Twitter Personal Branding Q + A #6 | Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel

Responses to recent tweets by people about personal branding.

jay singh, @jaysingh, remarked: instead of personal brand, why not get a personality?

Jacob Share, @jacobshare: I had to smile when I read this, it definitely rings true.

Jay, you sound like someone who’s either fed up with people talking about personal branding or people building their personal brands or both! More likely, you’re just a victim of people doing a poor job of all of the above.

The best personal brands are the ones that have personality.

These stars draw us in, engaging us with their unique voices, even on issues we may have heard about umpteen times before, in putting their own marks on whatever valuable lessons or information they’re bringing to our attention.

Here’s a suggestion: once in a while, reach out to someone and tell them why their branding isn’t working for you. Your feedback will be a well-appreciated wake-up call more often than you’d think.

Tim Bryan, @greenleafbbq, asked: Twitter/ FB Profile / Avatar Pic Question. Brand Logo or Personal Face type shot? Thoughts?

Jacob Share, @jacobshare: if you’re trying to build your personal brand in connection with a product brand, use both- have a self-portrait avatar picture with the brand logo either appearing in the image or super-imposed in one corner or on one side of the it.

If  the web profile in question is meant to be the official profile for that product brand and not a place to build your personal brand, just use the brand logo.

Christian Lisogorsky, @Kbzon, remarked: if ur building ur personal brand, shld u have Twitter accts for each language u speak? Or tweet in both

Jacob Share, @jacobshare: I speak English, French and Hebrew fluently. 99% of the time, English is the language I tweet in but occasionally I will get into a *quick* conversation with someone on Twitter in one of those other languages. If other followers see that a user is mentioned in those incomprehensible tweets i.e. that the tweets are part of a conversation, they won’t usually get annoyed to the point of unfollowing me, because they know that I won’t all of a sudden overwhelm them with messages they can’t understand. In other words, because I dabble in the other languages sparingly, I can get away with it.

If you plan on tweeting in multiple languages much more often than I do, be considerate and only tweet in multiple languages when you know that the vast majority of your followers can understand those languages. Otherwise, yes, use separate Twitter accounts for each audience you’re reaching out to.

Lucretia M Pruitt, @GeekMommy, remarked: Can your “personal brand” change over time like you do?

Jacob Share, @jacobshare: Personal brands MUST change over time BECAUSE you do. That’s the only way for a personal brand to stay authentic, and authenticity is a key to personal branding success.

This is one way that personal brands differ from product brands.

Classic product brands are just that because they stand the test of time; Lego still brings to mind the same building fun now as when I was born, and a refreshing, cold, slowly-dripping bottle of Coca-Cola is still what many thirsty people think of on a hot day. These brands have lasted because their products have stayed appealing without changing much. Coca-Cola is still the same secret-recipe-based drink.

With a personal brand, YOU are the product and you WILL change. If your brand doesn’t evolve along with you, building your brand will become an act as you try to perpetuate something that’s no longer completely true. Perhaps unfairly, the people who are most likely to notice this breach are your biggest fans who have been following you for so long and will feel most slighted.

Regarding how to evolve your personal brand, you might find this article interesting too: Ask the Readers: When Should You Update Your Personal Avatar and Why?

Author:

Jacob Share, a job search expert, is the creator of JobMob, one of the biggest blogs in the world about finding jobs. Follow him on Twitter for job search tips and humor.

via personalbrandingblog.com

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Building Your Personal Brand with Blogging | Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel

Creating a blog and then consistently blogging is still the biggest untapped opportunity well. Use this post as a mini-resource guide for some inspiration to start blogging, or if you’ve started, use this post as a refresher to understand why you are blogging in the first place. Then use the blogging tools to improve your blogging efforts so you can get more ROI from your efforts.

Why a blog?

1) Search engines love blogs:

Search engines love fresh and relevant content; that is why Wikipedia is one of the top search results for so many terms. Every one of your blog posts is an opportunity to rank for “long tail keywords” that can drive very targeted search traffic to you. Think of your blog as an opportunity and search engine traffic magnet. Search engines are in the business of matching search terms with relevant content and blogs are increasingly the home for valuable content.

2) Blogs are link sticky:

Think of the last piece of content that you linked to on the Web. It was most likely a blog article that you found interesting or valuable. Every blog post you write has the opportunity to generate more inbound links for you. An inbound link to your blog post is like a website raising its virtual hand and saying, “this article is really good and I want you to know about it”. Keep in mind that the more inbound links you have to your blog, the higher you will rank for your targeted keywords.

3) You are creating an enduring asset you own:

With every blog post you are increasing the amount of “virtual land” you own free and clear. Think of your blog posts as “virtual stakes” in the ground that have an asset value and you will start to think with a different perspective. Great blogs that have accumulated lots of valuable content have both tangible and intangible value. You own it forever if you want.

4) Increase your opportunities to get found:

Think of every one of your blog posts as a lottery ticket; the more lottery tickets you have the more opportunities you have to win. Winning the lottery can mean getting the job you want, making more money, or just being seen as a thought leader in your space. Whatever your lottery is, each blog post you own is another chance at winning your lottery.

5) It’s all about eyeballs:

Blogs are social tools and can drive more eyeballs to your personal brand. With search engines and social media sharing plug-ins, blog posts are eyeball magnets. Interesting blog content that is optimized has a way of getting found and shared quite quickly, attracting more attention to your personal brand.

Tools to measure your blog’s success:

• Alexa
• Compete
• Comscore
• Technorati
• Blog Grader

Top blogs on blogging:

• Blogtrepreneur
• Copyblogger
• Daily Blog Tips
• Lorelle on Wordpress
• Problogger

Now it’s your turn?

What are some of your favorite blogging resources? Please add them in the comments section.

Author:

Chad Levitt is the author of the New Sales Economy blog, which focuses on how Sales 2.0 & Social Media can help you connect, create more opportunities and increase your business. Chad is also the featured Sales 2.0 blogger at SalesGravy.com, the number one web portal for sales pros, the professional athletes of the business world. Make sure to connect with him on Twitter @chadalevitt.

via personalbrandingblog.com

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Are you cheating on your employer? | JibberJobber Blog

I’ve read a few things on doing a job search at your office – that is, at your employers office, with their computer, internet connection, etc. I was surprised to read one article talk about how to do it – make sure your boss knew, make sure you knew what the HR policies are, etc. That may be good and true, but even if it is within the policies at your office, you really are opening yourself to your employer (you know, the “internet cops”). I realize that this is a little different in a contracting environment.

But here is the problem. In my last job, I was the General Manager of what was essentially a start-up IT firm. I felt that if I would do things that everyone should be doing (networking, having an updated resume, etc.) I was essentially *cheating* on my company. Actually, I felt worse about *cheating* on my employees. How does it look if your boss, the guy that is trying to instill a strong culture and work ethic, is spending his spare time working on the “safety net”… especially at a small firm? Not too good. I spent a lot of time with these guys talking about where we were headed and building momentum that was exciting – and made it exciting to work there.

… and then I was laid off. Really, I should have been working on that safety net. Here is what I wish I would have been doing:

1. Keeping an updated resume
2. Maintaining relationships with recruiters
3. Keeping tabs on the job market – I had been in small business for so long that I wasn’t up to speed on certain common job titles, roles, responsibilities, what skills are considered current, etc.
4. Have at least 2 interviews a year – sure you aren’t looking, but this is a great way of networking, and seeing how other companies do things
5. Go to network meetings – rotary or alumni sponsored or local interest (within or close to your specialty), etc.
6. Written more articles to be published in my arena – this builds credibility and gets my name out (in other words, builds/reinforces my personal brand)
7. Tried to get at least one speaking engagement a year – whether at a university, association, etc. Again, build/reinforce your personal brand – you should establish yourself as an SEO in something
8. Network
9. Network
10. Network… and network some more

I think one of the hassles of networking is keeping track of the relationships, contact info, etc. using JibberJobber helps you keep track of all of this information – you should focus on the relationship, not on a tracking spreadsheet that you are constantly tweaking. Of course, I’m preaching to the choir, right?

So, go ahead and cheat on your employer. Create expertise, build your brand. In reality, doing this adds value to your employer – I think that’s what people refer to as a win-win!

via jibberjobber.com

Just not on company time...

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How to Target Hiring Managers & Crack the Hidden Job Market | CareerJockey

14 April 2010 Written by: Kevin Donlin

Fact: The advertised job market is literally the tip of the iceberg.

Fully 70-80% of jobs go unadvertised by employers, who fear being deluged by hundreds of resumes from applicants, most of whom won’t be qualified.

With that in mind, it makes sense to spend about 80% of your time cracking this “hidden” market of unadvertised jobs. And a good way to do it is to contact hiring managers at companies you want to work for. Your aim? To prove that hiring you would be a terrific investment, one that makes or saves them more money than they would pay you in salary.

So, where do you find a list of these hiring managers?

You can’t find one. You have to build your own list.

Fortunately, it’s fairly simple to do.

So say two experienced recruiters, David Perry (author of “Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0″) and Mark Haluska (principal of recruiting firm Real Time Network, in Pittsburgh, PA).

First of all, what level of decision maker should you talk to about creating a job or hiring you for one that’s unadvertised?

“You want to contact the individual two levels up from the position you are applying for,” suggests Haluska. “There are two reasons for that. First, the person two levels up has the bigger picture. They may actually be looking to replace the person below them, who would be your boss.”

“Second, if you’re really good and you contact the person you would work for, if they are small-minded, they may be threatened by your credentials,” which can kill your chances, according to Haluska.

In the Darwinian world of office politics, this makes sense. If you display more initiative than your next boss or outshine someone they recently hired, you risk making that boss look bad, which is not a recipe for success.

Next, when seeking out hiring managers, what title are you looking for?

“If the company has 250 or fewer employees, target the president, owner, or a vice president in the group that you want to work in,” advises Perry.

“If it’s over 250 people but less than 1,000, go after the VP of your department. If it’s over 1,000 employees, go after the senior director or the VP in the division where you want to work,” says Perry.

Once you know the title of the hiring authority you seek, how do you find their name?

“I would call into the company to ask the receptionist, or visit the company’s Web site,” says Perry. “Those each take 15 seconds.”

If those tactics don’t pan out, try Google. Search for the following three items together:
1. the name of the company;
2. the words “Vice President;”
3. the name of department you want to work in.

Example Google search: Ace Novelty Company Vice President engineering

This will return the names of current and former employees in the role of Vice President of that department. You may find their actual resumes, their names mentioned in press releases, or their listings in social networks like Spoke.com

Another research tool is Google Alerts.

“It’s simple. Visit www.Google.com/alerts for instructions on how to set up automated searches for the keywords you choose. Google then alerts you by email,” advises Haluska.

The service seeks out the latest information from blogs and news stories online. You can create a Google Alert to search every day for such keywords as “Ace Novelty Company Vice President Marketing,” for example.

“If I’m looking for a job title at a company, any time anything comes up regarding that company, they start rolling in by email every morning from Google Alerts,” says Haluska.

Now. What’s the final step after you find the names and titles of executives who can hire you?

“Reach out and touch them with a customized resume and cover letter, printed and sent by mail,” says Perry.

“Your message is simple: ‘Dear Mr./Ms. Hiring Authority, I’ve studied your business. I know all about your problems and opportunities. I’ve produced results before like you need now, and here are specific examples — boom, boom, boom. Can we meet for coffee?’”

In the end, the faster you can humanize your job hunt and make contact with the right hiring authority, the faster you’ll find work in this economy — or any other.

Resource: Need a better resume to impress hiring managers? You can get instant access to job-winning

via careerjockey.org

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It Pays to Negotiate: 5 Tactics That Work » The Glass Hammer

Contributed by Selena Rezvani, author of “The Next Generation of Women Leaders: What You Need to Lead but Won’t Learn in Business School”

If you think about it, we’re engaging in negotiations at work all the time. Whether we’re asking for the big promotion, the funding to attend a training or conference, for a vendor to come down on their prices, or to take a vacation during “busy” season, we’re in more bargaining situations than we realize.

With the pay disparity still a reality for most women, we need as many negotiation tools as possible at our disposal. What better time to revisit negotiation than now–as we approach April 20–the fifteenth annual Equal Pay Day? Consider the following strategies the next time you enter a negotiation at work, and remember, real-life practice is the very best preparation for negotiating.

1. Overprepare: Before entering any kind of negotiation, take the time to organize yourself from an informational standpoint. Write out why you are negotiating for whatever it is and the reasons for it. When you’re clear on your rationale, assemble any research that supports your argument. Remember to be creative as you do your research: look at traditional data from salary calculators and industry benchmarking reports, but be sure to speak to those in your networking circles who can also provide insight on compensation. If you want to ask for an assistant, for example, examine the standard criteria for hiring an assistant within your company. How many people does an assistant typically support? What kind of revenue does a department have to produce in order to justify having an assistant? Most of all, be ready to convey how an assistant could add new value for your organization.
2. Keep the Ship Steady: Prepare not only your facts–but also your demeanor. Walking into a negotiation without preparing can be disastrous, as can spontaneous or emotion-driven negotiations. Show that you’re optimistic that a solution can be reached that can satisfy all parties. You can also boost yourself up emotionally by dwelling on your strengths and abilities; concentrate on several of your past successes to increase your confidence and optimism. Regulate your emotions by role-playing the negotiation with someone you trust beforehand, so that you can remain unflappable during the real thing. Above all else, separate for yourself the person you will be speaking with and the problem you are trying to solve—they are not the same.
3. Ask Questions Strategically: In a negotiation, open-ended questions can be extremely powerful. These questions open up dialogue and can buy you more time if you need to gather your thoughts. Such questions, some examples of which are shown below, help guide and move the conversation along.
   • Can you explain how you arrived at that solution?
   • Are you willing to negotiate that point?
   • What is keeping us from coming to an agreement?
   • How could I help you feel more comfortable with this request?
   • What is most important to you? Can you explain why?
   • How can we move forward?
   • How can we best . . . ?
   • How can we make this work for both of us?
   • Is that the best you can do?
4. Use Silence for a Change: Silence can be one of the greatest negotiation strategies at your disposal. When you use silence strategically, you’re not over-promising or under-selling in ways you will later regret. You’ll not only be able to contemplate your next move, but silence often makes your counterpart share information, restate their position, or try to guess what your position is. Each of these attempts to break the silence put you in a more favorable position. The “silence strategy” is especially important for women since we may be tempted to accommodate our counterpart, fill a conversation void, or not want to seem “difficult” or withholding. The next time you’re in a negotiation situation, experiment with being quiet rather than speaking up right away.
5. Look for Mutual Gains: Look for a way for both parties to win. One of the women executives I interviewed for my book, Roxanne Spillett, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boys and Girls Clubs of America, advised, “…Look for a ‘win-win’ in relationships and negotiations. Every time you think there’s a ‘win-loss’ situation, look for ways to make it mutually beneficial…. This is a pretty important practice as a leader.” Coming up with creative solutions and concessions can certainly show your willingness to get to common ground in a negotiation. However if you must concede something, negotiate to get something else back.

via theglasshammer.com

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Top 5 Cover Letter Tips | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

If you’re anything like me, you think writing cover letters are a pain in the butt.  During my senior year of college, I cringed at the thought of applying for jobs because I knew it meant having to write a cover letter.  I wanted the job to come to me.  Of course, that never happened.  Questions like, “How do I write a cover letter?” and “What makes a good cover letter?” often flooded my head.  I wanted employers to know I was well-qualified for the job, but I didn’t know exactly how to put that on paper without including bullet points or headers.

In a market where job openings are scarce, sending a cover letter is crucial because it gives you the opportunity to tell hiring directors why you are qualified for the position and what you can bring to the table.  It is important to discuss your qualifications and expertise without revealing too much or too little information.  Employers want to know why they should hire you.

To give you some guidance in writing that outstanding cover letter, I’ve chosen 5 articles that will help you.  These articles cover everything from the basic cover letter to writing the one that will get you hired.  Let’s get started:

1. Do You Still Need a Cover Letter?, Careerbuilder.com

Simply put, yes, you still need a cover letter with every job you apply for.  Cover letters show that you have the ability to put sentences together and sound halfway intelligent.  If a job description asks for a cover letter and you don’t send one, don’t expect to get an interview for that company.

2. The Basics of Cover Letter Writing, The Chronicle of Higher Education.

This article discusses the basic principles that can be applied to most cover letters.  A cover letter should generally be one page and free of errors and typos.  Be sure to explain how you found out about the job and why you are interested.  Next, highlight your achievements and qualifications and connect your background to the specific position.  Also, remember to end your cover letter with something like, “Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.”  Use simple, direct language.

3. Three Words That Will Kill Your Cover Letter, Sooperarticles.com.

A resume and cover letter is much like a sales pitch.  It’s your job to convince the employer why you are the right candidate for the job.  While it may be hard to sit down and write your “sales pitch,” it’s very easy to ruin it with these three words: “My name is…” It’s important to keep cover letters short and straight-forward.  When you start off with “My name is…” a hiring manager is immediately going to think that he or she is about to read your life story.  Keep your cover letter short, very straight-forward, and professional.

4. 2 Killer Cover Letter Formats, Squawkfox.com

A standard cover letter has one format, but did you know that there are typically two formats?  Classic and contemporary.  Classic is the “standard” one that discusses previous experience and why you fit the job criteria.  The contemporary format goes more in-depth of how your experience relates back to the job you’re applying for.  Hiring directors like to see people who can correlate past experience to future experience.

5. 10 Cover Letter Tips: Making Yourself Irresistible, Interviewmastermind.com

This website offers some great tips on cover letter writing, like if you have a connection at a company you are applying to, don’t be afraid to mention them!  Sometimes it is not always about what you know, but who you know.  In today’s market, every little bit helps with landing that perfect job.

I hope these websites and articles have provided you with valuable information on how to write an outstanding cover letter.  Remember to use these helpful hints and tips if you ever find yourself stuck with what to write about.  A cover letter is one of the most important documents you will write and a well-written cover letter can often send you to the top of the interview list and help you nail that dream job.

via blog.brand-yourself.com

Cover Letters only work if you are looking for long term employment. If you are a career contractor skip the Cover Letter.

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reCareered: Linkedin Releases Job Seeker Premium - Want to get to the top of the list?

Linkedin just released a suite of premium tools targeted to help job seekers. Good news - they have some truly helpful features ... Bad news - They aren't free. For serious job seekers, I think it's worth the small monthly cost, giving candidates better viability and increased job search efficiency.

Linkedin helps job seekers accomplish two basic tasks - Finding target company contacts, and social branding. Job Seeker Premium makes both of these tasks easier and more effective.

As part of this review, I interviewed Parker Barrile, Director of Product Management for Linkedin's Jobs Business to get Linkedin's views about how their new tools are intended to help candidates. Parker mentioned that Linkedin has 3 major goals in for its premium job search products:

1. Allow candidates to manage job search more efficiently
2. Give job seekers more ways to efficiently contact hiring managers and recruiters
3. Help job seekers stand out, making it easier to be noticed

Parker stated that Linkedin "wants to be the place that people go to find their next job. We'll continue to provide free services, but Linkedin will also offer premium services for those who want greater connectivity and visibility in their search."

From my review of the features and discussion with Parker, I was impressed that Linkedin has made a good start in providing value adds that will help candidates in three areas they pointed out above. Parker also gave hints that this is just a start, and that Linkedin plans to release future user capabilities in its job seekers premium tools (Sadly, he wouldn't spill the beans to tell me what they would be).

Will Linkedin's new tools find you a job? No. Will Linkedin's new tools give you more ways to help yourself find a job? Definitely.

Linkedin offers 7-8 features fine tuned to the needs of job seekers, depending on the package offered. The three that can make the biggest difference are what make the service worthwhile. Other features may be helpful to job seekers as well, but these three are money.

• Top of the list - This is the #1 reason for Job Seeker Premium, in my opinion. Businesses have been able to buy their way to the top of Google for years. Linkedin Job Seeker Premium allows candidates a way to get to the top of the list. When recruiters or hiring managers search for specific criteria they may get hundreds of results - Premium user results are listed at the top. Since recruiters and HR reps might only call the top 10-20 matches, being at the top of the list helps a job seeker stand out. If you're a Java developer, trying to stand out from the thousands of other Java developers looking for a new position - Top of the list is a huge advantage.
• InMail - Currently, Linkedin basic users can contact their first level connections. InMail is Linkedin's version of special delivery, allowing candidates to contact any of Linkedin's 60M users - even if they are not a connection. Linkedin's website claims "You’re 30x more likely to get a response to an InMail than to a cold call. Why? Your profile is attached to your message; plus, it never ends up in a spam filter." In addition, it may be challenging to find emails of people you want to reach - InMails make it quick and easy, saving you time. Depending on the premium package you choose you can get zero, five, or ten InMails with guaranteed response - or choose InMails a la carte at an additional $10 each. If you use them, InMails by themselves make the premium service worth while as packages are 1/2 the cost of individually purchased InMails. Use these for people you've just got to reach, or for those who keep their email private.
• Gold Badge - Linkedin's premium service allows anyone to view your full profile and message you, even if not connected to you without either one burning through expensive InMails or Introductions, allowing unlimited free inbound email. As many new candidates haven't been as active in networking until their job search, having a small network means that few people can see your full profile or contact you freely. While this won't replace building your network, the gold badge gives job seekers with a small network a quick jump start.
While these are the most valuable services in the package, additional features can help job seekers as well:
• Introductions - As a free user, you have a limited number of free introductions that pass your info along through three degrees of separation. Job Seeker Premium gives you between 10 -25 introductions per month depending on the package you choose. Using introductions wisely can help you gain inside information to your target companies, reach hiring managers, informational interview sources, or hubs to help in your networking efforts.
• Expanded Search - the two top Premium service levels allow you to expand your search results beyond the 100 results you currently get as a free user - expanded up to 5x as many results. This can be valuable when searching within large centralized departments at single locations within enterprise companies. For instance, if you search for project manager at Allstate Insurance, there are thousands of results - free users only see 100.
• Who searched me? Premium users can see the titles and companies of everyone who initiated a search that your name turned up in. If you've turned up in a recruiter's or company's search, these may be companies you want to put on your target list, or recruiters you might want to work with.
• Folders - Linkedin premium services allow folders that job seekers can use to save and organize profiles, and store notes. It's not a contact management system, but it gives some capability to add some organization to your contacts.

These features have been needed for a while, and Linkedin has been offering premium services to businesses for over a year. When I first saw notices that Linkedin was offering premium services for job seekers I wondered ... What took them so long? This makes so much sense.

Linkedin premium has 3 packages priced at $19.95, $29.95, and $49.95. If you want the convenience and direct contacts of InMail I'd recommend the more expensive packages (it's an inexpensive way to use InMails). I don't know of any job seekers who couldn't benefit from being at the top of the list, included in even the least expensive package. That alone makes Linkedin Job Seeker Premium worth the price.

Please note: This is not a paid review, and Linkedin did not give me any free services (not even a lousy t-shirt). I wrote it because I think it's a true advance for candidates.

via recareered.blogspot.com

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