Personal Brand

When you go through a grocery line today the bagger asks you how you want your items packed. “Paper or plastic?”  Many stores do not even offer us an option. They hand us our items bagged in plastic. There was a time when all groceries were packed into paper bags. Plastic bags were uncommon but not anymore. Today plastic bags are the norm.

Last week I stated that traditional jobs were going away. I recommended that it was time to change your career strategy and stop looking for jobs and start looking for work. The insight I want to share with you this week is that work used to be packed in paper bags but today it is being packed into plastic bags. There is work to be found but more and more companies are offering it in unconventional ways.

We are used to looking for work packed into job positions with clear cut duties. The jobs were offered in a paper bag called full-time, or permanent work. Today many employers are packaging work into plastic bags called projects, temporary work or contract work.

What is happening?  Companies are finding that they have to be flexible and nimble in order to compete in today’s market. They need to enlarge their workforce on short notice in order to produce a product or service. Once they have achieved their objectives they need to reduce their workforce rather than pay out wages to idle employees.

Think about the difference between paper bags and plastic bags.  A big paper grocery sack could hold a lot of groceries. You could pack many items neatly into one bag. The bags had a rigid shape and fairly predictable volume of room. Traditional jobs were like paper bags, sturdy and dependable.

But today employers are packing much of their work into plastic bags. Work today is much more flexible, odd shaped and comes in smaller units. Plastic bags are a better container for holding or assigning work.

Be careful that you do not overlook, ignore, or turn down work because it is being offering in “plastic” as contract work, temporary work or as a consulting assignment and not offered as “paper,” a full-time job. Plastic not paper is the new norm for work today.

So, which is it for you?  Paper or plastic?

Andy wrote an interesting and challenging response to our post on writing an effective resume (http://careeradvice4u.com/effective-resume/).  I LOVE it when a reader challenges us!  So in response to all of the Andy’s out there who are frustrated with your job search, here are some examples that have actually worked for clients of ours. Hopefully they are not too full of BS!

Example 1: HR Generalist I

Human Resource professional with progressive hands on experience in diverse organizations from start-ups to industry leader with revenues of $8 billion including multi-state U.S. and global locations.

Resourceful, organized team player able to provide business partnership and HR guidance to both management team and employees. Recognized for being ethical and approachable with a focus on the big picture. Strong hands-on approach, can manage diverse projects simultaneously and with excellent communication skills.

Experience working with HR and Business partners in Europe and Asia as well as multiple locations in the US.

Example 2: HR Generalist II

Broad knowledge of HR principles and services. Exceptional proficiency in Employee Relations and Leave/Workers’ Compensation coordination. Effective at building relationships with employees and managers at all levels within an organization to support the business strategy, resolve communications issues and motivate individuals to optimal performance. Conscientious and resourceful advisor with a reputation for sound judgment and achieving positive results.

Specialties include:

Employee Relations FMLA/OFLA/ADA Coordination OSHA/WC Management
Policy & Procedure Writing Building & Leading Teams Staff Planning & Recruitment

Example 3: Software Developer

Experienced Software Implementation Manager with 11 years of extensive enterprise resource planning implementation experience
• Successful implementations of PeopleSoft, SAP, Lawson and other applications at more than 14 public and private sector clients and corporations across a wide range of industries and locations
• 9 years of consulting experience with a major international consulting firm earning performance ratings consistently above my peers and an executive promotion to Senior Manager
• 8 years of project management and team lead experience with a PMP certification
• Solid reputation for meeting aggressive deadlines and providing high quality deliverables within budget
• Mature leadership and communication skills with an exceptional ability to plan and organize work efforts and excel in a team environment. Core competencies include:

Project Management Application Development Application Security
Configuration and Conversion Testing and Validation Implementation and Cutover
Production Support Sales and Business Development Software Selection

Example 4: Engineer/Engineering Manager

Demonstrated ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams of engineers delivering high performance, low cost product technologies from research to market on time and on budget. A leader in defining methodologies to use to turn more research elements into products faster. Strong technical design, modeling, and statistical background; excellent leadership vision, systematic planning, and two-way communication skills. Over 20 years of research and development experience, including 10 years progressively responsible management experience. Extensive experience managing international development teams/suppliers in Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea, including 3 years working in Japan. Ph.D., M.S., Engineering Mechanics.

Resume Advice Related Posts

• Writing An Effective Resume
• How To Write a Professional Summary Statement for Your Resume
• 3 Different Types of Resumes You Need To Know About
• Why a GREAT Resume is Not as Important as a DECENT Network
• Resume Writing Tips

The week before Christmas we held a workshop on developing your Elevator Pitch to promote your personal brand. We taped participants before and after the workshop, and here are a couple of those examples.

Mike before:

Mike after:

Kim before:

Kim after:

You can read the four steps these two used to develop their pitch at: http://careeradvice4u.com/4-step-process-writing-elevator-pitch/.

Now, we know these are as polished as they need to be.  Both Mike and Kim came a long way, and here’s why:

1. They focused on their most pertinent strengths
2. They let go of everything they do not want to bring to their next career
3. They state their claims in terms that focus on the audience rather than on themselves
4. They are looking forward, rather than backwards.

Try it and let us know how this work for you.  In fact, why don’t you create your own video and post it on YouTube with a link here. It would be a great way to promote your personal brand!

Personal Brand Related Posts

• What is a Personal Brand and Why Do You Need One?
• Your Personal Brand – Tips From A Branding Expert
• Important Personal Branding Links
• 7 Key Ways to Promote Your Personal Brand
• Use LinkedIn to Promote Your Personal Brand
• What Everybody Needs To Know About Writing A Blog To Promote Your Personal Brand

I got a Borders gift card for Christmas and wanted to spend it as fast as I could, so last Monday I went to see what was out there. Armed with Mashable’s list of “10 Must-Read eBooks For Social Media Lovers” (http://mashable.com/2009/12/21/must-read-ebooks/), I picked up three that looked especially promising for my purposes — Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk , Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition by Guy Kawasaki, and Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trustby Chris Brogan and Julien Smith . I vowed to give 20 minutes to each book, at the end of which time I would make a decision and cash-out. I’ll spare you the suspense. . . I chose Brogan and Smith.

I’ll explain why in a minute, but first a brief sidebar. As I started the process I sent a tweet asking my followers for their recommendation. Interestingly enough, @GuyKawasaki (or someone tweeting for him) shot back a reply, “all three!” As I said, I chose Brogan and Smith, so “sorry Guy” — but I have good reason, and the fact that you responded to my tweet puts you on top of the list for when I spend the Barnes and Noble card I got!

I am a Career Coach, Small Business Coach, and professional speaker. When I look for something to read I usually try to find something that will give me double mileage for my time, because, like you, I’m busy! I am currently doing a lot of work helping job seekers and small businesses integrate social media into their marketing strategy. My specialty is helping old people like me (I’ll be 50 this year) understand the value of Social Media basics like Twitter and Facebook. You see, my generation grew up without all of this fancy technology. My family had a black and white tv until I was in High School – ONE TV! There were 4 channels and we had to fight to watch our favorite shows. (Luckily, my favorite was everyone else’s favorite as well. Let’s just say we never missed a “Gilligan’s Island” re-run.)

Anyway, my generation wasn’t raised with computers. We didn’t have cell phones. My generation is skeptical, but we know that we need to learn how and why to use Social Media, if for no other reason than to keep up with our kids! Much of what I do in this space is to help my generation understand the strategic value and opportunities involved in Social Media for business and finding job opportunities. That’s why I chose Brogan and Smith. I’ve devoured Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies“ by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff. I’ve drunk from the cup of professional bloggers such as Brian Clark, Darren Rowse, and Yaro Starak — I’m even a member of the “Teaching Sells” community. I have accounts at Digg.com, Technorati, and Delicious (although, admittedly. I don’t use them enough). I attend our local Wordcamp, Beer and Blog, and an ocassional SEMPdx event. I’m good friends with Joshua Waldman (affiliate link), Eric Mann (my publisher) and Pete Wright (my personal videographer) — three guys I consider to be SoMe Gurus. I’m pretty hooked on social media, but to the rest of my generation I’m a bit of an enigma. Most of us “old folks”*** are skeptical of these newfangled contraptions! I have heard on many occasions a statement that was recently made by my friend Elaine.  She said, “I don’t want everyone knowing my business.”

Well I have news for you Elaine, everyone already knows your business! Your life is an open book for all to see, all they need to do is Google your name and they can find your picture, your phone number, your home address, even the fact that you remodeled your basement to the tune of $7,500 in 2008 and took out a permit that cost you $75.00.

“Everyone already knows your business, Elaine.”

That’s the point I’m trying to make in this post. Part of my current mission is to help people raised on rotary phones and Gilligan’s Island re-runs learn the value of using social media to grow their business or find their perfect career position or simply to enhance their life. I picked up the three books mentioned above and chose the one I felt will best help me with that mission.  Vaynerchuk’s book is a great option for helping people find and live their passion.  I intend to use it in my coaching practice with job seekers, however, it didn’t quit hit the spot with my need to help my generation understand and use social media.  Kawasaki’s book (IMHO) felt like it is more aimed at the corporate enterprise than the individual. It’s got some gems, but is a little more corporate than I needed this time.  I will buy those books later, for a different purpose, just not now.  Right now, I need something that will give me the philosophical framework and language tools I need to help my generation embrace Web 2.0 and social media.  Brogan and Smith’s book does exactly that.  I think what really sold me was the little section titled: A Final Lesson: Don’t Be “That Guy” (p. 110 & following). Here’s the specific quote:

“A trust agent’s job is . . to make people feel comfortable, all the way, building deep relationships before ever asking something of others.  You should be there for THEM.”

Yep.  That’s what I need.  My generation is the generation of love, peace (and drugs).  We can understand a social media philosophy that encourages us to “be there for them.” This book is just what I need right now.

Thanks @Chrisbrogan and @julien. And sorry @guykawasaki.  Maybe next time. . .

*** [A old fella was telling his neighbor, 'I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it's state of the art. It's perfect.'   'Really,' answered the neighbor. 'What kind is it?'   ' Twelve thirty.']

Related Posts:

• The ABCs of Career Management
• A Day In The Life Of A Successful Job Seeker
• How To COnduct An Informational Interview

Today’s post is a way for me to organize what happened in the 30 days of blogging challenge.  Hey, it’s New Year’s Day, so not many people are reading anyhow. . . They are all watching the Ducks!

Resume Advice Related Posts

• How To Write a Professional Summary Statement for Your Resume
• How Effective Is Your Resume?
• 3 Different Types of Resumes You Need To Know About
• Why a GREAT Resume is Not as Important as a DECENT Network
• Resume Writing Tips

Job Interviews / Interviewing Related Posts

• Want to Ace the Behavioral Interview?
• How To Conduct An Informational Interview
• The Art of Interviewing to Land Your Perfect Job
• Interviewing Tips – a Video Montage
• 101 Job Interview Questions
• How to Nail The Job Interview

Personal Brand Related Posts

• What is a Personal Brand and Why Do You Need One?
• Your Personal Brand – Tips From A Branding Expert
• Important Personal Branding Links
• 7 Key Ways to Promote Your Personal Brand
• Use LinkedIn to Promote Your Personal Brand
• What Everybody Needs To Know About Writing A Blog To Promote Your Personal Brand

Our friends over at Common Craft do some great work.  There videos are simple, yet full of great information.  Today I want to share with you this 3 minute goodie on using LinkedIn for more than just making contacts.

The protagonist in this story used LinkedIn to grow her business.  What can you learn from her, since you, as a job seeker, are the owner of your own business who’s sole purpose is to find you a job?  How can you search your contacts to find people who will help move your career forward?  Who do you need to meet?  How can you use LinkedIn to facilitate an introduction?

Don’t forget theses 2 important keys to graceful networking (even online);

1. It’s NOT about you. You may feel an urgent need to find a job.  However, when networking you will turn people off if you show it.  Approach people to find opportunity for them and their network FIRST.  When they know you have their best interest at heart they will want to help you fulfill your needs.
2. When asked, have a CLEAR statement of what you are looking for. (See the “4 Step Process for Writing an Elevator Pitch”) Be sure to include a call to action.  You don’t get if you don’t ask, so be sure to ask.  However, ONLY ask AFTER you have helped the other person.

LinkedIn can be an amazing tool for your job search if you use it correctly. I recommend that you do not just accept any link you are offered.  Take time to get to know the other person first.  Then, after a significant conversation, you will have created a quality link.

In the last month I’ve had a few clients who were contacted directly by HR professionals and Recruiters through their LinkedIn profile.  Make sure you have a solid profile, because you won’t get the chance to make a second impression!  Good luck, happy hunting, and great linking!

30 Day Blogging Challenge – day 21. Tomorrow’s post: “How To Conduct An Informational Interview”

This week I have been writing about personal branding.  Today I want to share some links of folks who have both influenced my knowledge of the topic, AND who really get it.  Enjoy.

Tom Peters, of course, is the grandfather of the term “personal brand.”  He wrote a seminal article on the topic more than 12 years ago.  I reference it in another post . . . You might also want to check out another article on his blog that addresses the word “brand” and it’s many meanings.

Phil Rosenberg has some great content on his blog about “Online Reputation Management” — including a helpful strategic pattern to follow (http://recareered.blogspot.com/2008/03/online-reputation-management.html)

A blog writer named “Skellie” has a good section on building your personal brand.  Her writing is aimed at bloggers, but it’s very useful information for job seekers and anyone else who is concerned with their personal brand. Check out the foundational article entitled “How to Start (or Start Over) Building Your Personal Brand“. I particularly like her statement, “You don’t need to be big, to be big.” She makes a strong point here for consistency and transparency (although she doesn’t call it that).

Ron Desi writes a blog on “Leadership. Social Media. And Other Stuff I Like.”  He’s written a couple of posts on personal branding lately that I recommend.  He’s right on with his insights.  I don’t know Ron, but the next time I’m out in Maryland I think I’ll look him up!

Dan Schwawbel writes the Personal Branding Blog.  He usually has some good stuff there about building your brand.  He even has guests write posts that give a variety of insights on building your personal brand.  He tends to focus on younger folks (i.e. Gen Y), but those of us with gray hair can learn some good things from what these folks are saying.  Dan also wrote a book entitled “Me 2.0″, but I must say that it does not live up to the standard he has set with his blog.  There are some great insights in the book, but it’s so poorly written that it’s pretty much unreadable in my opinion (sorry Dan, just being honest).  Stick with his blog and you can’t go wrong.

30 Day Blogging Challenge – day 20. Tomorrow’s post: “Use LinkedIn to Promote Your Personal Brand”

Today’s post is a guest post by Joshua Waldman (http://CareerEnlightenment.net)

Everyone is on LinkedIn these days. Let’s face it. Almost
every CEO from every fortune 500. Last count was over 60 million users.

In contrast, job boards only have about 3.5% of available
jobs. This is common knowledge in the career industry, but why do so many
people spend so much time on job boards?

The answer is because it feels safer. LinkedIn is really all
about networking. And socializing in an unfamiliar environment can be
frightening. I know, I’m an introvert. I totally understand why job seekers try
to spend as little time as possible in front of LinkedIn.

So what I want to offer 3 of the most common mistakes in
using LinkedIn and how to avoid them. My goal is to help job seekers get over
any unconscious resistance to using the most powerful job finding tool ever
invented.

And if you want to register to a free webinar about how to proactively get job interviews using LinkedIn on 12/22, Click Here to Register.

Mistake 1: Not Having a Brand

Shoe companies have brands, not people!

Wrong.

Looking for a job is just another sales situation. You are
your product. And everything about you is going to either sell you, or turn
people away.

It’s really just a choice you have to make inside.

Just like how we make buying decisions emotionally,
sometimes based on silly things, like the color of the packaging. So too do hiring
managers unconsciously make decisions about our candidacy.

If your Resume doesn’t quite match your LinkedIn profile,
and that doesn’t match what your referral said about you, then you are in big
trouble.

The risk of being inconsistent is huge, and it helps to have
defined “who you are” long before you put yourself out there.

The second part of branding is knowing your audience. What
are their 2 biggest problems right now, that you could potentially solve?

The trick is to align the “who you are” with the “what they
need”, so that there is a nice overlap.

This, my friends, is your personal brand. It will define
your strategy, your writing style, your colors, photos and everything else
about you online.

Most people crank out their LinkedIn profile without doing
this step first.

Mistake 2: You are NOT Your J-o-b

“Systems Engineer”

“Marketing Executive”

“Fundraiser”

These appear under someone’s name in their LinkedIn
profiles. And they tell us nothing about who this person really is.

They are a commodity.

Quick story. I had a client, a network engineer, who wanted
to work for a very large shoe company. No, not Nike, but good guess.

He knew they had 2 problems. First, they had no internal
network. Second, their external network was so broken that it was affecting
supply chain.

So in order to really appeal to this company, we needed to
directly address their biggest challenges- challenges that he had the capacity
to solve.

So his headline went like this, “Powerful Intranet builder|Supply Chain
thought leader|Project management guru”

You have 120 characters to tell the world who you are and what value you bring.

And every communication you generate on LinkedIn will have
this professional headline attached to it.

So choose wisely.

Hint: don’t use your job title as your headline

Mistake 3: Don’t Look Like an Axe Murderer

Every single time I speak about social media in the job
search, someone always comes up to me afterward to ask me this question, “But
I’m just not that comfortable putting my picture up”. They are either too young
or too old or too something.

Yes, ageism, racism and sexism are very real. It’s sad and
terrible that they still happen in our society. But using a black and white
photo, or zooming way out to try and hide something about ourselves is not going to solve the
problem.

The only thing we can do is put some time and effort into
our photos, to reflect who we are honestly. And to make a nice looking photo.

All too often, people will put up a mug shot, and wonder why
they aren’t getting call backs.

This really happened to a friend’s client. And the day he changed
his photo, he got a job offer. No exaggeration. (I can hear the HR people
cringing from this story, but it’s true).

So the lesson from this is that it is worth getting a
professional headshot taken if you are serious about getting a job.

So When Do I Start Getting Job Interviews from LinkedIn

Join me for a free webinar this month (on 12/22) where I’ll share 4 easy steps you can take tonight to get you a job interview by next week.

No one wins a beauty contest for having the nicest LinkedIn profile.
We’ll discover some great strategies for proactively researching
companies and getting interviews.

There are limited seats, so please make sure you sign up for this Live Event right away, Click Here to Register.

30 Day Blogging Challenge – day 19. Tomorrow’s post: “Personal Branding Links”

By now you understand that finding the perfect job requires more than simply writing a resume and posting it online. In fact, if you are going to take the “apply-on-line” approach you should spend NO MORE than 2 hours per week at it. Less than 5% of jobs are ever posted online, so if you are going to find your next job fast you need to spend your time elsewhere. The successful and savvy job seeker will develop a compelling personal brand and spend 75% of their time (or more) promoting it. Here are 7 key ways to promote your personal brand.

1) BUY PRINTED BUSINESS CARDS. I am consistently shocked by the number of job seekers who have absolutely NO way of letting other people know how to contact them other than by shoving a resume in their face. And no, the one’s yo print at home on your own computer are NOT good enough! Business cards are inexpensive. Sometimes you can even get free business cards from places like Prints Made Easy or free shipping from stores like Office Max. As for what to put on your card? I recommend the minimalist approach. Put your name, email address, phone, and LinkedIn profile address. You don’t need a title or a cute picture. Get a non-glossy finish and leave the back empty so people can jot down notes about you.

2) DEVELOP A CONCISE ELEVATOR PITCH. Give just enough information to make people want to ask you to tell them more. Don’t focus on your past, instead focus on your future. Nobody cares that you have 15 years experience in micro-processors. They want to know what you can do for THEM now! Be memorable, but not flippant or “cutesy”. Lastly, rehearse it at least 100 times out loud BEFORE you use it in a group. You want it to be polished, but not too formulaic. For more help on developing your Elevator Pitch, see my post on Jim Nudelman’s 4 Step Process.

3) SHOW UP. You have business cards and a concise elevator pitch, but what good are they if you sit all day at the computer? Plan a strategy to show up in places where your target audience is (i.e. potential employers in key companies within your target industries) or where the people who know them will be.

4) LISTEN AND BUILD TRUST. Networking is NOT about you. It’s about building a relationship. It’s about helping people in your network of friends and colleagues connect for mutual benefit. It’s about finding out what someone else needs and helping them

5) COMPLETE YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE. This is one of the most important online tools you will have. A great resource for learning more about how to beef up your LinkeIn account is from Joshua Waldman with Career Enlightenment. Check him out. He’s is THE premiere professional on this topic!

6) FOLLOW UP. Develop a press kit that you can send if asked. Better yet, develop an online press kit using Visual CV or create a blog (I like wordpress). Online you can store video clips, pdf files, work examples and much more.

7) SEND A THANK YOU CARD. Every career coach from here to Katmandu tells their clients to do this. It’s an inexpensive way to keep you on the top of someone’s mind. Personal, hand written cards get past the usual gate keepers and are absolutely read by their intended recipient. If these things are true, then why is it that so few job seekers actually do it?! I must meet with 10-15 people per week. You would think my mailman and I would be on a first name basis after that. The reality is, only about 1 in 100 send a written thank you card. Does it make an impression? You bet it does! True, I don’t have any job openings. However, I do get calls and emails all the time from people who have openings. If I have a handwritten thank you note on my desk from YOU when I get the cal, how much more likely do you think I will be to pass along your name to a prospective Click on this Office Depot link RIGHT NOW and order some Thank You cards. While you are at it, click on this link and buy some stamps online. Keep them at your desk within arms reach, and write thank you notes to EVERYONE you talked to that day – in person or on the phone. DO THIS EVERY NIGHT before you go to bed! Include another business card along with a note as to how much you appreciated their time. Trust me, it will make a HUGE difference!

I hope you can see that these things aren’t difficult. They aren’t hard to remember. They don’t require an advanced degree to implement. They are easy, and there are only 7 of them. You can implement this strategy in just one week by doing just one each day. Have fun, and happy hunting!

30 Day Blogging Challenge – day 18. Tomorrow’s post: “The Top 3 Mistakes Job Seekers Make On LinkedIn” (A guest post written by Joshua Waldman)

If you are going to build a house you will want to have a blueprint.  Otherwise how would you know if you were supposed to install a window or a door? How would you keep the roof from falling through the floor without the proper placement of the pillars?

If you are going to develop your personal brand you will want to have a strategy — a blueprint for building your personal brand.  Here are the four pillars of that blueprint.

1) Know Your Product. When marketers go about designing brand identity they begin by studying the major products in the line(s).  Wht is it? What does it do?  How does it work?  What are the feature?  What benefits does it provide to the customers? In this case the product is YOU.  What do you have to offer your current or next employer?  What are you capable of doing for them?  Most important, what are you WILLING to do?  Get as clear about this as you can.  Be specific about what you want and are able to do.  Write it down. Study it.  Create a matrix.  When building a personal brand, you must begin with product knowledge.

2) Know Your Perfect Client. The next pillar is the ability to identify with great specificity who your perfect client is.  Who is going to “buy” what you have to offer?  Who’s needs can be fulfilled by the promise offered through your brand?  This will also help you figure out how to position your product to be attractive to your clients and customers.  In this case, your clients/customers is you employer or potential employer.  Figure out what s/he needs and make your value proposition look attractive to them. Marketers conduct market research in order to be able to clearly define every minute detail of their customers.  In the job search we call that “informational interviews.”

3) Match Client Needs With Your Product Strengths. In traditional marketing, this involves the creation of a variety of marketing channels through which you promote your product’s message. Advertising professionals have found that this is most easily done through the telling of stories which place their product directly in the hands of their perfect customer.  How can you do this as a job seeker? Can you tell a compelling story that will capture the attention of a potential employer and show them how you can meet their needs?  [Hint - resume's are probably the LAST place you should try to accomplish this pillar!]

4) Sell, sell, sell. The final pillar in your personal brand blueprint is the ability to sell what you have.  In order to accomplish this you must be diligent, creative, charming, persuasive, and a skilled negotiator.  A good sales person simply helps the buyer make a decision that s/he wants to make.  What do you need to learn in order to become a good salesperson?  Remember, you only need to make ONE sale every so often, and your product is something that you are intimately familiar and (hopefully) very fond of!

That’s the blueprint for a successful personal brand strategy.  Come back tomorrow when we talk about how to promote your brand.  Happy hunting!

30 Day Blogging Challenge – day 19.