Branding Yourself – Creating Your Brand (Part 1 of 3)

Branding Yourself – Creating Your Brand (Part 1 of 3)

You most likely have heard the term, branding, before, but often the concept is quite perplexing when it comes to professionally branding oneself. Branding is quite useful for a jobseeker in that colleagues in your network will most likely associate certain qualities to you and feel a sense of loyalty to you, which will assist both you and your network to work effectively in tandem to find professional opportunities that are a fit for you and your career goals.

To begin to establish your brand, you need to self-evaluate and determine which of your strengths are fairly unique, highly valued, hard to find characteristics to your field. For example, if you are interested in finding a position as an accountant and you have skills in leadership development (i.e., you have experience working with and developing other individuals’ skills as leaders). You want to think of between 3-5 characteristics that will be part of your brand.

Step 1:

1) Begin with self-reflection.

a. Come up with a list of those qualities.

2) Ask trusted others.

a. Speak with supervisors, colleagues, and family about the qualities that come to mind when thinking about you as a professional.

3) Look for commonalities among responses to develop your list.

a. These are the qualities that are most memorable and stand out about you currently.

4) Consider which characteristics would be unique, hard to find and highly valued in your industry.

a. For help, consider asking professors in your field, supervisors or others working in the field to assist you with narrowing down your characteristics and also adding new ones.

5) Add characteristics to your list that you are also actively working on developing currently that fit the criteria.

a. Think about qualities that are often missing in employees in your field.

b. What makes a star candidate and what qualities are essential that you can highlight.

i. Again, if you are in accounting, one of the qualities could be that you a meticulous (i.e., careful, precise).

6) Pick your 3-5 characteristics that will be part of your brand.

Remember: You would need to be able to concretely demonstrate your experience with the characteristics on your list. For example, if one of them is leadership development, these are some possible ways you would be able to demonstrate it: you were the President of a club and provided quarterly feedback to your executive board, you attended several trainings on delivering feedback, you brought in a trainer to your club on management styles.

In the next post, I will discuss how to establish your brand.

Welcoming the New Year by Taking Stock

With the new year fast approaching, this is wonderful time to take stock. Look back at 2009 and consider what went well professionally and what areas need improvement in 2010. Write a list of your accomplishments in 2009. What would you like to accomplish in 2010? Where would you like to see yourself in December of next year? Take a hard look at both what growth you have experienced and what areas need to be fortified.

Create a visioning board.

Set some short term goals for what you would like to accomplish over the next year. Each month set yourself objectives that are small steps to your short term goals. These objectives should be concrete, measurable, and achievable in the time that you have set. You should also create a plan section that lays out your thoughts about how you will achieve the objectives. You should be able to change the plan section in case an opportunity should come up that you did not anticipate.

For example, if you would like to build a bigger network in 2010.

-Your monthly objective could be to meet 2 new individuals per month.

-Your quarterly objective (3 month) could be to attend 1 networking event.

-Your plan could be to ask your contacts on LinkedIn to "introduce" you to 2 new people

You should post your goals, objectives and plans in some visible area. You should be able to see them regularly and be able to mark that you have achieved them. If you do not meet an objective, it is important to readjust and not feel that you have failed because it will sabotage your future success.

In today's professional world, you need to be able to manage your own career and to set professional goals for yourself. You should not expect others to set them for you and motivate you to achieve. This you NEED to do on your own. Your professional success and ability to leverage your assets will be reward.

Maximizing LinkedIn

Most jobseekers use LinkedIn.com to put up a profile, upload some contacts and maybe join some groups, but this site is such a powerful networking tool if you use it to its full potential. You should explore the site and see what features may be useful to your unique job search, but here are some tips for taking your LinkedIn profile to the next level.

1) Use the Company Search feature under "Companies" to do research and find contacts for informational interviews.

-It shows you subsidiaries of the company, current and past employees, promotions, new hires, and popular profiles of employees and how you are connected to them.

-You can see what job postings the company has on LinkedIn.

-Career paths of employees

-Information about the company and demographic information about employees

-You can also see recent news posted about the company.

2) Join groups with related interests. These groups are excellent for keeping you informed of the latest trends and developments in your profession as well as job opportunities and training. Individuals, who look at your LinkedIn profile, can see your professional affiliations.

-You can join alumni groups of your college or university to stay abreast of what opportunities are available to alumni.

-Join professional groups in your field. Some groups require that you have an actual membership to the group before you are allowed to join their LinkedIn group.

-Participate on groups by offering information that you find, do it regularly, but sparingly. You should NOT be posting everyday as you should be doing other things beside being online during a job search or while employed.

3) Use the Job Search function.

-Many companies solely place position ads on LinkedIn.

4) Make sure that you know who you are adding to your Contact List.

-LinkedIn is not like Facebook in that you should not be adding contacts just to rack up numbers. It is the quality of relationships and not the quantity that matters in good networking.

5) Change your LinkedIn Public Profile address (you can edit it from the Profile page) from the numbers and letter to your name (e.g., http://www.linkedin.com/in/janesmith).

-You can add it to your business card and email signature. Then a contact that you meet at networking event can preview your professional experience.

6) Import your resume.

-Make sure that it has been edited and that when you add new things to your resume that you upload your new version.

7) Be aware that when you create activity on your LinkedIn page (e.g., add to a discussion on a group or change your profile), your contacts are notified. You want to be on your contacts radar, but for good reasons and not constantly.

8) Skip the Personal Information.

No one should need your birthday or marital status for professional reasons.

9) If you have an interesting professional blog, use the "Blog Link" application to connect it your profile.

10) Even when you are not job seeking, you should continue to update your site and be active networking. Solid networks are built continually, not just when you need something from it. A network is a community that is best built earnestly.

What is critical to remember is that the most useful networking occurs in person and is about building reciprocal professional relationships that last throughout your career.

Impressing the Interviewer

Most interviewees prep for an interview the night before. It's understandable - life is busy and things come up. Sometimes, the anxiety over the interview is more than you can stand so thinking about it for days in advance can feel like way too much. However, if you take a few steps to prep, you can alleviate the anxiety and be sure to impress the interviewer. You should make interview prep a regular habit so you just go into automatic mode.

Here are some suggestions for your interview prep routine:

When you get the interview, immediately try on your interview attire - suit, coat, shoes, everything.

-Take a good look at your attire in bright light and evaluate. Does it need to be dry cleaned? Did you lose a button during the last interview? Are your shoes scuffed? Does the heel need repair? Did you gain or lose weight and the suit needs tailoring. Get anything that needs to be done taken care of immediately.

Do your research.

This is the part that most people hate, but it is key. Research the company, the interviewer, the position. It's important to know as much as you possibly can.

To learn about the company: use sites like Hoover's which you can access through your college or public library; read their website, articles in the press, press releases and became familiar with its mission, CEO, and those guiding the company. See if you can meet for informational interviews with anyone you know who is working for or has worked for this company. You should know this company very well and be ready to present what you know about the company in your own words. Prepare like you would for a cumulative final worth the majority of your grade.

Google the interviewer if you know who he/she or they will be. Read about their career paths, how long they have been at the company, their educational paths. You can also check out LinkedIn.com for more information.

Search out through LinkedIn.com other's who have held this position. The position does not have to be with the company that you are interviewing with although it would be a BONUS. If the person is one of your "contacts" try to set up an informational interview or at least gather their educational path and previous positions. You can even see the responsibilities that they highlight about the position in their profile.

Go over standard interview questions including technical questions

Make sure in the preparation that you are tailor your standard interview questions to the information that you have learned about the organization, interviewer, and position. These should not be stock answers. Obviously, they have to be accurate and true answers about yourself, but hopefully you are a well-rounded person that can share a variety of things about themselves. Tailor your answers to specific circumstance. For example, if you are asked about your strongest skill sets, you should be thinking about the skills that would fit this position, be appealing to the interviewer and demonstrate your knowledge of the organization. You shouldn't say at every interview: detail orientation, communication and organizational skills. While this might be interesting for some positions, organizations, or interviewers, for others it may be less relevant. Know yourself and have a wide variety of characteristics that you can highlight.

Take basic interview survival things with you.

Have one way to get to the interview and a back up plan in case the train is diverted, there is a closure on your typical road, etc. Carry with you a bottle of water and mints. If it is an all day interview, you may need a snack bar or easy to carry meal replacement to keep your energy up. Make sure to eat when out of the view of interviewers. Have your portfolio with extra copies of your resume and list of references (make sure that you have contacted them in advance for their permission). Always also carry a pen and pad in case you need to take notes at some point during the interview or to jot down notes afterward for the personalized thank you note.

Connect, Connect, Connect.

One of the most vital things you can do is connect with the interviewer. This is the hardest part to teach, but critical to getting the position. According to research, interviewing is not the best way to predict successful performance on the job. However, it remains to be the most popular way to obtain employees. Largely, this is because humans like to be with other humans that are similar or familiar to them. So, it's important that the interviewer feel like they want to work with you even if they won't be working with you directly. So at the very least, smile, be engaging, pleasant to be around, and enthusiastic. Don't be insincere, inappropriate or over the top. This will kill your interview quickly. Be the kind of person that someone else would like to spend 40 hours a week with.

Send the Personalized Thank You Note.

Take notes after the interview of things that clearly appealed to the interviewer (i.e., your fit). Highlight these things in the thank you note as well as how much you enjoyed the interview and are interested in the position. Make sure to send it within 24 hours and it can be sent as an email, just follow it up with the hard copy.

To impress an interviewer, you need to be prepared. Don't let your anxiety sabotage your success. Let your preparation guide you to success. Start as soon as you get the call about the interview and make it your interview habit.

Writing that Dreaded Middle Paragraph

While cover letters aren’t always required for every job applications, many employers are interested in seeing them not only to see the prospective employee’s perception of their fit with the position and organization, but also to get a preview of their writing skills. For job hunters, this can be the hardest and most time consuming part of the application. Conveying fit for each individual position that one applies to can be daunting especially when applying to a large number of positions. Despite the daunting task, each and every cover letter should be a unique expression of your fit with that position.

The middle or second paragraph in a cover letter is typical WHERE you do this. But, HOW do you do this? First, you should really understand what skills, experience, educational qualifications, and personal characteristics the employer is looking for in the ideal candidate. The first and most obvious place to find this is the posting. It’s important to sit with the posting and make a list of all the qualities mentioned in the posting. Under each, note how you demonstrate(d) this quality in your current or past workplace, educational and/or volunteer experience. List everything as you can always edit later. If you don’t have the experience. skill or qualification listed, then think about other relevant or similar skills that are important to this position. You may be able to find additional qualities that are vital to this position by speaking to someone on the inside who is currently working with or has worked with this company. An insider can often provide you with information about the position or organization that are key to mention in the cover letter, but are not described as essential in the posting.

If you don’t have a lot of work experience, incorporate the projects that you have completed in courses, responsibilities that you have taken on in volunteer work, clubs and /or organizations that you belong to. If you currently, do not have other experiences outside of school, you should consider getting involved either in your community, academic institution, or your city. Also, be proactive in your internships, demonstrate competence there so you can participate in a variety of tasks and build a repitoire of skills and experience in your field from which to draw.

Make sure that this middle paragraph is focused, never appears like a template (i.e., you send this same letter to everyone), and that you display your writing skills. If the paragraph is very long, you should consider editing it to strengthen your key points. You can also add bullets to draw the reader’s attention to these key points. You want the paragraph to be fluid and not choppy (e.g., addressing each skill in isolation) and should tell a cohesive story about why you are such a perfect fit for this position. If you are having great difficulty pointing to your fit for the position, you need to consider if this position is appropriate for you and your career goals.

Consider that middle paragraph as your written pitch for the position. You should take great care to craft a statement that accurately reflects your fit and addresses as many of the employer’s needs as possible. Although it can feel like the toughest part, it’s really a very small space to fully communicate your professional self appropriately, so use it wisely.

Valuing Your Ticket In - Your Resume

Most people don't look at their resume unless their looking for a job. It can be really difficult to look at a resume after a long period left untouched and try to update it. Incorporating all your relevant past experiences, skills, accomplishments into your resume since you last looked at it can be daunting especially if the turn around needs to be short (e.g., someone asks you to send it to them immediately).

Many experts say "Your resume is you - paper thin." It should accurately represent your professional life. However, many individuals are not happy with their resumes and feel that they can better communicate their fit with a position in person. Oftentimes, you will not get that opportunity unless your resume is in great shape.

In order to have a document that is up-to-date and can be pulled out in a moments notice, here are some tips:

1) Update it regularly.

You should know where your resume is. It should be easily accessible (put it on your desktop) and when you take on new responsibilities at your job, get accolades for a project, get a promotion, volunteer, you add it to your resume IMMEDIATELY. Add everything. This working document can be longer than 1 page because you need to cater a resume to a particular position. Somethings may be relevant to one position and not another. It's hard to remember these things in retrospect and even harder to remember the dates. It's much easier to edit than produce the information.

2) Find a format you LOVE.

Since your resume is you paper thin, it should be visually appealing to you and others. So, look at others' resumes, check out resume books--it should be neat, organized and easy to find the information. It should make you want to open it up and edit it regularly. You should have pride in it. You should also show it to others and see if they find the format attractive.

3) Have trusted friends take a look at it for errors.

Obviously, always spell check and read it over, but also have friends take a look it for these issues as well as offering suggestions for wording. It's great to ask colleagues who are in the same industry to assist with language and phrasing that is common to your industry.

4) Look at other resumes.

You should try to see what other people's resumes look like at various levels in your industry. Check the internet by position. You can also ask to see colleagues resume or search for resume books focused on particular industry. It will help you stay current with trends in your field regarding resumes and show you the skills, experience, training, etc. that you need to demonstrate that you have. It's a great motivator while currently employed to take on new projects, build new skills and take on new training opportunities.

5) Work on improving your language.

Always try to make the language on your resume more efficient in its communication of your professional experience. Not only does it strengthen the impact of your resume, but it also shows your writing skills which are critical in today's workforce.

It's important to think of working on your resume as iterative (i.e., involving repetition) and you should enjoy it as it should reflect your professional self and is your golden ticket to an interview and communicating one-to-one in further detail your fit for a position.

Keeping Your Career on Track During a Tough Job Market

In this type of job market with a high rate of employment and few positions available, sometimes it is necessary to take a job that ranges from not exactly the perfect fit to completely outside of your field. If this does happen to you, it's important to not despair or believe you're off track. You should make the position work for you in the following ways.

1) Look creatively for the transferable skills that you are gaining or building.

From day one, think about how you are going to describe this job on your resume. Focus on skills that can be utilized in your field of interest.

2) Take on projects that maximize skill sets that match your career goals and highlight the skills you already have as well as expand them.

Don't stick to your limited job description. Offer skills that you already have to solve problems or improve the bottom line of your new organization. However, be cooperative and not competitive so that you don't step on anyone's toes.

3) Cultivate a network in this new arena.

Don't get stuck with a narrow network only in your field. An opportunity can come from someone in any field.

4) Develop great references.

Always show a positive go-get 'em attitude at your new job. If you are underemployed, shine with all your skills. Do not engage in this job with a negative attitude.

5) Create a short-term plan with your long-term plan in perspective.

Don't get stuck in this position. Have a plan about how long you will stay in this position, how you will explain being in this position to network connections, what position(s) are next to get you back to where you want to be. Be sure to write out your plan and keep it visible.

6) Keep networking in your own field regularly.

Stay in touch with your professional community. You should know what's happening and be looking for opportunities - paid and unpaid - to be reconnected.

7) Do not stop applying to the positions that you are interested in.

Keep the job search going even though you are employed. You still need to be engaged in the process of searching for positions that are in line with your professional goals.

Finally, career paths are not linear. They can take all kinds of twists and turns that can be invaluable to your perspective and growth as a professional. Take a positive view of this turn and be proactive in seeing what new things come it.