If you keep getting close to a job offer but never land it, there’s something you need to hear. It might be hard to accept, but it’s essential. The problem probably isn’t discrimination or nepotism. It’s that you don’t know how to explain your unique value add, or UVA, in a way that makes an employer say, “We need this person.”
It’s easy to blame outside forces when things don’t go your way. That feels safer. But focusing on what you can’t control only keeps you stuck. If you want real change, you have to ask, “What can I do differently?” That mindset is what helps people turn things around.
Why Some Candidates Keep Winning
In today’s job market, the person who gets hired is not always the most qualified on paper. The winner is usually the one who explains their your unique value add better. Employers don’t want just another CV with long lists of skills. They want to understand how you’ll make their lives easier.
Think about it like selling a product. People don’t buy a phone because it has three cameras. They buy it because they want to take great photos or talk to family. Employers are the same. They don’t care about your work history. They hire the results you can bring to their team.
What Is a Unique Value Add (UVA)?
Your your unique value add is the total value of your skills, background, and experience. But it’s not about listing what you’ve done. It’s about explaining how what you’ve done will help your next company. It should show how you save money, solve problems, ease stress, or help a company grow.
Let’s take a real example. In a 2023 LinkedIn survey, 63% of hiring managers said they hired someone because the person “solved a problem in the interview.” That shows the power of connecting your experience to a precise result. Your your unique value add is already built into your work history. You need to bring it to life.
The Common Mistake That Holds People Back
Most job seekers talk in features, not benefits. They say, “I’ve worked in marketing for six years.” That’s a feature. But it doesn’t tell the employer how you’ll help them. It’s like saying a blender has three speeds but not saying it makes smoothies faster.
What the hiring manager wants to know is, “Will this person make my day better or harder?” Employers are already busy. If hiring you adds more stress, they’ll pass. But if you show how you make life easier, they’ll listen. You need to speak in outcomes.
How to Turn Your Experience into Benefits
The shift happens when you link your past work to clear value. Don’t just say, “I managed a team.” Instead, say something like, “At my last job, I led a team that cut turnaround time by 30%, helping the company hit its launch dates and grow client retention by 15%.”
Here’s another example. Instead of saying, “I’m a strong communicator,” try this: “In my previous role, I introduced a weekly update process that cut client complaints by half and improved team communication.” According to a report by CareerBuilder, 74% of employers say they look for clear proof of problem-solving and impact.
That’s how you move from being a “nice-to-have” to a “must-have.” Your your unique value add becomes a story that employers can remember. And when they remember you, they’re more likely to hire you.
Practice Your Unique Value Add Before Every Interview
Knowing your your unique value add isn’t enough. You have to practice how you talk about it. Every answer you give in an interview should come back to your your unique value add. For example, if someone asks, “What are your strengths?” don’t say, “I’m organized.” Say, “My ability to structure and streamline tasks helped my last manager reclaim five hours each week.”
This isn’t about bragging. It’s about being clear and helpful. You’re showing how you’ll save the employer time, reduce mistakes, or help them grow faster. That’s what employers are hiring.
A study from Glassdoor shows that job seekers who can clearly explain their past impact are 40% more likely to get a callback. So it’s not about being the best at everything. It’s about being the best at showing your value.
You’re Closer Than You Think
You already have everything you need. You’ve done the work. You have the skills. You’ve built a strong career. The next step is learning how to speak about your experience in a way that makes someone else care.
Start by asking yourself, “What results have I helped create?” Then go deeper: “What problems did I solve?” “How did I make someone’s job easier?” “Where did I save time or money?” Those are the answers employers remember.
The truth is, the job search isn’t always fair. But you can still tip the odds in your favor. Don’t let your CV be a list of tasks. Make it a story of value, and then bring that story into the interview room.
The job market is tough, but it’s not impossible. People are getting hired every day. If you learn to explain your your unique value add in a way that connects with what employers want, you won’t be the runner-up anymore. You’ll be the one they choose.
Now What?
Take a few minutes today to write down the real results of your work. Think about times you solved a complex problem or made something better. Turn those into clear, short stories. Then, practice saying them out loud.
When you go into your next interview, don’t focus on being perfect. Focus on being useful. Because when employers see how you’ll help them, they stop looking and start hiring.
As author and business expert Seth Godin once said, “People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories, and magic.” Your your unique value add is your story. Make it count.
