Do People Like Your Personal Brand? | Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel

How much people like you will have a direct impact on your career and almost everything you do, but being liked is a relative thing.

True story

At a former company of mine, there was an engineer who was overwhelmed with work. We’ll call him Tom. This 8-year veteran of the IT department – his first job, still a young guy – clearly had too much on his plate and it resulted in delayed projects and even undelivered projects.

Finally, Tom’s boss convinced company management to grant them a headcount so that a 2nd engineer could be hired to help the first one.

To their good luck, they quickly found a very smart, talented engineer who was immediately available for a full-time role and Steve was quickly brought on board.

During his first year on the job, the new engineer blazed a trail. Steve…

• completed many projects, including new ones that he’d suggested, and which created new potential streams of revenue
• documented internal procedures for the first time, which led to careful analysis and efficiency improvements
• wrote software that made other team members’ jobs easier
• gave an internal class on new, business-critical technology and
• even participated in the recruiting of engineers in other parts of the company.

And all this while Tom continued to struggle with his workload, resulting in delayed projects and even undelivered projects.

Unfortunately, times were tough for the company and as part of their cutbacks, they decided to lay off one of these engineers.

Which one do you think was laid off – Tom the straggler or Steve the star?

You guessed it right- Steve’s first year on the job was his only year on that job.

Why the layoff choice

Like the stereotypical nerd, Steve had some social skills issues. He was very sharp at understanding the root of a problem quickly and at a proposing a good solution just as quickly. However, his matter-of-fact manner irritated team members who felt that he made them look bad as a result of not having seen the solution themselves.

Also, Steve’s analyses led to much constructive criticism. Even though Steve was a target as much as anyone else for his own criticism,  the pre-existing team culture had none of that and the team – including the manager! – didn’t want it.

Contrast this with Tom, who’d been in his job for years with the same people, who were by now all comfortable with each other and who’d built their team culture together.

Conclusion

Tom was liked, so he kept a job that he struggled at.

Steve wasn’t liked, so he lost a job that he excelled at. However, he then moved on to another company that had a more success-oriented culture. He excelled there too, and was liked.

Just because you’re not liked doesn’t mean you’re not likable.

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

Posted via email from AndyWergedal

Facebook: The Untapped Job Board » Blog | Great Resumes Fast

Most of what you hear about facebook while looking for a job involves keeping your information as private as possible from potential employers.  While this is good advice, facebook can also be a valuable tool in your job search, as many smaller companies post their job ads on their facebook pages.

If you are looking for work at a smaller local company, “liking” their facebook page can often be a great place to start.  Open jobs are sometimes posted there before they make it onto the company’s regular Web site.  Additionally, facebook sites will often include pictures from previous events the company has held.  Viewing these gives you a sense of the corporate culture at the organization.  Are the people wearing suits or are they dressed in business casual?  Are the upper level managers all in their 60s, or is there room for someone younger to move up through the ranks?

Provided (again) that your facebook profile is work appropriate, you can also use a business’s facebook page to get your name in front of them.  Just as you might use LinkedIn to send a relevant article to a specific contact, you can post a link on the facebook page of a company if you think fans of that company might be interested.  If the company posts its community events on facebook, it may offer you the opportunity to show up at one and meet someone face to face.  You may also find that some of your other facebook friends are fans of a company, and who knows, maybe they personally know someone who works there.

Many people feel uncomfortable using facebook in a professional context, and it’s OK if you’re one of them.  However, with many businesses creating their own pages on the site, it’s worth at least investigating whether the company has any information that you can use when sending them your resume.

For more information on social networking while job seeking, professional resume writing, job search, or career related articles visit http://www.greatresumesfast.com. You can also request a free resume analysis by emailing a copy of your resume to info@greatresumesfast.com.

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Posted via email from AndyWergedal

Career Advice by Career Expert Daphne Houston : CAREEREALISM

By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Daphne Houston

Yes I know, even for the best of us, sometimes answering those questionnaires and KSAs can seem like a daunting task when completing your federal application.

Narrative statements are supplemental statements the federal government uses to evaluate an applicant’s candidacy. Examples include Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA); Mandatory Professional or Technical Qualifications (MTQ / MPQ); or Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) for Senior Executive Service (SES) positions.

If you are applying for similar types of positions, which you should be doing, here are some tips to make it easier for you to ease your writers block and answer the questions with impact and relevance.

1. Thoroughly review the vacancy and the preview questionnaire. Go through the entire application to make sure you review all of the questions associated with the announcement.

Copy and past the questionnaire into word or a text editor. This way you are not trying to answer the questions on the fly in the online application manager. It may be an extra step, but it will save you lots of time and frustration in preparing your resume, KSAs and even helping you determine if the position is right for you.

2. Make a list of your greatest accomplishments (as they relate to the area of expertise for the position). For each accomplishment list, ask yourself the who, what, when, where and why questions.

What was the accomplishment? (Led a program, implemented a new process, created the budget.) What was the result of the accomplishment? What challenge was present and then resolved? What actions were taken? What steps were taken? Give concrete, steps here. For example, don’t just state you had meetings. State you “scheduled weekly team members for the task force where you addressed the project milestones” which included: example, example, example. State you tracked the performance weekly and escalated any problems within a 24 hour period.

Who? (Who accomplished this – you solo, you as a team? you as leader?)

When? What was the timeframe? Was this a year long process?

Where? Was it a local, national, multi-site, regional, global? The more detail you give to determine the scope of the accomplishment the better. Why? Why was this problem important to solve?

How were others affected? Impacted?

For results – Quantify as much as possible. How much revenue was realized? Budget saved? Number of resources reduced? Fewer problems? Better ratings? Raise? Promotion? Recognition? Lessons learned. Even if you failed, frame the lessons learned in a way that shows the reader you understand the failure and used that to build future success.

By using the building blocks of accomplishments, you can build a strong database of KSAs, TQs that can be repurposed easily to specifically target each application. For those already in federal roles, you can add current projects to update the KSAs as a strong candidate for the next level.

3. Speak ‘em out loud as you write them. Picture yourself answering the question in a face to face interview situation; even better yet, I’ve actually recorded clients’ responses to get the detail and passion needed to make their KSAs stand out. You can easily record yourself on a digital recorder or on your own voicemail for that matter.

All three steps will not only help you stand out from the crowd but will also prepare you for interviews so you can Land That Federal Job.

Did you enjoy this article? You can read more articles by this expert here. Also, check out all of our free webinars!

CAREEREALISM Expert, Daphne Houston has been in the careers and employment business for over 15 years, helping hundreds of government and non-government clients land jobs and thrive in successful careers. Her certifications include: Certified Federal Resume Specialist, Certified Federal Job Search Trainer, Certified Federal Career Consultant, Certified Job Search Specialist, Certified Performance Based Hiring Expert, and Professional Human Resources.

The photo for this article is provided by Shutterstock.

via careerealism.com

Posted via email from AndyWergedal

TheWiseJobSearch: Degrees and Expectations

As recent college graduates hit the job market, and time goes by for some of them without any prospects, I often hear the expressions of “shock and awe” that they spent four or more years earning a degree and now they can’t seem to find a job! For many, they are surprised that they are not being considered for jobs when they thought that coveted sheepskin was the ticket to success and prosperity. What happened?

Certainly there are many varying opinions on this topic, however, as I observe the job market in today’s economy, as well as in boom times, the issue is often clear to me.

For some, it’s simply a function of the current economy. For some, it’s a matter of approaching their job search more diligently, professionally, and wisely. However, for others, it’s a matter of having spent their time and money on a degree that makes them virtually unmarketable!

As someone’s career progresses, the fact that they have a degree, any degree, often continues to be important to open doors to new opportunities. However, after a while, what discipline the degree was in becomes less and less relevant compared to the actual work experience obtained (with obvious exceptions in certain fields like medicine).

As a new grad, however, the job seekers’ major has everything to do with their likelihood of being considered for a job. Without a significant relevant work history, the degree is the only indicator of whether someone is qualified and prepared to do a specific job.

I often encounter young men or women who graduated with degrees in African Studies, Russian Literature, Political Science, or another academic endeavor that may have been of interest to them, however, generate little or no interest outside of academia. If they are interested in pursuing a career in academia, in government, or in politics there may be potential, yet few opportunities. However, very often graduates from those,or similar, majors are trying to pursue opportunities in business and are surprised when they are not gaining traction in their search.

I am a strong proponent of education. If someone chooses to gain an education in a subject that may not be marketable for the sake of that education in and of itself, or for their own enjoyment and betterment, I’m supportive of it if they are able to afford it without tax subsidies. If they are pursuing such a degree without the expectation of it qualifying them for a wide variety of careers, they are pursuing their degree with a realistic perspective.

Many students enter college with a clear goal of the type of career they would like to pursue and so pursue a relevant degree. Perhaps it’s in medicine, engineering, computer science, accounting, finance, marketing, teaching, or many others. In many cases, however, when students enter college, they have no idea what their goals or career interests are. So they pursue a degree program that may be of interest to them academically, however, without giving thought to what the resulting marketability of that degree may be.

When in doubt of type of specific career one hopes to ultimately pursue, it is much more fruitful to pursue a degree that may be more applicable in the mainstream job market. Perhaps a degree in Business Administration, Math, or Communications. Each of those programs are more generalized, however, much more accepted as useful in a business environment.

Once someone has a few years of work experience in a particular field, the degree they once gained is less relevant. However, in order to get that first, or second job after graduation the specific major is critically important. With college costs continuing to rise so much faster than inflation, it does not seem wise to spend many tens of thousands of dollars or more on a piece of paper that may be of interest, however, cannot help you gain an income when you need one.

If you are making a post-secondary education decision, make sure your degree is capable of helping you achieve your expectations, or your expectations are appropriate for your degree!

via thewisejobsearch.com

Posted via email from AndyWergedal

Best of Branding: Top 5 This Week | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

Here are the Top 5 This Week – @andywergedal

I guess that 5 is the lucky number this week. Look up your salary, find ways to reduce risk, resume mistakes and keys to finding your next job.

The Top 5 This Week

1. 100+ Free Salary Resources From Around the World in 2010 –
[JobMob]

All the free salary surveys and other salary information you’ll need in 2010.

2. 5 Ways To Reduce The Risk In You –
[Tim's Strategy]

Many of us are risk takers. We look for opportunities in life to try something new. To test the boundaries. There is a thrill that comes with risk. A feeling that you are allowing yourself to experience a fuller life. If this describes you. If you can imagine yourself sitting on the edge of the Grand Canyon like those above. Then you fit this profile.

3. Five Mistakes Job Seekers Make on Their Resumes –
[Moving On Up]

Have you ever had a phone interview? Every interview can be a little nerve wracking, but a phone interview can be particularly terrifying. Like calling a crush for the first time, it can put your stomach in knots. If you’re nervous about this type of interview, don’t panic. The following tips will give you a head start on how to be a success.

4. 5 Important Keys to Finding Your Next Job –
[Employment Digest]

It is not news to anyone that the job market seems to be more competitive every day. Here are 5 things to keep in mind as you pursue your next position.

5. Growing a Professional Network: Using LinkedIn’s Groups –
[Career Alley]

One aspect of using LinkedIn that many job seekers may not have previously considered is utilizing the groups feature to grow their network exponentially, with little additional work.

Photo Credit

This week I was branded a professional encourager and a diplomatic pessimist. (I’m not sure how those work together). Check out my editorial posting on 40×50.com and on twitter @andywergedal… (blah blah, blah stuff follows) Andy’s primary professional role is the communication bridge between technology and executive staff. An expert in project management methodologies Andy excels as the agent of change. In his spare time, he has a passion for helping people find jobs.

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Posted via email from AndyWergedal

Free resources for building your personal brand online | Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel

Today, it’s easier than ever for individuals to build and promote the personal brands for free, long before writing and publishing a book.

The Internet offers you numerous free ways to demonstrate your subject area expertise, set yourself apart from your competition, and build your online visibility. There are several ways you can take small steps today that represents investments you can build on later, developing a major competitive advantage relative over your peers.

Start early and start small with small steps you can build on and, later, incorporate into more ambitious online brand-building activities.

A tale of two job candidates

For example, let’s consider two college students entering their senior year; both hope to get a job before graduation. Both have had similar work experiences, share similar interests, grade point averages, and extra-curricular activities. Both are comfortable during interviews. Their only difference is their online visibility; both have similar Facebook pages.

Their primary differences are the links on their Facebook pages:

• Candidate A’s Facebook page contains links to their family and friends, their college, and their hometown.
• Candidate B’s Facebook page is similar, but also contains links to several free websites where potential employers can find proof of the candidate’s interest, knowledge, and understanding of the challenges, issues, and opportunities in the field where they want to locate employment.

Which candidate do you think is most likely to get the job?

Building your personal brand online for free

Here are seven of the ways you can build your online visibility for free, proving your knowledge of your field and linking to your Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter accounts – even if you haven’t yet set up your first website. The following are introduced roughly in order of complexity:

1. Creating list of online resources. One of the easiest ways to get started is to compile lists of recommended articles, books, audios, videos, and other online resources at URLi.st. For example, I’m creating constantly growing lists of writing books and online writing resources.
2. Sharing comments and opinions about websites. Bounce takes the idea of sharing online resources to the next level, by making it easy for you to take screenshots of web pages, add your comments and annotations, then invite others to contribute their ideas and comments. Here’s an example of Bounce in action.
3. Writing and placing articles online. One of the easiest ways to build your online visibility is to write articles for online articles like ezinearticles.com. Not only is this one of the largest article portals, but there are hundreds of articles, blog posts, and article writing tips to help you get started. Ezinearticles.com also provides you with a author profile page with links to all of your articles, plus  tools and reports to track the popularity of your articles.
4. Creating online press releases. PressExposure.com, started by the same team that created Ezinearticles.com, guides you as your write and place press releases promoting your articles, books, and other brand-building examples of your expertise.
5. Sharing ideas and inviting feedback without a blog. Choose Squidoo if you’re looking for a more robust personal branding platform, such as the ability to add multiple visuals and feedback options. Squidoo provides a level playing field that you can build upon as your skills develop.
6. Create and share your videos online. You can get started creating your own 5-minute screencasts using Screenr.com’s online video recorder and hosting services described in a recent post. If you have a microphone hooked up to your computer, you’re ready to get started in online video!
7. Creating and sharing online mind maps. Mind maps displayed online, like the one at the top of TheBrain.com, permit you to share vast amounts of information in a visual format that allows others to explore your ideas in as much detail as desired. (See what happens when you click on Products or Business Solutions.) Using Webbrains, you can access your mind maps from any online computer at home, at the office, or while traveling. You can also control who has access to your maps; everyone, no one, or just selected co-workers, prospects, or clients.

What do all of the above share in common?

All of the above online personal branding tools can be set-up and maintained for free. Although some of the above offer fee-based advanced capabilities, you don’t have to subscribe or buy anything to continue building your brand.

In most cases, you’re invited to immediately get started on the home pages linked above!

Another characteristic of the above is that the information you choose to share in your initial attempts to build your personal branding is yours to build upon for years to come.

• Your list of recommended books, for example, can form the basis of a website incentive, a newsletter, a section of a book proposal, or an e-book.
• Your articles and Squidoo lenses can be incorporated in e-books or chapters of a published book. You can also reformat your articles and lenses and use them as the foundation for podcasts and videos.

You’re likely to be surprised at how quickly your lists and resources become more valuable. For example, I began compiling my URLI.st’s less than a week ago, and I’ve already been using incorporating them in other projects, details.

Once you get started, new alternatives and options will begin showing up of their own accord!

Getting started building your personal brand

The availability of the multiple free options listed above only requires three things from you:

1. Confidence that the information you take for granted is valuable and deserves to be shared with others.
2. Commitment to get started, taking small steps that benefit you now, while provide building blocks for later projects.
3. Discipline to prioritize and manage your time, so you can develop the habits of on-going personal brand building while taking care of family, health, and business in other areas.

Often, the longest journeys begin with the shortest steps.

The seven free online resources listed above represent just the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of others. Share your experiences working with the above, and the results you’ve achieved. In addition, share other favorite free online personal branding tools as well as any ideas or tips for making the most of them. Share your discoveries as comments, below.

Author:

Roger C. Parker shares ideas for planning, writing, promoting, & profiting from brand building books in his daily writing tips blog. His latest book is #BOOK TITLE Tweet: 140 Bite-Sized Ideas for Compelling Article, Book, & Event Titles.

via personalbrandingblog.com

Posted via email from AndyWergedal

Movin' On Up: Is Your Morning Routine Hurting Your Career?

My mornings often begin the same way. Timed to Rossini’s William Tell Overture No. 3, I slowly wake to the sun peeking through the window. I sleepily blink my eyes several times to adjust to the light. I yawn. I stretch. I waste at least three minutes contemplating going back to sleep for five more minutes, when I wisely decide to consult my clock. And to my shock and surprise, I discover I’m late! Again! Everything after that is a frantic blur. Rushed and stressed, I get ready in a fury. I inevitably have to hunt for my keys, and at least one misbehaving, runaway shoe.

After a frenzied search, keys triumphantly in hand and matching shoes on feet (You’ll never escape me badly behaving shoe! Never!), I’m out the door. There isn’t time for breakfast, coffee, or even time to pack the healthy lunch I had planned. Exhausted from my morning routine, groggy from a lack of caffeine, and grumpy from hunger, I start my day off on the wrong foot. Everything’s harder after that. It’s difficult to get started. It’s difficult to focus. I feel behind and rushed for the entire day. And on the days I find myself running behind, I can’t help but ask myself, are my bad morning habits hindering my career? Could I be more and do more if I started the day differently?

Maybe your morning routine isn’t plagued by wandering shoes or misplaced keys. Instead, maybe you struggle to get the kids to school or daycare before you head to work. Maybe you have to fight the morning traffic, the weather, or your dog that refuses to go outside, to get to the office on time. Whatever your morning routine, if you’re not energized and ready for the day to start, it may be time for a change.

If you find yourself struggling to get to work on time, break bad habits and create new routines to help make your morning run smoother. Set your alarm to go off a few minutes earlier. If that doesn’t help, try moving it away from the bed to keep from hitting the ever-dangerous snooze button. Pack your – and the kids’ – lunch the night before. Lay the kids clothes out before bedtime. Try to get to bed earlier with a schedule you can stick to. In the morning, open your curtains or blinds first thing to let the light in. Buy a coffeemaker you can program so it’s piping hot and fresh when you wake up.
How you start your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day. So, find ways to start your day off on the right foot to keep your career on the track to success. I know that my shoes and I are going to.

via blog.expresspersonnel.com

Posted via email from AndyWergedal