There’s a simple thing you can do to qualify for better jobs and better pay.
It will help to increase your value to employers and could be the secret to getting paid what you’re worth.
I don’t know you, but I know a lot about you. That’s what makes the internet such an incredible resource. I can sit here writing about you and you can sit there in awe of my amazing insight. (Okay, now I’m indulging myself). Seriously, I know you are a person with a skill, trade or talent. You are a person with desires, dreams – a destination or goal you’re aiming for. You are a person with initiative and drive. You are a freelancer and as such, I can tell you exactly what your job title or job description is without even knowing your niche or specialty.
Have you thought about your job title?
No doubt, in your resume or business profile, you list your training, history and experience. You tell ‘what you do’, what your focus is, your area of expertise. You call yourself an ‘accountant’ or ‘illustrator’ or ‘manager’ or whatever the recognized industry title is for your field. These are all important. But do you ever get the feeling that you’re just blending in with all the others applying for the same work? Wouldn’t it be great to spice up your resume or application with an extra little bit of color that makes it stand out from all the rest? There are three words guaranteed to do the trick. I’ll tell you how to make them work for you.
There are two parts to making the three words work. The first part, you know already – that’s using them to help you get on the interviewer’s ‘A’ list. The second part will help you clinch the position and get extra pay. Maximum effectiveness will depend on one thing – your attitude about the three words. If you recognize their value, buy into the concept, project confidence and enthusiasm and present yourself as a sincere professional capable of producing results based on the concept, your positive attitude will be the deciding factor in the mind of your interviewer.
The three words that will stand out on your application and open the door for you to shine are ‘Professional Problem Solver.’
Does that title sound too simple? Think about it. That’s what you are – a professional problem solver. Whatever your field is, you solve problems. People come to you with work or jobs. The results you create are the solutions to their problems. You are the solution to their problem. If they could do it themselves, they wouldn’t be coming to you.
When interviewers see those three words in your title they’ll respond in one of two ways.
They’ll either say, “Whoa! Professional Problem Solver? That’s exactly what we need!” Or they’ll consider it a ‘gimmick’ and be amused. In either case, you will have caught their attention and they are going to ask you what it means. The door has opened.
Now it’s up to you. Be sincere in your approach.
Explain that you, as an experienced Professional Problem Solver, find solutions and create beneficial results. They can hand their project over to you knowing that it’s in capable hands. Then, give them specific examples (relative to the project at hand) of how you’ve actually taken similar ‘problems’ and created solutions. Any work you’ve done can be presented from the point of view as being a ‘problem’. Any successfully completed project is a ‘solution’ to a problem. Be positive, enthusiastic and confident. Smile, look them in the eye and BE the person they want to hire. Trust me. A Professional Problem Solver has far greater appeal and value to a company than just an ‘ordinary’ service provider.
I don’t know you. But I do know that, as a freelancer, you are already a Professional Problem Solver.
I encourage you to focus on that quality as one of your key values. That kind of mindset will motivate you to produce above-average results. And honestly, with the right attitude, that can mean the difference between average and above-average jobs and pay.