What Can I Do For You?

What do I really have to offer?

I have a business management degree (can’t get much more ambiguous than that). In other words, I know how to manage… stuff. Thankfully, I left college with four internships which steered me in many directions until I landed upon an area of great interest, web design and marketing. As I begin my first job in Account… Management, I have been trying to figure out just how to make a splash and use my eager inexperience to my advantage.

During my job search I sent out a rather risky cover letter in that instead of a standard format, I answered the following questions:

Who Am I?

and

What Can I Do For You?

Although I’m sure many employers found this too bold coming from a soon-to-be grad, I took the risk hoping that they would take a risk on me. Luckily, someone did and also appreciated my competitive nature.

Before starting my job, I got a chance to read the book Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook). While many see this as a ‘modern-day feminist manifesto’, there is a ton of general career advice that I found valuable for both sexes. One of the most memorable stories she told was regarding a woman that called inquiring for a job…

She (lady speaking with Sheryl) said the following: “I want to talk with you about coming to work with you at Facebook. So I thought about calling you and telling you all the things I’m good at and all the things I like to do. But I figured that everyone is doing that. So instead I want to know what’s your biggest problem and how can I solve it?”

When I read this a lightbulb went off. Being bold wasn’t just for show in my cover letter… I needed to act on it. Answering the general question of myself in the cover letter had landed me a job; now that I’m here, I need to ask them the specific question, “ What CAN I DO for you?”. You tell me, and I will do it.

Now that is what I have to offer.