Differentiating yourself in the workplace.

What differentiates you in the workplace?

In today’s workplace, bringing something unique to your business is important. You may have been hired on you resume or your work experience, however, what is it that really differentiates you in the workplace?

Every company is different and you have to work within your company culture, but differentiating yourself is important if you want to advance your career. Beyond developing your personal brand, employers are looking for employees that will excel in specific areas that will benefit their business.

So, what differentiates you in the workplace?

Technical Expertise – Are you a technical expert? If so, great! You will need to stay ahead of industry developments and be good at translating industry technical advancements to your business. It is not enough to be smart and knowledgeable, but you will need to use your technical expertise to innovate new services and products for your company. Challenge yourself to become an industry thought leader!

Client Development – You may be good in developing personal relationships and being the face of your company with clients. Client development could be where you achieve your greatest success and bring the greatest value to your company. Start early in building your client relationships, understand the value you can bring to your clients and maintain your relationships throughout your career. Your value will be recognized if you leverage your relationships to generate sustainable growth for your company.

Operational Delivery – Do you wake up in the morning with your daily punch list? If you do, you maybe someone who values delivering your projects and assignments on time, on schedule and on budget. Today’s business solutions are complex, if you can deliver your company solutions to your clients flawlessly, you will add great value to your company. Drive yourself to build strong teams, focus on business management and deliver on your client’s expectations.

Lastly, you must have a skill set that allows you to understand the technical, client and operational requirements of your market solutions. However, you will excel if you are uniquely different and exceptional in one of the areas most critical to your company’s success.