5 Burning Questions To Ask Yourself Today | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

The world today moves faster than ever before.  It is so easy to get caught up in the 24/7 barrage of information and connectivity and never step back for a little self-evaluation.  Allow me to suggest a few “what-if” questions to ask yourself.  Some are logical, some are a bit off-the-wall, but the sum of your answers should provide an excellent snapshot of where your brand stands today.

What if you lost your job tomorrow?

I’m certain that for some of you, this question is more than future conjecture; it might be reality.  For those currently unemployed, this “Help! I lost my job!” article might contain a few helpful resources.  If you are pondering this “what-if” for the first time, ask yourself if you’d be devastated or relieved.  If “devastated” – are you doing enough to make certain you keep your job?  If “relieved” – might it be time look elsewhere and align your future goals with your personal brand?

What if you could not use your resume to impress prospective employers?

We’ve discussed this hypothetical situation before, when I asked if resumes would even be around in 10 years.  Well…what if they didn’t exist, starting tomorrow?  Imagine you had to prove your worth to a recruiter without the trusty resume as your sidekick.  How impressive (or existent) would the following be:

• LinkedIn profile?
• LinkedIn references?
• Blog archives?
• YouTube channel?
• Twitter listings?

Ideally, you would knock a hiring manager’s socks off with any of the above tools.  If not, time to get working!

What if your favorite social network disappeared tomorrow?

Admittedly, the percentage chance that Twitter or Facebook would suddenly disappear is infinitesimal.  Yet, I think posing the question is still a valuable exercise.  Specifically – if Twitter is your network of choice, how many of your connections do you really know?  Do you have their e-mail addresses, phone numbers, or websites stored away?  Personally, using this test, my 6,000 connections would instantly dwindle to around 100 – which is a bit scary.  You?

What if you could turn your real passion into a lucrative career?

If you could instantly take your #1 life passion and transform it into a lasting, financially rewarding career, would you do it?  Of course you would!  So then, the real question is not “what if?”, but rather “how can I make it happen?”.  Check out 50 of the weirdest jobs that actually exist, for creative inspiration.  Then, watch this Gary Vaynerchuk speech for REAL inspiration (caution: strong language).

What if you could borrow attributes from other personal brands?

For me, this would be an easy question to answer – there are so many people I admire for very specific traits.  I’d take Copyblogger’s wit, Melissa Cooley’s generosity, Dan Schawbel’s entrepreneurial spirit, and so on…what about you?  After you ask and answer the “what if,” next ask what steps you can take to actually initiate change.  The social web is full of brilliant, shining examples for us to emulate – but it is up to us to ultimately make the change.

Now, let me ask you – What question have I omitted that everyone should ask themselves today?

Do you have questions on personal branding in general?  Ask Ryan Rancatore at Personal Branding 101, and your question might be featured in an upcoming blog post.  Or, send an @RyanRancatore to Ryan on Twitter.

via blog.brand-yourself.com

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Your answering machine - Guerrilla Job Hunting

Your message must be professional – not cutesy.  Forget about your dog doing the voiceovers.  Keep it short and snappy.  Make sure you keep a call sheet handy and teach your family how to take a message if everyone is using the same phone.  If you have a teenage daughter and just one line then you must get Call Answering because the line is likely to be busy and people will only call back so many times.
Consider giving out your e-mail and web site address as partof your message.
If you sound like a drone then have someone with a pleasant voice record your message.
Keep the tone of the message business-like.

via guerrillajobhunting.typepad.com

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Job Seeker: How To Make A Name For Yourself

A lot of job seekers slog through their process with great anonymity.  But there’s no joy in anonymity.  It’s pretty much the worst way to network.

If nobody knows you, then no one is recommending you.  Even worse, what if no one knows “of you” either?  You are quietly pursuing a job.  And you will find one.  Eventually.

But what if you could find a few ways to stand out.  To add value to your network.  And become someone that people know?  It would be like pulling yourself out of a burning building.

Well, I have a new idea for you.

Another way to build a high value network.

It came from a post by David Swinney.  He writes a blog called Speaking of Social Media which covers topics such as social media, job search and personal branding.  He wrote a post called 20 Ways To Network More Effectively which highlighted content from my two-part series called The 20 Habits Of Highly Effective Networkers.

David found value in what I wrote and decided to share it with a local group.  He took my ideas and built his own presentation to share it with others.  And he (thanks David) when out of his way to share my original links in the presentation and in his blog post.  I saw his post, re-tweeted it and thanked him for sharing.

So David found a creative way to use my content to create a stronger name for himself.  Although reading David’s blog tells me that he really didn’t need my content.  He’s building a good content package on his own.

But here’s my idea for you based on David’s example.

Do the same thing.

Read my blog and find a post that really speaks to you.  Content that you think others in your network would appreciate.  And build a presentation on it.  Once you are ready, approach the leaders of your local networking groups with a proposal to present at an upcoming event.  Some of the list posts are really good for a quick and concise 30 minute presentation.

If you’d like, contact me and I will help you build one.  Or you can go to my speaking page, pick one and ask me to create a custom version of it for you.

So what do you get for doing this?

You make a name for yourself.

You stand out.  You become someone, that day and beyond, that people want to meet.

And that’s worth something.

You’ll be well on your way to becoming a person of influence in your local community.

If for some reason you are not comfortable presenting to your group.  You can tell the leader of your networking group about this blog and about the presentation topics available.  And maybe you gain a name by being the person who convinced me to come.  And present it personally.

In the end, the result is the same.  You build awareness for your personal brand.  And I get to share my ideas with more people (I’ve been looking to get out of town anyway!).

via timsstrategy.com

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Your Resume Is Sending A Message. Is It A Good One?

There’s a cool little tool that a lot of blog and website owners use.  They use it to tell visitors about their site.  In a visual sort of way.

Commonly called a “cloud”.

In fact, I have a “keyword cloud” here on the blog that tells you a little bit about my content (see bottom right).  But to be even more specific, I used a word cloud tool at Wordle.  I added my url to the site and it gave me back this cloud:

So this word cloud is like a visual summary.  The larger the word, the more I use it on the site.  So, in some ways, you can use it to keep yourself honest.  If I say my site is supposed to be about “ideas for job search, career and life” then how am I doing?

Well, I see that “job, search, career, resume” are really big.  And that’s good.  But you really have to work hard to find “ideas” (there’s your Where’s Waldo project).  The one word I could not find was “life”.  Unless I misspelled it as “list” or “like” a few times.  But I don’t think so.

Overall it appears I’m doing a pretty good job of staying on topic.  What do you think?

But now I want to focus on your resume.  Because just like this blog, your resume should have a communication objective.  Ideas you need to get across to create the right impression.

How are you doing?

If I were you, I’d go to Wordle.  On their home page, click “Create Your Own” to get started.  And then copy/paste your entire resume into their form and hit “go”.  Here’s what I got from my 2007 resume (I was looking for a Director or VP Marketing job (product/brand management):

So here you can see that my main messages were about “marketing, brand, products, new, division, growth”.  All pretty good, I think.  Of course some of these keywords will come straight from your past job titles, but you can beef them up nicely with a well written positioning statement and a strong, concise career summary.  And if your resume history is not perfectly in line with the job you are applying for, those words matter even more, right?

You can also paste in text from your one page networking bio or your cover letter to create additional clouds.  Just to see what message you are sending with your word choices.  And keep your documents on track and integrated.

Now it is your turn.  Go give it a try.  And let me know what you find out.

What messages are you sending?

Also: See another cool use of Wordle shared by @dsnestle on his Posterous page.  Twitter Backgrounds And Personal Branding Using #Wordle.

via timsstrategy.com

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Career Change: 2 Strategies for Getting Off Your “Buts” | Career Rocketeer - Career Search and Personal Branding Blog

I hear countless comments from people saying they want to change careers, BUT, but, but, but. They make up some reason for not changing. Among these reasons are: I’m too old – I’ll have to take a pay cut – I don’t want to make the effort – I don’t know what I’d do. Essentially, I think it boils down to fear of change or no effort to change, probably both.

There is a big portion of the workforce truly unhappy with their careers this morning as they drive to work. They don’t like their jobs, but they keep on doing the same thing day after day, year after year. They are doing nothing to change the situation. It’s really unfortunate, because their lives don’t have to be like that. Career change can be made and while it does take an effort, it’s not that big of a hill to climb. Let’s look at two strategies a person can pursue.

Strategy #1: Decide if you can get happy where you are or if it’s time to go (no improvement in sight)

There are about sixteen factors that play into our satisfaction of our work situation. It’s little wonder we can get grumpy about work. However, only the top few are really the deal breakers. The number one issue to work satisfaction is the relationship with the boss. After that, the top issues are (in no particular order): - work environment – work associates - job content. Notice I didn’t mention pay. Salary is somewhere around 5 or 6, depending on which survey you read.

You have to spend some time really analyzing your situation and determine what the real issue(s) is for you. Once you have identified the issues, you need to do some problem solving to determine what actions you can take to improve those issues. The actions must be ones you have control over, not silly things like a personality transplant for your boss. Once you have developed an action plan, before doing anything else, ask yourself these questions: If I take these actions, will I be happier than I am now? Will I be happy enough to sustain me in this position for x years? If you think there is a possibility for improvement, then systematically pursue those actions. You have nothing to lose and you stand to gain greater happiness right where you are right now. If not, then go no further. It’s time to leave and move on to the next strategy.

If you do decide to make it better, you may want to consult your library on things you can do that will help you further solve some of these issues. There are books written on every single work issue you can come up with. Once you have taken these actions, allow time to make those actions take hold. At some point (you decide when) reevaluate your situation to see if you’re feeling better in your job. Many times the simple act of taking action is enough to really improve your situation. If not, it was worth the effort to see if things could improve. Then you can make the decision to move on knowing you did your best.

Strategy #2: Identify and Research your “buts” for making a career change

Stop making excuses and identify the issues that are keeping you from making a career change. You need to stop telling the stories and start doing some work. The person who is reluctant to make a career change sometimes has to address the issues or concerns first. With this strategy, you need to self examine what you really think the barriers are to a career change. Then go do some research to find out if you’re all wet or if you really have an issue worth hitting the pause button for.

My observation is that most of the time people come up with barriers without really knowing FOR A FACT that they really have an issue. Go get the facts. I also know that once you know the facts, you can devise an approach that will help you should you decide to move forward changing careers. I’d like to give you a personal illustration. Early in my professional life I decided that I was going to change careers. I was pretty sure I’d have to take a pay cut, because I was getting paid fairly high for the work I was doing. I devised a plan to pay off 100% of all debts I had. My thinking was that if I did have to take a pay cut, then I wouldn’t have to be so concerned with the pay: and I could focus on a great position in a company with upward potential. I knew if I had almost no bills, I could take a substantial pay cut and be okay. I devised a strategy to address the issue. It took me about a year to put it all in place, but it was well worth the planning and effort.

I would also point out that taking that first little action toward a career change will help you build momentum. You don’t need to be a fireball of career ambition. You simply need to put one foot in front of the other long enough to systematically confirm that a change of careers is what you need. If you are the kind of person that does best with a work-out buddy, you might want to do the same in this part of your life. Identify a trusted person who will hold you accountable to your own happiness. Motivation is not created from a bolt of lightning. It is created by the act of doing. So do yourself a favor. If you know you can’t make yourself happy where you are, start moving today. Even small steps forward are better than no steps at all. Eventually you will make that career change.

You work so much and for so long in your lifetime that you deserve to be happy in doing it!

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Guest Expert:

Dorothy Tannahill-Moran is a Career Coach and expert on helping her clients. Want to discover a specific career change strategy that gets results? Discover how to by claiming your FREE gift, Career Makeover Toolkit at: http://CareerMakeoverToolKitShouldISstayorShouldIGo.com/

via careerrocketeer.com

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When YOU Are the Brand

We’ve gone through a strange change, from people not realizing that they need to be their own brand, to people not realizing how being the brand impacts the way they do business. It’s interesting, really. Tom Peters was the first person I recall talking about it, back in the Alan Webber days of FastCompany (The Brand Called You). Back then, we were all cubicle farmers and beige employees of the cog-world (okay, not true, but that’s what it felt like). But now, we’re getting the opposite, where people have all the tools to make a brand and do so, but don’t really know how to leverage that brand into anything resembling a business. So, in some ways, there’s been a bit of a see-saw. We used to have people that would prosper by turning their wonderfulness into a personal brand.

We Got There – Kinda

In a way, lots of us have found our way to the tools that allow us to try and build a brand. I meet finance professionals with blogs. I know videobloggers who have a day job doing research for the research and quantification sector. We have access to the tools. Not everyone’s getting themselves to the promised land by blogging, but the tools are there. We CAN try and build personal brands and that’s something.

But What About Business and Personal Branding?

The trick of being in a personal brand is that there’s a big difference between being known, being known for something, and also being able to turn that into business.

I’ve got a recognizable personal brand. It took years to build it. From that, it took years to figure out how best to make business from it. Because just being known doesn’t transform instantly into business.

I met Kathy Ireland a few months ago. She went from being a model into running a successful business with over $1 Billion in sales. Her speech at the Disney Social Media Moms event made no bones about the fact that it was hard going from being known for being beautiful into being respected for her business acumen. She told lots of stories about times when she and her business partner slept on the chairs in an airport to save money between business flights. The end point: no one just hands you money and business because they know you.

Your first takeaway: make sure you’re progressing from being known into being known for something you’ve done, and then work at finding a way to build a business from that. Your second takeaway: no one wants to hand you money just because people know who you are.

It’s Still Not About You

Being a personal brand isn’t all that useful to anyone else, if it’s just about you. It just doesn’t get people as fired up to be “supporters of Chris,” for instance. But instead, if you’re “human business workers,” all committed to improving relationship-minded sustainable human business practices, well, then I’ve got the sense that we’ll do a lot more.

As a personal brand, it’s really important to talk about everyone else as much as you can. It’s just too boring and unhelpful to tell everyone about you. It’s okay to “model the change you want to be,” or even let people learn from the lessons you’ve suffered through, but make sure you bring it back to them, and be helpful. It’s about the community you can touch and help succeed.

Be a Value Brand, Not a Name

I just had a great stay at the Renaissance Hotel in Las Vegas a few days back. Every single staffer treated me like I was a friend, and like they were so happy I was part of their experience. They gave me such value. They had advice for where I could go. They knew some ins and outs I needed to know. It was pure value for me as a frequent traveler.

I try to be a value brand. I try to give everyone so much more than what I ask for, that you think, “wow, I really DO want to help Chris promote Invisible People, because he’s given me lots of actionable business ideas over the years.” That’s my angle, and it’s working really damned well. Be a value.

Story Story Story

Connect folks to the story that brings them passion. I wrote about a charter school I visited, and learned tons about people’s take on education in the US (and abroad). That’s a story I could bring via my brand, but then let go so that it found the people who are passionate about such matters. See? I become the elbow of every “deal,” where in this case, stories of meanings become the deal.

You can do that. Don’t make the brand about you. Make it about the stories you can tell, adding your value and insight and passion, and then build on that. (This is where the business comes from, you know.)

Think Community Every Day

As a personal brand, it’s not YOUR community, but it’s a loosely joined group of people who feel affinity for some of your ideas or for the space you represent. In a way, I’m saying, “make sure you realize that it’s never your community; it’s a place you’re privileged to access.” People who throw “MY” around before the word “community” are often surprised when that community doesn’t march in the same order that you intend. Surprise! The trick of this is that you have to recognize that you’re in service of the community, not the other way around. You’re possibly a leader, or at least someone that’s known, but that doesn’t make you the important part of the equation. With me?

Brands Need Refreshing

Never rest on your laurels. Madonna never did. She changed up her game every year. Soda pop companies tidy up their brand all the time. Now, think of a few brands that don’t do that, who are still in the past. Where are they?

The same is true with your brand. You. Lord knows I work on my brand that way. You think I’m the social media guy? I’m building myself to be the human business guy. I used to be the podcamp guy. I used to be just a blogger. I’m always working on the angle of the brand. Now, it won’t be there for you yet, because I’m talking about my planning, not my current situation. But that’s the very point I’m making. This isn’t accidental, or it isn’t for people who use brand as part of their success.

Brand is Only ONE Asset

A brand is an asset. But it’s only ONE asset. You can’t feed your family on a personal brand. You have to deliver something of value. You have to have a product or a service or something else where you make the real money. The brand is just the powerful emotional flag that people can rally around. If you don’t have more assets, or aren’t developing the other assets, well… enjoy that flag.

What Else?

What else did I miss? What else can I help you with on this? How have you put this into service?

via chrisbrogan.com

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The Best College Grad Job Search Sites - Vol 1 - Secrets of the Job Hunt Career Podcast

“College is the best time of your life. When else are your parents going to spend several thousand dollars a year just for you to go to a strange town and get drunk every night?” - David Wood

A little humor for this post, but seriously, you will need to find a job once you graduate (or step it up a notch if you've already graduated). Following the trend of some of my other posts, I thought it would be a great idea to list the best college grad job search sites. Just to be clear, there was no voting, no analysis, no surveys and no criteria. This list is simply based on my view. Also, there is no particular order to my list (like the best of the best or official ranking). I will, where appropriate, mention those that are in my top ten.

With Christmas just around the corner, some of you may be home for the holidays. Use the next few weeks to get your plan in shape so you can start (or re-start) your job search. Remember, it is never too early to get your Job Search strategy (and you Job Search Marketing Toolkit) in order.

College Grad / Entry Level Job Search Sites:

• CollegeRecruiter.com - The main page for this site is very simple, center page is job search (and advanced search if you want). There are also links for internships (over 10,000 when I checked) and entry level jobs. Click on entry level jobs to see a listing of functional jobs (and click on any of these to see the details). You can create an account or use it as a guest. According to the site, there are hundreds of thousands of internships and entry level jobs.

• CollegeGrad.com - Another great search site for College Grads and Entry Level job seekers, "The #1 Entry Level Job Site" is the tag line. There is a search box at the top center of the page, with links for top jobs, top employers and top careers. There are additional links to resources on the left hand side of the page for resumes, cover letters and more.

• AfterCollege.com - "Search over 200,000 jobs" is the tag line for this site. In addition to job search, this site also has a network you can use. Below the job search box (which is center page), are links for featured organizations, employers and jobs. You can browse jobs by functional category or by the generic search box. There are links at the top of the page for Jobs and Resources,

College Grad Job Search Advice:

• Gradspot - With a tag line of “life after college”, you better have a great college grad careers page (and they do). Click on "Preparing for the Job hunt" at the top of the page and you will see an, Finding the perfect job and settling into the Workplace. There are articles on a number of related topics as well as Career Features with links to great articles such as “What are the best city for Grads” the best and worst cities to look for jobs and so much more.

• Career Advice for College Students - As a college student or recent grad, you should be seeking career advice as early as possible. This resource, from Employmentspot.com, provides some good advice (like internships). Additional links and resources can be found on the left hand side of the page.

• College Student/College Graduate/Entry-Level Job-Seeker Articles – This link, by Quintcareers, provides a wealth of information in the form of articles for the recent grad or entry level job seeker. Topics ranging from “Considering Grad School” to “Beyond the Apprentice” offer advice and guidance to help you find your way.

• Entry Level Jobs – Finding Entry Level Jobs – This article provides advice and additional links to help you in your search. Topics range from Job Search Help to Career Office Services with embedded links for additional information. There are a few relevant videos on the right hand side of the page and the bottom of the page has quite a few related links. Last, but not least, you can sign up for Alison’s newsletter or visit her blog (these links are at the bottom right hand side of the page).

Company Career Sites for College - Check out these links:

• Wal-mart College & Recent Grads

• Chevron Students and Recent Graduates

• Johnson & Johnson Students

• ScanSource Inc.

• National Semiconductor

via secretsofthejobhunt.com

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