Ever felt like companies have all the power and you're just another face in the crowd? The standard phrase "Thank you for considering my application" doesn't feel great, does it?

Today, I'm going to show you how to turn the tables and take charge of your career while getting in a position to become the chooser who attracts higher salaries and better jobs.

We often hear companies referring to their employees as "family". This misconception can lead to a sense of security based on longevity rather than productivity. The harsh reality is that being at a company for a longer time does not necessarily make the company more money.

In the free market, everyone competes. Employees compete for the best jobs with their skills. But companies also compete for customers with their best products, and fight to hire the best employees.

A family is connected by blood and a company is connected by return on investment. As soon as your productivity level gets below your salary, you're out of the family. Understanding this is the first step to mastering your career.

As Storybrand CEO, Donald Miller, eloquently puts it: : “God sees you as priceless. I see you as priceless. Your spouse sees you as priceless. Your kid sees you as priceless. But the business world sees you as an economic investment."

In every business relationship the party that brings the highest perceived value to the table has power and will be the chooser. And we will use this now to your advantage.

At the moment you start seeing yourself as an economic investment rather than a victim dependent on the goodwill of large corporations, everything in your career will be easier. Your initial goal shifts from 'what is in for me?' to 'how can I first make my client or the company I'm working for more money?'

This means if somebody invests in you $50.000 per year you intend to give him $ 100,000 or $ 200,000 back, becoming an irreplaceable asset. Your company and others who recognize the value you are bringing, are now interested in keeping you happy, too!

By adopting the mindset of a value-driven employee, someone who is obsessed with giving more than he gets back, you'll not only have job security for life, you'll become the chooser and have leverage to negotiate for bigger paychecks.

How can you become a value-driven employee? Follow this simple approach:

1. Look for ways to make your company more money

2. Execute on those ideas

3. Document your results

4. Use these results to negotiate a higher salary and a new job

Here is a real life example how to put it into action:

As a recruiter for student projects in 2008, I assigned a student named Joe for a 6 month project to create repetitive legal contracts for a bank for 13€/ hour. While his colleagues were manually copy-pasting information from 3 documents into 5 other documents, Joe wrote a simple VBA macro in MS Word that finished the process in 5 minutes, instead of 1 hour with zero mistakes.

After the end of the project he came back to me and presented his achievements with these words: "With my VBA script I helped the team to complete 6-times more contracts per, day which saved the company from hiring three addional students, resulting in a saving of over 40.000€ for the bank. There is another project where I could bring in even more money. Let me show you what I could do for you..."

Joe ended up getting a permanent contract from our company with an annual package of 65k and a company car (Not a bad improvement in 2006 compared to the previous 13€/ hour). His value-driven mindset led him to a successful career and a tough negotiater.

Becoming a value-driven employee gives you confidence during job applications, puts you in control, and helps you to negotiate higher salaries. Suddenly you are popular ad will have options.

1. Start seeing yourself as an economical investment that brings high returns

2. Become proactive in creating value for your employer

3. Document your achievements and use them to your advantage

Remember, it's not about how long you stay in a company that matters; it's the value you bring to the company that counts. People with a value-driven mindset who focus on making others rich are rare, and ending up with the company car, while the rest is complaining and asking for workers council.

Good luck. -Not that you would need it. ;-)