This morning, as I was making myself a cup of tea, it occurred to me that the experience is way better than any of the supermarket brands of my youth. Tazo tea is a brand that not only embodies quality but is packaged in a way that exudes it!

It then occurred to me that career success increasingly requires standing out from the “supermarket shelf” of commoditized career descriptors. For example, one of my past clients had a resume that characterized him as being a “proven technology leader with ability to focus on end-user and business drivers, to produce innovative, integrated systems.” For an IT leader, I’d say this is expected. It suggests a commodity skill set.

After taking the time to understand what he truly accomplished and the unique value he provides, we reworked his resume to reflect his brand: “A visionary and risk taker with proven ability to translate high-level concepts into real-world, enterprise systems that meet business requirements and provide a stable platform for growth.” Distinctive value, I’d say.

How about you? Do your career communications exude your value?