You don’t always need a college degree to get ahead. Many executives, managers and team members climbed the so-called corporate ladder without completing an undergraduate education. How did they do it? By taking a proactive approach to improving daily operations and adding bottom-line value to their companies.
The more successful you are in saving time or making money for your employer, the more indispensable you are as an employee. This idea works the same for job searching: The more clearly you demonstrate your actual money-making value to a hiring manager, the better chance you have of landing the job that you want, whether or not you hold a degree.
Don’t get me wrong. Education is an asset for people of all ages and backgrounds. It can be beneficial in the business world, and many industries and companies require a certain level of training. But generally speaking, organizations are more concerned with revenue growth and having a diversified workforce than they are with the level of education of each one of their employees.
It takes initiative and problem-solving skills to figure out what can be done to improve the bottom line. Of course, education may be helpful, especially a business or marketing degree, but too many job seekers worry about not having the right credentials for a company or position. And worrying won’t help your job search. In fact, fear and apprehension make it impossible to market yourself effectively to employers.
Take a few minutes to consider your work history, and be prepared to write things down. You’re about to gather the details for a really powerful resume, and establish key talking points for your next interview.
Ask yourself the following questions: How did I (or my team) contribute to the profitability or productivity of my current and past employers? Specifically, how many new accounts did I develop, and how much money did each one make for the organization? What new systems or procedures did I create or implement, and how much money or time did they save?
Use actual numbers to show your accomplishments, whenever possible. Instead of merely saying that you minimized errors in accounting processes, determine the results of your achievement, and phrase the statement like this, “Designed a new system that reduced accounting errors by 5 percent.”
Rather than mentioning that you cut office expenses, calculate how much you actually saved, and what you did to deliver the savings. Try something like, “Transformed the office newsletter from paper to electronic format, and introduced other cost-cutting measures that saved over $10,000 annually.”
Here are some additional examples: “Developed three new accounts that increased revenue by $1.5 million,” “Hired and trained a team that worked together to boost profits by nearly 18 percent,” and “Built an entire bakery from the ground up and earned a respectable profit in the first year.”
For most job hunters, it isn’t education that limits their success; it’s the lack of confidence. Remember that education can’t contribute to the bottom line. It takes intelligence, skill, and motivation to do that.
Know your strengths and market yourself confidently. When you get your point across, you will immediately stand out from other candidates, with or without a degree.
Send your job search questions to Eve.GetAJob@gmail.com.
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