What’s the Magic Word in Business? Value.

What’s the most important word in business? Value.

Think about it. You’re scrolling through LinkedIn because it adds value to your life. Maybe you’re soaking up some wisdom, hunting for jobs, networking, or sharing your own pearls of wisdom. If LinkedIn didn’t pack a punch with its value, it’d go extinct. But LinkedIn adds a lot of value to the world, so it thrives. Its $15 billion revenue is proof.

Your company hired you because you bring value. Your company exists because it offers value to its customers. As a customer, you bought that laptop, those clothes on your back, and the latest smartphone because they add value to your life. Value is the heartbeat of consumerism and prosperity—it’s what keeps the world spinning.

As a recruiter, I sift through hundreds of resumes every week. Most of them are just bland lists of job responsibilities. They don’t show “value,” which is a crying shame because behind these resumes are high-value candidates.

If you’re a high-value candidate with a low-value resume, you will likely get passed over. Conversely, an average candidate with a value-packed resume will greatly increase his chances of winning multiple interviews.

There are three primary ways to show value on your resume:

1. Your educational pedigree
2. The companies you’ve worked with
3. The results you’ve delivered

Graduating from a top-tier school and working for a top company gives you an edge. But at the end of the day, your results are what matter most. Without results, your shiny credentials lose their luster. Results prove you can walk the walk.

So, take a hard look at your resume. Don’t romanticize—be brutally honest. Assess your value to the business and check if that’s clearly articulated.

Until you have value, the world doesn’t care about you. Is this politically incorrect? Probably. But is it true? Absolutely.

LinkedIn thrives because while it adds value, it’s also a monopoly—it has no competition. You and I are not so lucky. We need to demonstrate high value on our resumes and proposals, else we can kiss goodbye to wealth and prosperity.