What is Your Competitive Edge?
By Alvah Parker
Carol had been out of work for six months and was frustrated by
her inability to land a new job. She'd had a few interviews but
nothing had come through for her and her money situation was
getting tight. Like many unemployed people Carol decided to seek
work through a temporary agency.
Carol was delighted when the agency found her work related to her
area of expertise. The pay was not great but it was enough to keep
her afloat. In addition it gave her the freedom to say no to the
work when she needed to continue her job search or attend to family
matters.
According to an article in the Boston Globe this month the use of
temporary help is growing in the US. Not all temporary help is
supplied by temp agencies either. There are also independent
contract workers that are hired for a project. These workers go
from project to project working for themselves or for an agency.
Kelly Services estimates that one quarter of the US workers are
employed on some sort of temporary arrangement.
From a company’s perspective having a pool of candidates that
can move in when there is work to do and then move on when the work
comes to an end is very desirable. It makes for a “just in
time” work force. A company that uses a small core of
permanent workers and then hires just enough temporary workers to
complete the job doesn’t have the heart wrenching layoffs and
the severance pay issues that have been a problem recently.
For this reason the temporary help industry is one of the
fastest-growing segments in the labor market. By 2012 the Labor
Department estimates it will grow by another 50 percent.
What about the worker? Is this change a good one? With every change
come some positive and negative consequences. In some respects this
type of work has advantages for the worker. Temporary work allows
more work/life balance than permanent work. Workers can take time
off when they need it. Of course when they don't work they don't
get paid. If the job isn't waiting for the person when he/she
returns to work there will be another to go to. Contract workers
might work long hours on a project but could then take time between
projects. Another advantage is that workers can try various types
of jobs to broaden their skill set as well as their network.
The downside is that it doesn’t give the same feeling of job
security. In a sense you always have to be looking ahead to the
next assignment. The issue of benefits is also a problem although
some temporary agencies now provide benefits such as health
insurance.
In their book Trends For the Near Future Ira Matathia and Marian
Salzman give five trends for the future and the first one is that
“Full-Time Employees will decrease in number”. How does
someone in the workforce prepare for this shift? It seems to me
whether you are a full time employee or temporary worker, you will
need to keep your skills up to date. In fact Matathia and Salzman
identify skills trainers as one of the hot jobs of the millennium.
Those trainers they say will be training both current employees and
freelancers.
All this seems to indicate that many of us are going to be changing
jobs more frequently in the future. It will be more important than
ever to be able to articulate our own “competitive
edge.” What value do you offer the employer? What skills do
you have? What strengths and qualities do you add to those skills
that will make your offer unique and compelling? Business owners,
employees and temporary personnel - we all need to be able to
articulate our value.
Carol was able to work in a couple of different departments honing
some old skills and developing a couple of new ones. An added bonus
was that with each temporary assignment she got feedback on her
value to the organization. Uniformly the employers liked her
persistence and follow-through. She added these points to her
resume and then created a value proposition that emphasized these
traits. She is confident that she will become a full time employee
in the near future.
Take Action:
1. What are the skills you offer to your employer? Are they up to
date? If your skills are not up to date, create a plan to bring
them up to date. Are your skills obsolete or heading in that
direction? What skills will you add? (Be sure to choose marketable
ones!)
2. Identify the strengths you have that could be useful in your
work. Brainstorm with someone (a coach perhaps) in what ways your
strengths could be used. Don’t limit yourself to your current
situation. Be creative!
3. What experiences have you had that demonstrate your use of your
skills and strengths in a unique way? You will want to prepare your
"stories" before you have an interview. Stories about your work are
more memorable then simple statements of what you offer.
4. What is the value proposition that you offer a potential
employer? Create this statement and practice it so that you can
emphasize it to your potential employer. It succinctly and clearly
says what you offer. Have the statement on your resume too.
