The Importance of Knowing Your Unique Selling Point

When interviewing for any position, you are essentially trying to market and sell yourself as your own brand. You need to communicate to the hiring committee reasons for why you are the perfect person for the job. So in order to set yourself apart from the competition, you need to know what differentiates yourself from all the other candidates. In other words, you need to come up with your unique selling point.

A great way to discover your selling point is to try and brainstorm what makes you impressive, incomparable and distinctive. Figure out your unique skills and abilities so that you can effectively display them in your career documents and succinctly convey them in an interview. When you are in that all important interview, it is incredibly important that you can successfully convince the hiring committee of your worth and the benefits that will come to them from hiring you…And the way to accomplish that is by utilizing your unique selling point.

If you aren’t sure of your unique qualities and skills, look to your resume and cover letter. This is a great resource to turn to when looking for your selling point. Better yet, develop your resume with your selling point in mind. This is a situation where you are forced to communicate your skills and qualities, as well as your accomplishments. The adjectives that you come up with to describe yourself are the very qualities that make you unique. Don’t be afraid to tout your own horn – this is the time when it’s important to do just that. Your resume and cover letter are your first impression with a hiring committee, so showcase those great qualities and skills that make you special and stand out from the rest of the candidates. By doing this, you will also discover your unique selling point that you can further use when it comes to the all important interview.

When preparing for the interview, list all of the accomplishments that you’ve made throughout your teaching career. Next, list all the adjectives that best describe you and your accomplishments. Then, tailor these traits and accomplishments to the ones that are best suited towards the teaching position for which you are applying. You have now successfully discovered your unique selling point, so the next step is to take this to the hiring committee in the interview.

You can practice your interviewing skills by making up mock interview questions. This will give you the chance to make up answers to questions that showcase your skills and utilize your unique selling point. Not only will this better prepare you for the interview, but you will also be more confident in using your selling point in this type of scenario.
During the interview, you will be asked many questions about your teaching style, accomplishments, and what you can bring to the new school/district. This is your time to shine. You can focus your answers around your unique selling point, showing the hiring committee why they should hire you for their school. Your selling point will make up the overall theme of your interview, highlighted by your specific skills and talents and showcased by your accomplishments. This will create a great impression on the hiring committee, and place you in a fantastic position for landing the position.