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https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelwells/2025/12/28/7-actions-that-signal-youre-high-value-to-employers-in-2026/
7 Actions That Signal You’re “High Value” To Employers In 2026
ByRachel Wells,
Contributor.
The most essential career currency of 2026 is your skill-set.
But how on earth will employers know how skilled you are and hire you, if you’re not representing yourself as high value?
The ultimate question every employer decides and every prospective client has to answer before choosing to work with you, is, “What does this individual have to offer that will answer my need, solve my problem? Why should I pay out this salary or fee to work with this professional?”
In this article, you’ll discover the core ingredients that make you high value and in-demand throughout your career, and learn how to connect your value and expertise so that you get paid top dollar for your work.
But first, let me clarify what the use of the term employer means in this article.
Employer refers to whoever you’re working for, whether that’s in a traditional employer-employee relationship (i.e. you have a full-time job), or as an independent contractor-freelance relationship (i.e. you’re a freelancer working for an enterprise client). In either case, all the rules in this article apply.
1. Rebrand Your LinkedIn
High-value professionals act differently on LinkedIn, and that begins with your headline.
This is because your headline is the first thing employers and serious clients will see when they search your name, so you want to ensure it signals authority, not begging for an opportunity.
Instead of saying, “Seeking an opportunity in XYZ” or “Looking for my next role,” as I see so many job seekers and professionals in the middle of a career transition do, try removing your green banner and positioning yourself as a professional that focuses on tangible outcomes, as a specialist.
2. Bring Your Original Thought Leadership
It doesn't take genius to repost an already viral post, or to repurpose an idea that you already saw online, or even to copy-paste a smart ChatGPT-generated LinkedIn post.
But it does take genius to:
CEO: C-suite news, analysis, and advice for top decision makers right to your inbox.
- Have your original perspective on display
- Share your lived experiences as opposed to recycled advice
- Provide your organic insights and takes on industry and market shifts
That act moves you from merely consuming content and being passive on LinkedIn to being a leading voice in your industry, which attracts business and career opportunities your direction and builds trust and credibility.
3. Ask High-Level Questions In Interviews/Meetings
One of the reasons why I've had a very high success rate whenever I've interviewed for a job, especially for senior-level leadership and management roles, is that I've perfected the art of asking high-level interview questions directed at the hiring manager.
When you're at a job interview, you need to remember that you're not the only one being interviewed. The dynamic completely flips when you realize that you're interviewing them too.
This doesn’t mean coming across as arrogant or overbearing, but what it does mean is that when it’s your turn to ask questions, for example, at the end when they say, “Do you have any questions for us?,” you should focus on asking questions that demonstrate your strategic thinking and provide a preview into what it would be like to work with you as an employee.
The questions you ask should operate at a leadership level, and this proves that you’re taking ownership for the role, take the job seriously, and can think outside the box while understanding the varied needs of different dependencies within the organization you'd like to work for.
Some of my favorite go-to interview questions to ask in an interview include:
- What would success be defined in this role within the next 30, 60, 90 days?
- What cross-functional teams would I be working with?
- What's the main goal of this department by next year?
- What about three years, five years?
- And what's one thing the last person did do or did not do in this role that you'd like me to repeat or not repeat when I take over?
I do the exact same thing these days whenever I have a partnership meeting with stakeholders in my role as a freelancer.
Learn more about 25 questions I highly recommend you should ask in your next interview, here in my Forbes article.
4. Deliberately Make Yourself Visible At All Levels
Don’t confine the visibility or progress of your work to your team or manager alone. Focus on intentionally building cross-functional relationships with other teams and departments at different levels, at peer-to-peer as well as connecting with their managers and senior leaders.
Become the go-to trusted voice in your organization.
Enhancing your visibility allows you to become the house name in a company and the person people naturally think of when it's time to fill bigger shoes or take over a new function.
This is exactly how I was able to land a promotion within four months of starting my role. And guess what, I didn't have any management experience yet.
5. Bring Tangible Solutions Tied To Revenue
Bring tangible solutions that are directly tied to revenue or efficiency. Whether you're working as an employee or a freelancer, focus on providing real added value by driving that bottom line.
For example, you could focus on nurturing an in-demand skill and creating a high-value offer that ensures companies have optimised email marketing campaigns that convert leads.
You could:
- Design workflows that save time or cut costs.
- Provide training for sales reps that boosts the overall closed sales and account KPIs within an organization.
When you provide impact like this, tying your success directly to growth, cost reduction, boosted revenue or income, etc., you solve a high-value pain point and clients and employers will be begging to work with you.
6. Speak In Outcomes, Not Responsibilities
If your resume and LinkedIn profile read like your job description in verbatim, you’ve totally missed the mark.
An employer or prospective client does not need to see your resume as a repeat of your job description. Anyone can do that. That action alone does not convey your value.
What does convey value, however, is when you speak about your achievements. For instance:
- What were the outcomes?
- How large were the teams you led?
- What was the scope and scale of the projects you managed?
- How large was the budget?
- How many contracts did you secure?
- What were the types of clients you worked with?
- What outcomes were achieved within a specific time frame?
- What was the accuracy or quality and compliance percentage?
These are the types of metrics and achievements that you need to focus on showcasing on your resume. So begin right now and remove all lines or bullet points beginning with “Responsible for” immediately and replace with high-impact action language that actually screams results.
7. Pursue Learning That No One Asked For
One of the things I was intentional about when I was in the mainstream workforce before I was laid off (and even now as an entrepreneur), was that I made it mandatory for myself to attend both mandatory and voluntary or optional training.
I made full use of the company's learning and development program.
When it came down to webinars or optional learning activities, I would be fully present and make time for it in my calendar, even cancelling meetings or rescheduling appointments so that I could join.
This is because I understood the value of being in the room, even when no one else is there.
Attending those training sessions gave me an advantage over other employees who did not prioritize learning and development in the same way that I did. This action made me high-value at work. Because I was intentional about attending management training sessions, even though I wasn't a manager yet, I became promoted very quickly.
I was able to use this as leverage for further leadership promotions in my career as well.
So, start getting curious in your role. Learn skills that will amplify your current role and take you to where you want to be. Start attending training that extends beyond your current job scope and adds long-term value both to your career and the organization you work for.
And that is how you walk into 2026, owning and demonstrating high value to employers and clients. These seven strategic moves will make you indispensable for lucrative career and business opportunities.
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