Sample Positioning Statements

The following are sample statements to help you develop your own brief description of
yourself for potential employers. The GBCC suggests that you create a short (10-second)
version for conversational introductions, as well as a longer (1-minute) version for use in
interviews. This worksheet is designed to help you create the first draft of your positioning
statement, an essential personal marketing tool.

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You are: A professional with a finance background, transitioning to a financial systems MIS position
Your audience is: an IT business development recruiter with Seagate
Based on my experience as a business systems manager at ExxonMobil, I am interested in business development at
Seagate. I began my career in corporate finance and successfully transferred my strong analytical skills to the
financial systems consulting arena. My focus has been in leading cross-functional multi-million dollar projects and
employing technology to solve strategic business problems.

You are: A professional with an advertising background, seeking a position in brand management
Your audience is: A Kraft marketing manager you have phoned
With five years’ experience in account management at Campbell Mithun, one of the largest regional ad agencies in
the US, I am interested in a career in brand management. I have a background in consumer lifestyle market
research, positioning, and consumer product launches, including the successful introduction of Purina Lite Paw
Prints to the dog food market. I am currently president of the Carlson Marketing Network and I am focusing my
studies in strategic management and marketing.

You are: An accountant going into finance

Your audience is: A recruiter from Medtronic
I am a finance professional with three years of experience in a Big Five public accounting firm, where I specialized
in the medical device and healthcare industries. I developed expertise in complex financial modeling and working
across functional areas to achieve goals. I am currently an MBA student in finance focused on working as a
financial analyst in the medical device industry.

You are: A military professional transitioning into business in the private sector
Your audience is: A recruiter from 3M
With a solid base of progressive experience in a large military organization, I am interested in working as an
operations analyst in a manufacturing company that values strong analytical skills and the ability to work both
independently and as a key member of a team. As an MBA student I have had Six Sigma training and emphases in
operations and MIS. I am also serving as president of the Carlson School Operations Club.

You are: A corporate finance professional with an interest in investment banking

Your audience is: A corporate recruiter from Lehman
I have more than 8 years of broad-based experience financing a wide variety of organizations. My greatest strength
is identifying the strengths and weaknesses of business, and building the team necessary to design and deliver
effective solutions to meet that client’s financial needs. My experience at Citigroup gave me a real grasp of the ways
in which financial institutions operate, and I know how to get things done. Nothing gives me more pleasure than
making profitable deals that benefit all the parties involved.

You are: A technical engineer with five years’ international experience, transitioning to a supply chain management
position
Your audience is: A networking contact who works in operations at Boeing
I have four years experience as a sales and project engineer for General Electric's turbine division. I was most
recently responsible for leading a cross-functional team of manufacturing, finance, systems, and admin
representatives in the design of a Customer Relationship Management system, which is currently being

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implemented. Prior to that, I was the lead sales engineer servicing our largest customer, which accounted for 15%
of our revenue. My MBA emphasis is Strategic Management and my undergrad engineering degree is from MIT.
I'm looking for a position as an internal consultant specializing in business transformation and market development.

You are: An international student with a heavy academic background and two years’ work experience
Your audience is: A financial services software firm
I have expertise in accounting and financial systems. I have been certified as a CPA in the US and have a masters
degree in accounting and an undergraduate degree in finance. I am focusing on MIS here at Carlson because I
believe my accounting and finance background combined with our top-rated MIS program enables me to be able to
interact effectively with both finance and systems professionals. Also, I worked at a department store as its accounts
payable administrator. I am particularly interested in helping corporate customers integrate software into their
operations.

You are: An experienced salesperson transitioning to e-business consulting

Your audience is: A contact at Epic Systems
After graduating from University of Illinois in Economics, I worked for 3 years as a national account manager for a
consumer products firm, managing the relationship with Best Buy, one of our firm's largest clients. The position
required coordinating the supply chain process. In one project, I led the team to reduce inventory by 10% annually
while and increase the timely manufacturing and delivery of our products into stores. This multi-million dollar IT
project became a model for how to help other clients reduce inventory costs and increase sales.

I particularly enjoy understanding customers’ information needs and communicating with technical professionals to
create solutions.

You are: A professional with an accounting degree working in the finance department of the major corporation; you
are interviewing for a position within your corporation's MBA financial analyst rotational program
Your audience is: A member of the company's internal interviewing team, which includes finance managers and
directors
In the three years that I have been with the company, I have developed my teamwork and leadership skills internally
while completing my MBA on a part-time basis. I demonstrated my analytical skills and strategic thinking with the
new hourly payroll model I implemented in my role as a planning analyst. I have also led change and influenced the
entire Assets Protection organization through managing the online Key Performance Measures project. I am
confident that I will continue to demonstrate these leadership qualities as I tackle the next challenge in the analyst
rotation program.

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You are: An HRIR student with one year of work experience, seeking compensation work
Your audience is: A recruiter from GE
Based on my experiences as a human resources intern for 3M, I am interested in pursuing a career in compensation
and performance management in a diversified manufacturing organization. During my internship I contributed to a
new job analysis and salary structure tool that is now used throughout North America. This project allowed me to
apply my strong statistics skills, and I enjoyed the challenge of working with a variety of functions and job families.
I am currently working on my Masters in HR and Industrial Relations at the Carlson School of Management.

You are: An HR professional interested in benefits work

Your audience is: A recruiter from General Mills
I am a human resources professional interested in pursuing benefits work at General Mills. I have three years of
experience at Norwest, where I specialized in administration of long-term disability and Family and Medical Leave
Act (FMLA) policies. I am currently pursuing my Masters in HR and Industrial Relations at the Carlson School of
Management, in order to complement my past experience in HR. For the past year I’ve served as Vice President of
Iota Rho Chi, an organization of HR/IR graduate students.

You are: A professional in the travel industry seeking a staffing and training position
Your audience is: A recruiter from Target

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I am interested in working for Target as a staffing and training specialist. My background includes 8 years of
experience in the travel industry, where I managed a customer service team and developed training programs for
airline employees. My strengths are in evaluating areas of need and ensuring appropriate ongoing support to fill
those needs. The retail industry is particularly appealing to me because well-trained and customer-focused
employees are necessary for success. I decided to pursue my Masters in HR and Industrial Relations at the Carlson
School of Management because it is a top program that balances real-world experience with a strong theoretical
core.

You are: An HRIR student interested in rotational programs

I am a student in the Human Resources and Industrial Relations Program at the Carlson School of Management. I
am interested in companies with rotational programs, where I can learn and contribute in a variety of areas within
human resources. My experience includes a strong background in client services and two internships in human
resources with Fortune 500 companies. I have served as a leader in both graduate and undergraduate programs.
Currently I am the President of Iota Rho Chi, an organization of HR/IR graduate students.

You are: An HRIR student with an operations background transitioning to HR generalist work
I have four years of experience in customer relations and I am currently pursuing my masters in Human Resources
and Industrial Relations at the Carlson School of Management. Recently I completed a human resources internship
at Honeywell, where I developed a retention and stock option tool for HR generalists to assess risk. My project
culminated in the tool’s adoption across the ACS division of Honeywell. I am interested in a generalist position
within the operations function of a company, where I can use my strong data analysis and customer service skills.

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