The answer to the question of will AI take my job very much depends on who you are talking to. But the general consensus is that AI will affect certain markets and industries more than others and that improvements to AI will see yet further changes. So what can mere mortals do when it comes to hanging onto their jobs. Business coach and author, Julian Lighton, explains how to build your own personal brand to cut through the noise.
Have you lost out on a role recently? Have you been restructured out of your job as your employer decided to automate it? Or been introduced to a new AI co-worker? However dystopian this may sound, you are one of a rapidly increasing number. This is the reality of today’s job market, particularly if you work in technology or media. Many entry level and middle manager roles are vanishing.
Thankfully there are still many vital things that AI can’t do and that cannot be automated. AI can’t yet think creatively or critically (abstract thinking), it doesn’t possess any emotional intelligence, it cannot sense real world context and it can’t adapt or collaborate with humans in real-time. It is in these areas that employees should focus on differentiation. Now is a perfect opportunity to take a clear-eyed review of your skillset focus on what makes you valuable and different and to start proactively managing your career.
Build a value proposition
The first step is to establish who you are and what you have to offer – what I call in my new book – Navigating Your Next, building your value proposition. Our personal value proposition is your brand promise – made up of your credibility (your competencies and context), relevance, fit and motivation:
- Credibility: Demonstrated competency and context.
- Competency: Careers are built on competency, progress and mastery (employers hire for competency) and experience. What skills or capabilities do you have? Are you distinctive at any of them? What experience do you have in demonstrating these competencies and at what level?
- Context: Success is highly contextual. In what contexts have you built your skills and been successful? What organisations and teams have you worked in (start-up, scale-up, large company)?
- Relevance: What is special about you that creates value in the role? Why you rather than the ten others applying (e.g. you have expertise in pricing in applying to a business-to-consumer marketing role and can drive value immediately). What have you done that is most applicable in the role description? What marks you out – why you?
- Fit: Success in organisations over time is based on fit. Fit is a matter of whether you mirror and can work in the company’s culture and with its values as lived by your boss and coworkers. What are your values? What is your ‘tribe’? What cultures have you worked in and been successful in? How are you a fit to this culture?
- Mindset: What drives you and motivates you (your reward mechanism and impact on others)? What are your aspirations and goals – what do you want to achieve, over what time period? What are your limiting beliefs and biases? What is your decision-making style and process?
Sharpen your niche
By defining your current value proposition, you can start to think about where and how you can leverage these. You can stand out from the crowd by having a better sharper story. Human beings have not changed much in 40,000 years and we all want to hear each other’s story. Why is this person in the room and what do they want? So, can you say which of your skills will give your potential employer a competitive advantage? What do you offer that is unique to you? Why will you work harder or be more successful?
Start with:
- Who am I? What is your story, background and identity. What are you good at? Where do you come from? Where are you going?
- What do I want? Your desired goal, opportunity or next career move/promotion.
- Why me? The unique value you bring. Why are you the right person and the right fit of credibility and relevance? Why are you the hero of your own story?
Then:
- Frame your story: Think in terms of a beginning (your current situation), a middle (the complication you’re solving) and an end (the resolution or impact you intend to achieve).
- Practice and refine it: Tell your story to yourself, hearing yourself say it out loud, tweak and revise as needed.
- Expand your channels: Once your basic story is in pretty good shape, translate it to the various media in draft form – elevator pitch, resume, cover letter, social media profiles.
- Seek next-level feedback and conduct A/B testing: Present your story and digital documents to a small group of mentors or former managers who understand you and your work but can be candid. Ask specifically, ‘Does this resonate?’.
- Field-test your story: Expand your audience to increasingly important people who are closer to what you’re aiming for. Schedule informational chats with a few recruiters or head-hunters who specialise in your field.
- Iterate until polished: Consolidate feedback and revise your story – tighten phrasing, swap out vague claims for concrete examples, and fine-tune the ‘Why me?’ section
In building, sharpening and framing your story, you have already started to do something that is incredibly powerful. In field-testing your proposition with confidence, you are creating the right conditions so your credibility can spread. Whether you are building a network inside an organisation or externally you need to get people talking about you. You have to put yourself front of mind when someone asks: I have a role, do you know someone who might be a good fit?
It might seem like the current market disruptions – AI, restructuring, inflation and bad economics are here to change the world, but your unique attributes are still what give companies competitive advantage and what they are seeking. Be special. Only a few sharp employers can get a YOU. For the right price!
Julian Lighton is one of Silicon Valley’s leading strategy practitioners and business coaches and the author of Navigating Your Next: Discover the Career You Want and the Path to Get There (out now, Advantage Books).
