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How to Show Your Value to Employers, with Susan M. Barber

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Your credentials get you in the door. But to land the job, you have to stand out. On this episode of Find Your Dream Job, guest expert Sue Barber explains why so many job seekers undersell themselves and what to do instead. She works with high achievers who stay in the background, and she’s made a career of helping them step forward and speak up about the value they bring.

Sue walks through how to take inventory of your strengths, use language that matches the level you’re going for, and apply the “show, don’t tell” principle to your interview answers. She also talks about what imposter syndrome looks like in the interview room and how to push through it. If you’ve ever deflected credit or downplayed your role in a project, this episode is for you.

About Our Guest:

  • Sue Barber is a coach who helps under-the-radar high achievers transform into visible leaders. Sue is also the host of The Visibility Factor podcast.

Resources in This Episode:

Transcript

Find Your Dream Job, Episode 550:

How to Show Your Value to Employers, with Susan Barber

Airdate: May 6, 2026

Mac Prichard:

This is Find Your Dream Job, the podcast that helps you get hired, have the career you want, and make a difference in life.

I’m your host, Mac Prichard. I’m also the founder of Mac’s List. It’s a job board in the Pacific Northwest that helps you find a fulfilling career.

Every Wednesday, I talk to a different expert about the tools you need to get the work you want.

Your credentials and your skills will help you get in the door when you look for work.

But to get the job, you need to stand out from your competitors.

Sue Barber joins us to talk about how to show your value to employers.

She’s a coach who helps under-the-radar high achievers transform into visible leaders.

Sue is also the host of The Visibility Factor podcast.

She joins us from outside of Chicago, Illinois.

Well, let’s get right into it, Sue. What do you mean exactly when you talk about showing your value to employers?

Susan M Barber:

I think it’s really important when you’re in an interview to be very conscious of the fact that they are trying to make a hard decision and they want to know that the person that they’re hiring is going to bring value quickly.

They don’t want to hire someone and hope in six months or a year that it’s going to happen. So you have to demonstrate through the language that you use, the examples that you talk about, that you really understand what’s needed for this role, and how you can hit the ground running quickly.

Mac Prichard:

And how does that make you stand out from your competitors when you do this?

Susan M Barber:

Well, I love to teach people about how they are unique and the things that they bring to a role or to a company that they may have that other candidates don’t have. And I think as a candidate, you always have to be thinking about what is it that I bring that others may not have?

I may have done mergers and acquisitions. I may have done some big global program that no one else has done. And you have to be thinking about how do I set myself apart?

And some of that is through the work that you’ve done, but also other experiences that you’ve had throughout your life that may be helpful and valuable to the company.

Mac Prichard:

How do you figure that out, Sue? What’s going to make you stand apart from your competitors? And what’s going to make you different? What have you seen work?

Susan M Barber:

I usually have people go through, like a little bit of an inventory of the things that they’ve done, the experiences that they’ve had, the things that people have told them that are different about them.

Wow, you think differently than I do. You’re really good at connecting the dots for people quickly. You’re really good at taking complex subjects and making them simple. People are telling you all the time what you’re good at and what makes you unique, but you don’t always pay attention because it’s easy for you.

It’s something you always do, so you just kind of discount it. But in these moments when you’re trying to get a job, you want to bring those things to the forefront and let people see them.

Mac Prichard:

Why can’t you let your value speak for itself? Why can’t you rely on your LinkedIn profile or your resume when you submit these materials for employers to figure that out?

Susan M Barber:

Sometimes they’re used to looking at a lot of resumes, they’re used to having a lot of interviews, and what you bring is important, and the language that you use and how you talk about yourself is really important.

You want to use words that show your value and how you do things, but you also want to make sure that you’re thinking about how to demonstrate that. So I use a concept of show, not tell. I can tell you what I’ve done, but I have to show you now.

Mac Prichard:

And I want to talk about that in a moment, Sue. But before we get there, there are people who think, well, isn’t it just enough to turn in the application materials? Why can’t you rely on that alone? Why do you have to do the things we’re going to talk about in a moment?

Susan M Barber:

I think it just doesn’t tell enough of the story, right, that people need to hear from you. It’s really easy to read some words and say, they did these things. Sometimes context is a big piece of this, right? Why did you do that? How did you come to do that? What influence did you have over doing that?

And it’s really hard to do that in a few lines on a resume, right? So it’s important to put as much in there as possible, right? But I think we need white space on a resume. People get overwhelmed by too much.

So it’s important to just have that there, but also be able to talk about it when you’re actually in the interview, when they ask you about it, because they will.

Mac Prichard:

Okay. In your experience, you coach so many people; do people hesitate to talk about their accomplishments? Does that happen a lot? And to talk about their value?

Susan M Barber:

Yes, all the time it happened to me. So I definitely understand how it happens. You know, I think we have been conditioned, especially women, I think, have been conditioned to, you know, stay in the background, not speak up all the time, or they feel imposter syndrome, and they feel like other people in the room are smarter than they are, that they know more.

But it can happen to anyone. I’ve coached many men who also have it. And I think it’s just something that we have, depending on our beliefs, depending on what we’ve been taught, the experiences that we’ve had, we might tend to stay in the background just because we’re devaluing the things that we really have to offer.

So being able to talk about the things in a way that sounds very valuable to an employer is important. And this is your time to, as they say, toot your horn, right? Because you need to be able to let them know that you’re ready for this and you’re excited about it.

Mac Prichard:

I want to talk about how to toot your horn effectively and show that value to employers. Before we do that, one last question. What mistakes do you see people make when they’re trying to talk about their accomplishments and demonstrate their value to a hiring manager?

Susan M Barber:

I think they use diminishing language, like I think, I’m not sure. Actually, that was the rest of my team who did that. That wasn’t me. I think a lot of people are afraid to take credit for their role in a project or program or in their team.

You know, I always tell people, especially leaders of people, like you have a role there, right? You’re not doing the work, but you’re overseeing it. You’re governing it. You’re making sure that everybody else is doing what they need to do.

And you’re influencing others to know that this happened. So I think it’s just helping people have a mindset of what do I want to do? How do I want to communicate that? But my role is important too, no matter what it was.

Mac Prichard:

Well, let’s talk about how to show your value to employers, and you’ve touched on some of these ideas, especially the importance of language. Let’s talk more about that, Sue. How can words that you use shape the way employers see you, both positively and negatively?

Susan M Barber:

Yeah, I mean, depending on the role you’re going for, I think it’s important to use language that really shows that you’re ready for that role. So if I’m a manager currently and I’m going for a director role, I need to be using language that demonstrates director-like thinking, right? I’m strategic.

I am doing things that really help move the needle. I’m influencing people in the organization. Those are things that they would expect a director to be doing.

But if I talk about, you know, I like to, you know, put together spreadsheets, and I like to build PowerPoint programs and stuff that just doesn’t really demonstrate someone who’s at a director level.

I think it’s very important to be understanding of the fact that your language drives a lot of what you say to people, but it also creates a narrative about you that they now have, and so you have to be mindful of that.

Mac Prichard:

How do you recommend someone prepare to use language effectively and present a narrative that gives you control of your story before walking into an interview?

Susan M Barber:

Yeah, I think you tell them what you want them to hear, right? So the words that you’re using prepare in the stories that you use, practice them.

I’ll have people speak those little audio messages into their phone and send them to me, and I’ll help them understand whether or not they’re speaking at the level that they need to be or if we need to shift some language.

But it’s very common to just, you know, spout out an answer without thinking about it. So practicing is very important and just thinking about what is the narrative that I want them to have about me and how am I preparing through the language that I use to get that across to them.

Mac Prichard:

What are the most important elements of a narrative or the story you show or share, rather in an interview that demonstrates you’ve got that value? How do you break that down for the people you coach?

Susan M Barber:

I like them to think about how they want to show up. So if I want to be bold, you know, I’m using language that might be bolder. If I want to be seen as someone who is a director, I’m using language that’s, you know, director-like, I’ll say, right.

But the important thing is also looking at the job description. What are the things that they want you to be able to do? And so you have to refer to those things within the interview. You might say something like, “So you mentioned in the job description that you’re looking for someone who can lead a global program. In my experience, the things that I did when I led a global program were blah, blah, blah.”

And I think it just helps them connect the dots that they can see you doing it now because you’ve already done something like that.

Even if it’s not exact, that’s OK. If it’s similar, that’s good. But talking about it and referring back to the fact that you know that they need that, and that’s something you have, makes it really easy for them to already think about you in that role then.

Mac Prichard:

You mentioned the job description and using it as a source for language that reflects the job you want, and to help you identify the value you’ve provided in the past. How do you recommend people study that job description to pull out those phrases and words?

And what other sources have you found to be effective besides the job description for creating the language that’s going to demonstrate that you are at the level that the employer wants you to be at?

Susan M Barber:

Yeah, I have them usually look at the beginning of the first three to five things that the job responsibilities that that role has, or if they highlight some really required things that they’re looking for. I think highlighting those through the examples that you give is really important.

And you can tell the language that they’re using in that job description of what the expectations are of that person in that role.

And so you can talk about how you’ve done something similar and explain how it really, really struck you as something that you’ve already done when you read the job description. I’m just reaffirming for the person that I know what they need, and I can help them.

I think it’s helpful to work with someone to mock interview you when you’re trying to go for these, especially if you haven’t interviewed in a while, because they can tell you whether or not they feel like the language is in the right place.

Leaving, you know, audio messages and even listening to those yourself, because sometimes we go on autopilot and we say a lot of things that we don’t always listen to ourselves.

And so sometimes you can even go back and listen to it and say, you know what, that’s not demonstrating someone who’s bold, or it’s not demonstrating at a director level.

There are certain characteristics at different levels that are expected. So that’s just a few ways I’ve tried to help people with that.

Mac Prichard:

Terrific. Well, we’re going to pause and take a break. Stay with us when we return. So Sue Barber will continue to share her advice on how to show your value to employers.

We’re back in the Mac’s List Studio. I’m talking with Sue Barber. She’s a coach who helps under-the-radar high achievers transform into visible leaders.

She’s also the host of The Visibility Factor podcast. And Sue joins us from outside of Chicago, Illinois.

Now, Sue, before the break, we were talking about how to show your value to employers. And we talked about why it’s important to do this, what some of the reasons people might struggle with doing this are, and the difference it can make, especially from standing out from your competitors when you do it well.

We talked about the importance of language. I want to go back to another point you made in the first segment, which is the importance of showing, not telling. Why is that an effective way to show your value to employers?

Susan M Barber:

I mean, I think we’re really good at telling something that we’ve done, but I just don’t think we use enough language to talk about why it’s valuable, why it matters to the company, and how it made an impact on the bottom line. And so just stretching that out a little bit.

So, you know, I led a global program where we implemented, you know, 50 countries with this new program, and we eliminated $100,000 or a million dollars worth of costs. I think it just helps people understand that you have a good size and scope that you’ve been responsible for, the things that you’ve already implemented.

It helps them just connect the dots into the fact that you can do this at their company too, without them having to hold your hand.

Mac Prichard:

When you’re coaching people who are struggling with how to show what you’ve done, how do you recommend they approach this? You shared an example, you gave specific results, how exactly do you help people get to that point?

Susan M Barber:

I really want it to become part of their DNA. So when they talk to me, even when they give me examples, I’ll say, okay, go back and share that with me again, but give me more of the details around what you actually did, how you made an impact there, what is important about that, and why the company should care.

So I’m trying to, like, almost help them start to do this for themselves. It’s like learning how to problem-solve. You know, what are the questions you need to answer? Whether that helps people understand, you know, why it was a big deal, because it’s a big deal to you.

You’re just not sharing it in a big deal way. You’re talking about it in a very simple way. But again, this is a time to really toot your horn and talk about the things that you’ve done in a way that they can see it and hear it.

Mac Prichard:

And it’s important when you do this to say I rather than we, it? And why does that make a difference?

Susan M Barber:

You know, there are a lot of people who are afraid to claim credit, I found, and they feel like it’s, you know, especially if they were leading a team, they feel like it’s something that they should really highlight the other people. We’ve been taught to give other people credit, basically, right.

But in an interview, you have to do a little bit of both. You do have to give credit where credits due, but you also have to talk about your role in that.

And your role as a leader means that you’re doing a whole lot of things outside of, you know, just delivering something to make that happen, getting funding, influencing others to approve the program, doing a business case in front of the senior leadership, you know, whatever those things are.

So highlight the things that you have done to make that happen. Maybe it’s even developing and promoting your team members to help them get visibility in front of other leaders. So all of those things demonstrate capabilities that you have that maybe somebody else doesn’t have, and you want to highlight as many of those as possible.

Mac Prichard:

Every career has setbacks, and we all work on projects that, a project here or there that’s going awry. How do you recommend people talk about setbacks, especially if asked about that in an interview, while continuing to show your value to an employer?

Susan M Barber:

Yeah, I think you talk about it in a way that says, you know, we had this great plan, we were going down this path, we were doing this thing, and the implementation didn’t really go as we hoped.

But here’s what I learned from that. And I think that’s the language you want to use. Here’s what I learned from that. Here’s what I help my team learn, because we all make mistakes, right? But that’s how you learn.

And I feel like the things that didn’t go well in my career are the things that I learned the most from and can really use, you know, in an interview or helping people that I coach, because it’s not a perfect world.

And I think we sometimes think that it is. And I find that when people are actually authentic and honest in interviews, it helps them be much more relatable to an employer.

Mac Prichard:

And what is the employer hearing when you say, “We started out to do this, it didn’t go well, this is the lesson I learned?” What does the employer think in your experience when someone takes that approach?

Susan M Barber:

I mean, I think they’re authentic. Like this is a person that’s authentic. That has the ability to be vulnerable, has integrity, and isn’t making up some story just to make it look good for them. And you want that in somebody that you’re going to hire because they’re going to be making big decisions potentially.

They’re going to be in charge of budgets, you know, whatever it is, the role is you want them to demonstrate that they can do that. And some of these values or characteristics show up in your answers without you, maybe even realizing it. But they’re paying attention to that. They’re doing interviews all the time.

So they’re used to looking for certain things, and they’re comparing that to what their company has or does and whether that’s going to fit into their culture, right? You have to be a culture fit, too.

Mac Prichard:

Another tip you have for showing your value to an employer is to understand what makes you unique. Why does this matter, Sue?

Susan M Barber:

You know, again, I think it’s just all about trying to stand out from other people who are being interviewed. And of course, you don’t know who those people are.

So it’s really important to just highlight the things that you think might be important, things that you can look at in that job description and see that they maybe haven’t thought of. Maybe they’ve never implemented something that you’ve done or led a program that you’ve led.

And you can talk about how you’ve done that. That’s going to spark some interest from them to say, ” My gosh, that’s something we’ve been talking about. We just didn’t have anybody who knew how to do it. I’m really excited to talk to her and have her do that for us.”

So you have to think about the implications of what you have and how that could help them, too. It’s not just that I have these things that I’ve already done. What could you help them do next?

That’s a high-value thing that I think sometimes we just answer the questions that someone gives us without necessarily adding in the next part of it, which is, you know, I saw in the job description you’re doing this.

Have you considered doing this next? That’s something, you know, we’ve already implemented. I’d love to talk more about that with you.

Mac Prichard:

And so you figure that out by looking at the job description. But I think you’re also asking employers questions. You’re not just responding with answers. How does that make you stand out from your competitors and make you appear unique when you do that?

Susan M Barber:

You know, I think it shows that you’ve prepared for the interview first of all, that you understand what the company is doing, that you understand what this role, you know, might be doing.

But I also, when I coach people, ask them, “What does success look like? What are the things that they’ve had challenges with in the company that they’ve really struggled with?” They may or may not tell you that, right?

But put some hard questions back to them, because I think you might learn information that then you can address through something you haven’t already answered, something you didn’t think about was going to be an issue.

Now you have the opportunity to share that. Everything is this back-and-forth conversation, which never monopolizes the conversation. You want to ask your questions, too, because it’s important that you feel like it’s a good fit for you, too.

Mac Prichard:

And in the end, you’re adding value by drawing an employer out about the organization’s problems, and you’re providing some ideas that perhaps your competitors aren’t sharing, aren’t you?

Susan M Barber:

Correct, yeah, and that you have the confidence to do that. Not everybody has that confidence walking into an interview.

So if you demonstrate confidence that you have ideas, that you’re excited, that goes a long way to just seeing that you might be a great candidate for their culture fit, and that they can see you on their team, and that you can really contribute quickly.

Mac Prichard:

What’s your number one tip for helping people be confident in a job interview before they walk into that interview room?

Susan M Barber:

To me, it’s all about mindset. So really, going in with what is the mindset that I want to have because that drives your language and behavior. So if I want to demonstrate confidence, if I want to demonstrate that I’m ready for this role, I have to really be focused on the things that I know that I can do and be excited to talk about those.

And I just think that comes through. I think I’ve interviewed plenty of people who are very monotonous and don’t have a lot of excitement. And it’s just hard to get excited about them.

This is a bit of a performance in some ways, right? Where you’re trying to demonstrate that you’re excited about them too. So take every opportunity to prepare as much as you can. Have other people mock interview you to get feedback, but just be prepared.

Mac Prichard:

Terrific. It’s been a great conversation, Sue. Now tell us what’s next for you.

Susan M Barber:

You know, I’m trying to do some things to really leverage the books that I’ve written. I have a new workbook that came out in October called Your Journey to Visibility Workbook. And that has a lot of great things that some of the things that we’ve talked about here today with language and preparing with value and confidence.

But I think it’s also important for you to just think about if there are workshops that anybody needs that talk about some of the things that I really focus on around visibility, value, and confidence. I would love to have a conversation because it’s so much fun to help other people learn the things that I’ve had to learn over my career.

Mac Prichard:

I know our audience can learn more about you, your workshops, your workbook, and your other services by visiting your website. That URL is susanmbarber.com. We’ll be sure to include that in the show notes.

And you also invite audience members to connect with you on LinkedIn. When you do reach out to Sue, please tell her that you saw and heard her on Find Your Dream Job.

Now, Sue, given all the great advice you’ve shared today, what’s the one thing you want our audience to remember about how to show your value to an employer?

Susan M Barber:

I think it comes down to really being excited about the things that you bring and recognizing that you have a lot of value to offer to an employer and not minimizing that.

Look at the language that you’re using, prepare for that interaction in the best way, and just remember that your voice matters. So let’s use it. Let’s speak up about the great things that you’ve done and not be hiding that from anyone.

Mac Prichard:

Thank you for listening to Find Your Dream Job.

You can support our show and help others find it by leaving a review and rating on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or a suggestion? Email me at mac@macslist.org, or connect with me on LinkedIn.

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This show is produced by Mac’s List.

Susan Thornton-Hough schedules our guests and writes our newsletter. Lisa Kislingbury Anderson manages our social media and creates our transcripts.

Our sound engineer and editor is Megan Hattie Stahl. Our music is by Freddy Trujillo.

This is Mac Prichard. See you next week.

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