Accelerate Your Search™ Now

What is the best answer or best way to sell myself to land the job I want?

Not a week goes by that someone does not ask this question – there is not one best answer or one best way.   No two people are alike and no two candidates are alike.

The most successful approach it to focus on who you are, your strengths, what you offer and your unique talents.  That’s what sets you apart from the other candidates who will interview for the job you want. 

This approach is not hard but does require focus.  Begin with an assessment of your strengths, skills and talents.  Then plan how to communicate your value in each area.  Build your marketing message and tools showing how you can and will use your talents to provide consistent, performance to help an organization achieve its crucial business goals.  

The reason this is hard for most people to sell their talent and strengths during a job search is they get too focused on the past, or on what is missing or what’s wrong.  Focus first on you and your value. 

It is easy to get focused on what you don’t have, what you need to “fix” or what your weaknesses are, and move into comparison mode, but that is a dead end road to mediocrity.  Invest some time and focus on assessing your strengths, what you do well, your talents and how you can best apply these to the marketplace. 

When you know yourself, your value, your talents, your strengths, and how to communicate what you want, then you don’t dread an interview or talking to a potential employer.  Nor do you need to spend hours fixating on re-wording a résumé or writing a cover letter to fit a job posting, instead you can spend your time on targeted interactions within the organizations who can use and are looking for your skills and talent.

What are your natural talents? 

What pertinent knowledge and skills do you offer the marketplace? 

How can you use your talent to help the organization achieve a significant return on their investment in your salary?

Can you clearly share this information with a potential employer in a few minutes?

One solid way to build your personal brand online and share your knowledge is to write articles for online publications.  Sometimes there are little hassles to know about and avoid.  One of those issues can be your quotation mark style.

If you are publishing articles online and never had this issue – that’s great!  If not, here’s an important tip from Susan Friedmann, CSP.  Susan helps companies put their best foot forward at trade shows and events.  Her focus on increased results, and on building better relationships with customers, prospects and advocates in the marketplace is not only solid information for companies it can help you too.  She is also a literacy volunteer for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Here is Susan Friedmann’s tip to “Avoid a common hassle when submitting articles online”

If you write articles for online publications, you need to change your quotation mark style to avoid hassles.

Many online text boxes don’t accept “smart quote” or “curly quote” quotation marks. When smart quotation marks are copied from a MS Word document and pasted into an online text box such as a blog editor, the result can be text mashed up with incomprehensible symbols. It’s easy to change your quotation marks.

Instructions:

Open a new text document or the document you are working on. Click on the “Tools” menu.
Click on “AutoCorrect.”
Click on “AutoFormat As You Type” in the AutoCorrect menu.
Deselect the “Smart Quotes” option and select the “Straight Quotes” option in the ticker boxes.
Click “Save”

Thanks – Susan for sharing this information!

I appreciated this tip and I bet my readers will too.

Accelerate your search today!

Have a comment, tip or thought?  Post it below.

In Katherine Bindley’s post “Should Women Wear Engagement Rings to Interviews?”  she explores an interesting question.  She addresses elements of interviews and/or negotiations that I still find many people don’t think through completely – the perception of others.  What others think is their reality and it counts!

Everyone (recruiters, career coaches, hiring managers) I know will tell you eliminate distractions and sending the wrong message during interviews and negotiations.  I agree.  One of the best ways to avoid sending the wrong message is to be very clear about your message and to be on brand.

 When you take the time to identify, clarify and communicate your brand you create solid ways to leverage what sets you apart from the crowd and your unique value.  It is one of the best ways to avoid and eliminate distractions.

You may never change the perception of others.  However, a strong personal brand will draw your brand audience and those who value your unique value to you.

Your strong personal brand will help you leverage your strengths; align your values, goals and vision.  A strong personal brand will help you dliminate distractions.

Also with a strong personal brand you will not find yourself asking the question – Should I wear ___<you fill in the blank> ___?  … before an interview, negotiation, or performance evaluation again.  Instead you will prepare with confidence and a smile knowing what you wear is on brand and helps to send your message without distraction.  You will also give the interviewer and the world what is exclusively yours to give.

Do you have questions or comments?  Post them below.

Here are five tips for improving your online visibility with your personal portal profile:

1.  Have a plan.  Think about your brand, what you want to communicate and how do you want to show up online.  Be consistent.  Stay on message and stay on brand.  Start with one site, use it and maintain it. Don’t know where to start?  Explore about.me.

2. Add your photo or branded background.  If you just started your search you may not be ready to do that, so until you have the photo you want to use on your page, or your branded background ready to go, select one of the many backgrounds in a gallery that is a good fit for your brand.  There are many for you to select and use.  You can change and update your background easily in the future.  The prior background photo is saved giving you instant flexibility.  I suggest you add a high quality personal picture that captures you and your brand.  But if you are not ready to do this, or your appointment with the photographer is next week – the background gallery is fine for now and helpful.

3. Personalize your page.  Selecting the font that is right for you and on brand.

4. Add your brief bio. It is easy to go to your Branded Bio file, copy and paste.  Style the page to fit you, be sure to view and proof.  The features on most sites allow you to select color and location of your brief bio.  These features help you stay on brand.

5. Add links to tell visitors to your page where your web content is – make it “one click” away.  Consider adding an email link so visitors can email you directly from your page.

Do you still have a question?

Post it below or join the next Q & A and ask your question or contact me.

Both visibility and a consistent online identity are critical to your brand, your career and to landing your next position.  How will you improve your visibility and achieve consistent branding online?

There are so many tools to help you build visibility online.  ‘One size’ or one tool does not fit all. A resource that may help you quickly improve your online visibility is a personal portal.

In January, William Arruda shared Personal Portals as one of the Top 11 Trends in Personal Branding for 2011.  What is a personal portal?

A personal portal is a tool that allows you to create your custom personal profile page on the web to point users to your content and information on the web.   It provides analytics and is easy to set up at very low or no cost. Two of the options in this category you may want to explore are about.me and flavors.me.

An about.me “splash page” allows you to provide a brief well rounded branded bio and links to your online presence for an instant website.  If you are not ready to manage a website or to blog this is a great option to help you improve your visibility online.  If you have a website or a blog it helps you improve your visibility as a hub for all your content.  It is easy to put up, provides a portal to your LinkedIn profile as well as your other online locations, and gives you a nice link to add to your email signature.

Bottom line – A personal portal is easy to set up.  Low cost and gives you central web presence.  You can create an account, select your URL, add your bio and you have your page up in less than an hour.  You don’t need special skills.  Of course you need to do a little planning and have your bio ready.

Curious?   Check out my info at about.me or flavors.me 

Do you have a question or comment?  Post it below.

Summer is a great time of year. Summer in New England is very different than the HOT summer days of West Texas.  I love summer and the abundance of fresh vegetables, watermelon and the ease of finding good ice cream.

One of New England’s big surprises was the number of great easy to find little ice cream shops.  To find one I discovered I could just look for where people are lined up waiting to purchase ice cream on a summer evening or afternoon.  The second part of this surprise for me was that most of the ice cream shops close on or about Labor Day! 

The impact is that it feels like ice cream is in short supply in the fall and winter.  That of course is nonsense, good ice cream is not in short supply in the fall, winter or spring, it is just not as convenient to get and takes a bit of effort to find it during the other seasons of the year.  The result, if I want ice cream in the other seasons I have to make an effort to locate it.
 
Sometimes in a job search it is easy to feel ‘lack’ or think jobs are in short supply like ice cream in the off season.  That too is nonsense. 

Once you spend a little time reflecting on where you are and what you want from your career and your next position, you will also discover an abundane of opportunities.  These may not be as convenient as going around the corner and looking for the line or opening an email with a long list of your ideal positions.

Your ideal job is not in short supply, but effort is required to locate it.  You must be willing to market yourself, and you need to know what you are looking for and be willing to seek it out. 

Your talent, skills and abilities are wanted and needed, opportunities are abundant.  Are you willing to do the work for the ideal opportunity?

Most of the people lined up outside the ice cream place, knew where to go because of word of mouth marketing.  Someone told them about the great ice cream, they went and experienced it, they told others and line grew! 

This word of mouth marketing did not happen without work, a plan and day-to-day execution on the part of the ice cream shop owners.

Are you leveraging your word of mouth marketing?   Why not?

Sure there is a shop, a place for people to go to experience and learn more, (your online profile), the unique story of the ice cream shop and the ice cream it sells.  How it is made, what makes it different and the best in the area (your USP, your brand, your story).  The shop has a sign out front, (your job title, your business card), a menu board of the ice cream they offer (your résumé). 

The ice cream shop communicates their message and they help others communicate and share their message.  Maybe in print with a flyer, a storyboard, and as people gather in the line they are talking about the ice cream.  The line and those conversations are part of their social proof that the ice cream is good (your recommendations, references, your network).

All of these marketing elements are critical to drawing people to the shop to experience the ice cream.  They built the message and their reputation over time.  This did just happen. 

The shop assessed what they had to offer, worked to understand the wants and needs of their customer, and then they create and enhance a market for the ice cream as they communicatie and encourage others to share the story.  They focus on the experience and they have customers willing to stand in the long summer lines for ice cream!

The behind the scenes to creating the end result – a great reputation, long lines, perception of short supply, and high value, began with a careful assessment of the value available, how to communicate the value offered to the marketplace, followed by the creation of a plan and the daily execution and evaluation of the plan.   Time and hard work!

Have you taken the time to assess, plan and execute your personal marketing plan to land your next job? 

What is your story? 

You are unique, in short supply (there is only one of you).  You will be available for only a short time, and you have a high value in the marketplace.  What are you doing to tell your story, to pull people and interested employers toward you? 

Wouldn’t you rather have employers seeking you out? 

What would it be like to be like the ice cream shop in the summer with long lines of people waiting for you? 

How would it feel having people standing in line to interview you, experience you, to talk to you and to want to work with you? 

Would that lead to having several offers to review and then select the ideal one for you?

Have a question about creating your personal marketing plan? Sign up and join me on the next Q & A call, ask your question and get an answer.

Need specific ways to speed up your search?  Look to the right and request my gift to you – “162 Ways to Accelerate Your Job Search and Land the Job You Want”.

Have a comment or thought?  Post it below.

 Recently after an evening presentation, a lovely woman walked up engaged in a conversation.  Then asked to offer me some feedback, I said sure, I love feedback!

She told me she liked the information, what I had to say and found it helpful, her suggestion was that I not indicate to my audience that I believed in Divine direction because others might not only believe that would help them get a job, but believe they could find an employer where that belief was accepted or part of the values of the organization.  I smiled and thanked her for the feedback.  

Are your values important to you?

Are you looking for values alignment in your next position?

We all have values.  They are those non-negotiable guides for our lives.  Organizations, companies, even departments, units or regions of organizations have values too.

Satisfaction in a position, company and an industry is higher when you have alignment with those things that are important to you.  If your values are important to you, knowing what is important, understanding if there is indeed alignment or not impacts your level of satisfaction.

Opening communicating your values may offer you one method of obtaining external confirmation of values alignment or at least acceptance at a specific level.  You can research ask questions yet, still not know all the unwritten rules until you belong to an organization.

Yes, it is true you may not find an organization aligned with your values.  If it is important to you, then looking has a payoff.  If you don’t look, share and communicate your values the odds against you are much greater that you won’t find alignment.  At least the odd are better that you know the score and you can make a choice knowing there is or is not a values alignment at least at some level.

You must be somewhat comfortable in “your own skin” to do this and it does take courage to share your briefs during a job search. Fear of reject is real, until you get comfortable communicating who you are, what you have to offer, and realize that marketing yourself, values too, in an authentic manner draws people, opportunities and the ‘right’ hiring managers to you.

Skeptical?  Here are a couple of questions for you: 

Do you want to land a job where you don’t fit, and are unhappy, or do you want to land a job where you do fit, and enjoy what you do, and the organization you are with for 90 days or 730 days, or 1825 days or more?  

What is more important?

Years ago, a mentor offered me some advice that I ignored, as my way of seeking external confirmation of values alignment during an interview for a promotion.  I was never sorry I that I sought the external confirmation of the alignment that was very important to me. 

 My belief in the Devine is important to me, it is part of me. I don’t push my brief or views on others but I view it as inauthentic to deny or hide that part of who I am.  The advice was not to wear a piece of jewelry that was an outward and visible sign of my faith to the interview.  You must make your own choices, and market who you are, and make your own choice as to what you believe and how that impacts you job search.

Over and over again, authentic branding and marketing does accelerate your search.

What is important to you?

How will you elect to seek alignment with your values?

Have a question? Sign up and join me on the next Q & A call, ask your question and get an answer.

Have a comment or thought?  Post it below.

“How do I make my résumé stand out?” or “If everyone has a brand, how can I stand out?” Are you asking these questions too?

Everyone is unique.  The exciting thing in my business is that unlike products were there may not be anything different between two products except the color of the label.  Many products with different labels are produced to specs on the same line and at the end just get a different label. 

That is not the case with people.  Each executive, each person is different.  People are not mass produced.  Each person lives, grows, changes and evolves one day at a time.

There may be many people who work for competitors, run profitable businesses and have the same number of years in the industry that you do, but no one is just like you.  No one works like you do, nor has anyone done everything you have done. 

Your biggest difference is YOU.  You bring your own talent, gifts, education, experience and abilities to what you do.

Most of us spend so much time fitting in, doing what we think we should do that it is hard to stop and be honest about what makes us different, what makes us unique.  Be honest what are your unique talents, what do you do different. 

Why is it hard to “Stand Out”?  The answer is we are often afraid to say what makes us different.  We are afraid of the response or reaction from others.

There may be 10,000 people with your degree, who went to the same school, worked for the same companies, yet they aren’t you.  To stand out you first list all the things you have in common with professionals in your field. 

Then step back and list all the things that are unique to you.  List your unique talents, experiences, education, how you serve, how you lead, how you learn and the favorite part of your job.

I am a Texan who lives and works in New England.  I do things different.  It is not always easy to be different.  Why, because people don’t always like different. 

My unique gifts include: I am direct, and I ask direct questions.  I focus on results and on goals. Using those and my other gifts allow me to serve others and to live on purpose and help others identify their gifts and land the job they want.

It is not the custom to be direct in New England therefore if I feared what others thought or said about me it would be difficult for me to market.  One of my nieghbors says I am too out there, too much out in front and she does not like that.  I get it, her style is different those differences add value.  My gifts are what make me unique and of value to those who work with me.

Here is how to make your résumé stand out:  Start your list of your unique talents, put them all down. Make a decision to get very honest with yourself and about what are your unique gifts and what makes you different, not shy away form the things that others don’t like about you.  Write them down.  Your list will give you the key ingredients to make your résumé stand out.  Then incorporate the best items into your résumé.

Are you hoping to sort out some of what is out and about on personal branding?

Meg Guiseppi, C-level Executive Job Search Coach and fellow CPBS offered this keen insight worth sharing in her recent post Personal Branding Hype and Myths vs Reality.

Major companies know investing and building a strong brand and communicating it well improves ROI.

Have you invested in discovering and communicating your brand?

Enjoy!

How did you accelerate your search today?

Your phone may soon replace the credit cards in your wallet, if you want it to do so.  You can get text alerts for many services, coupons, sales, and Thorntons will send you a “Thorntons Gas Price Alert” before fuel prices change in their market.

What are the benefits?  Are the benefits faster, easier transactions and saving few cents or more by filling up your gas tank at a lower price per gallon?  Or are the benefits much more?  Does it mean more freedom, more individuality, more choices, or more loyalty to a brand?

The text gas price alert is a way to communicate relevant information to customers.   Matt Thornton, president and CEO of Thorntons notes that the text alerts support providing the value his organization is known for in the marketplace.

Do you have a way to stay visible and communicate relevant information?

We can, do and will continue to get, if we want it, and sometimes even if we don’t want it, relevant information via text, email, mail, phone and other media.  This information does impact how a person or an organization is viewed, at the very least is helps the marketplace know more about the organization or person.  It may also impact if someone does or does not do business with you or hire you.

There is a new world of work.  Change is everywhere.  The access to information is amazing.  Your Personal Brand is your greatest asset in today’s new world of work.

Every solid business knows to stay profitable in business, their brand must be visible and relevant to their customers and provide something of value to their customers.

How does the access and use of media and technology change how you manage your career and your personal brand?

How do you use new media and technology to stay visible and relevant?