Creating a Personal Positioning Plan

What type of job are you positioning yourself for, and who are you targeting to get it? When asked this question 15 months ago, I thought, “Well, that’s easy.” Then I realized I was wrong. By answering several key questions, I was able to adjust my mindset and find the best jobs to apply for in organizations that were right for me.

There are many aspects to a job search strategy but figuring out where you fit and how to make yourself stand out can be difficult when searching online.

A personal positioning plan is one aspect of a comprehensive job search strategy, and – in my opinion – one of the most important pieces. A personal positioning plan can help you navigate the process of finding a job more effectively and can provide direction you may not have originally considered. It could help you remove experiences from your current resume or LinkedIn that don’t connect with the direction you are going, and help you realize work you have accomplished but didn’t see how it fit into your job search plan.  

Grab a pen or pencil and let’s start your personal positioning plan. In each of these sections, quickly write down what first comes to mind, and don’t hesitate. If nothing comes to mind, move on to the next question. After your thoughts have been written down, write out a two or three sentence description melding together what is most important.

Organization

• What is your perfect organization?
• Where will you be your best?
• What size organization do you want to work in?
• Are you a good fit for an organization in the start-up, growth, maturity, decline or revitalization phase of business?

Personal Position Plan: This is the hardest section to work through, and may take a little more time.  From the first three sections, you should start to see a unique combination from your background, including your past positions and roles, and the type of organization you are targeting. This will help you describe what makes you different.

When working on this section, think about the position you are applying for and put yourself in the mind of a leader in that area.

 What makes you different?

• What skills do you have?
• What makes you unique?
• What is the organization facing and where will your skills stand out?
• What gives you a competitive advantage?
• Look at your background and determine unique strengths that differentiate you from other candidates.

Now that you have completed your positioning plan, you have all the pieces needed to develop your personal position statement. This statement can be used on your resume, LinkedIn profile, or wherever you feel will help other people understand who you are and what you are about.

Examples

“Successful leader managing small to large-scale projects using traditional scrum and project management techniques. Well-versed in leveraging cross-functional, IT, analyst, and quality teams. Anticipates and confirms the needs of stakeholders to help find appropriate solutions to IT issues.  Applies project management best practices, technical expertise, and business acumen to achieve targeted results. Accomplished, strategic professional with progressive experience leading and managing teams.”