Everyone wants to be valued. That’s why it can be painful when others, such as our employers, place less than the appropriate value on our skills and credentials. However, your value to your employer is only as high as you put it. If you place a high value on your professional credentials and skills, employers and companies will also view them highly.
How to ensure your professional credentials and skills are valued
Follow the tips below to understand how you can put a high value on your professional credentials and skills.
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Know your value
Although this sounds cliché, the truth is that a lot of people are valued at less than what they offer. This is because they don’t realize their value and what they hold in the way of your professional credentials and skills. As a result, they allow their employers to treat them any way they deem fit.
If you have genuinely worked hard for building your professional credentials and skills, then you should know what you’re worth. Accurate value placement will help you negotiate higher salaries and other benefits. It’ll also help if you apply to top organizations for a suitable job. You should believe that your value and experience is enough to get you the top spot.
Your experience is part of your value. What kind of basic degrees and certifications do you have? Do you have any additional degree? Do you have academic papers to your name? How relevant is/are your degree(s) to your job/role? The answers to these questions will determine the value of your credentials.
Other important factors include, places and industries you’ve worked with in the past, the positions you held, and your efficiency in your previous jobs. The answers to these questions will help you determine your value and understand your skills.
What other skills do you possess? How divergent are the roles you’ve performed? How well do your past employers’ rate you? These questions also help to determine your worth so that you can place the appropriate value on your skills and credentials.
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Apply where you are valued
It is not enough to know your worth. You must be where you are valued or go where you are likely to be valued. If you’re a manager in a top conglomerate, you shouldn’t apply for a job in a second-class company to be an office assistant. Such a move will lower the value of your skills and credentials. Instead, apply for work at organizations where your skills and credentials are likely to be recognized. Your proposed job role should match yyour professional credentials and skills — and expertise — so that your value continues to increase.
If you work at a place where you feel your professional credentials and skills, you can consider moving on to a better workplace or try for renegotiation. Remember that your value is only as high as you place it. That’s why you must know how to negotiate a raise. Present your case to show why you’re worth more and require a raise.
When applying for a new job, value assessment matters the most. For this reason, you need to try for value-based negotiation. Reference all the required points showcasing your value to the organization. Try not to come off as cocky while trying to show your worth because such an attitude may make you lose the position.
Apart from monetary terms, try to negotiate other perks beyond your financial value. Discuss perks such as flexible work arrangement, relocation reimbursement, healthcare, maternity leave, holiday pays, etc. The kind of response you get about the above will show you the value your would-be organization places on you.
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Give your employer reasons to value you
High recommendations could be the deal-sealer when applying for new jobs or roles. However, top recommendations don’t fall out of heaven, you have to work for it. That’s why everywhere you find yourself, as a staff or a volunteer, you need to prove your worth and become indispensable.
High recommendations would be a great advantage when you apply for new roles. Even a past employer can recommend you to a top organization for hire.
Demonstrate competence and exude confidence. Be one of those staff members who can get the job done. Be indispensable to your company by being at the forefront of everything. Overall, remain committed and dedicated. You may think that the management is unaware of your inputs. Actually, they may be fully aware and value you for your good performance.
Never stop learning and always seek to add value to yourself. How? By doing everything to improve yourself. Have you been at the workplace for a long time, but your boss no longer values you? Then add more value to your skills and credentials.
It may just be the right time for you to pursue that MBA, or attend that important conference. When you realize that your employers no longer recognize your worth, it is time for you to carry out game-changing moves to increase your worth.
To increase your worth, you need to learn the most coveted professional credentials and skills in your industry or place of work. You also need to keep improving yourself because the job marketplace is highly competitive. Your credentials might not be enough to take you far. You need to add more to your portfolio to stay competitive and add value to your existing worth.
Get soft skills and hard skills to stay dominant and be valued at your workplace. You must always remember that your value is only as high as you place it. So, self-improve to retain the value you’ve attached to your marketable portfolio.
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Don’t let gender gap disparity undermine you
The gender gap issue is a highly controversial one. Some say it exists, some say it doesn’t. Others feel that the problem exists but isn’t significant enough to be a big deal. Most of these opinions don’t change anything. Gender disparity is a real issue in the workforce.
As a woman, you might face this gender gap issue, but you need not despair. If you know the value of your skills and credentials, you can negotiate better for jobs that will pay you what you are worth.
Whether you are already working or just trying to find your way around in the workforce, you need to research the appropriate monetary value for your skills and credentials. After that, determine the proper pay for your job role at your (would-be) workplace. Doing the above would help you (re)negotiate your salary and other work benefits. The fight to end gender gap disparity might seem impossible, but never settle for less than your value. Remember, standing up is a part of your contribution to the fight against gender inequality.
Conclusion
Placing appropriate value on your professional credentials and skills will help you in your workplace tremendously. You can improve your value by constantly improving your skills, thereby making yourself indispensable to your employers. You should apply for jobs that recognize the value you have to offer. Practice the other helpful tips in this article to maintain or increase your professional value. 4010358
