delighted you have done so
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