In my career as a marketer, I have had the good fortune to advise businesses on developing their brand and go-to-market strategies. I've taught companies how to use storytelling in their marketing and how to develop a message that is unique and sticky.
Related:6 Ways To Show Your Value Without Being A Jerk
Over the course of the last few years, I have transitioned these lessons to personal branding. The mistakes and successes are strikingly common.
Everyone wants to tell everyone everything. Businesses want to get into the nuance of the product they've developed. And when we talk personal branding, we, too, want to get into nuance and details.
And my message to everyone is the same: You're audience wants to know how you're going to solve their problem. They don't care about whiz-bang features; they care about their problems. In personal branding, your boss or hiring manager doesn't care about the “responsibilities" you have at work.
What they do care about is how your awesome skills will solve their work problems. Which is why responsibilities do not matter; accomplishments matter. You should think about your “unique selling points." What are the 5-10 things you've done that are just awesome? Don't think “responsibilities," think “accomplishments."
The SVP of Google's hiring team, Laszlo Bock, stated that you should frame your accomplishments as “I accomplished (x) as measured by (y) by doing (z)," which is so brilliant in its simplicity, but, the problem so many of us run into is, "Uh, what did I accomplish?" Or, “I don't have numbers to support my efforts."
It is where we always get stuck and stop. We are too busy working to manage our careers in an active way. But it doesn't have to be really daunting. It can be as simple as making a "Top 10" List. Could be "Top 5." Could be "Top 1," depending on how awesome that "1" is. Then, the question becomes “What goes on that list?" Here's my point of view: Look at your career to date and examine four specific things:
1. Your favorite project(s).
You loved it for a reason and I am sure it wasn't because you did a terrible job. You were probably the star. Something about the work you did gave you energy. You may have been in your Zone of Genius and delivered remarkable work. These projects should weigh heavily on your Top 10 List.
If you can tie the project back to tangible results then, #winning. You might not be able to do this, but when you're crafting the story to support these projects, be sure you get into the specific things you did that were exemplary and how your work impacted the results and then tie it to how you could solve your boss or hiring manager's problem based on this experience.
2. Braggable moments.
There are things you did at work that you rushed home to tell your spouse or call your mom. Those are braggable moments. Many times, braggable moments come with metrics or stats. These are awesome sound bites for your Top 10 List and tell a quick story on how you'll solve someone's work problem.
Maybe you got a 100% employee or customer satisfaction rating! Maybe your idea brought a lift in sales or productivity! Maybe you retained 100% of your staff for three years! You might have retained a client or customer in a difficult situation! These are amazing stories to tell and should be on your Top 10 List.
When you get a sizable raise or promotion, it is for a reason. And they usually tell you that reason, if they don't… ASK! And by all means, if you don't get a good answer, do some digging. You can always couch the question that you are asking in the spirit of learning, development, and continuous improvement. The answer you're given will add quick, easy, tangible examples for your Top 10 List because your company and manager validated the work by saying; you solved our problem in this way and we loved it enough to reward you!
4. Why would you hire (or promote) you?
It's a simple question that we rarely think about. Why would you hire you? What are the things about you that you think are truly hire-worthy? Then, take a look at how you might be able to back those assertions up with the work you've done to prove you're awesome.
The working world is shifting all the time, and being able to tell a very clear, concise story on why you're a rock star will pay dividends. The problem is, we aren't used to this, and it is a new habit to create. But it is an important habit one that will help us to stand out to our managers as well as recruiters. Telling a good story about your unique selling points and the problems you can solve for people is really effective marketing. It works for companies and talent alike.
This post was originally published on an earlier date.
With passion and an innate curiosity, Tracey strives to push the envelope to create great experiences for talent. Tracey has been developing digital, mobile and social solutions for nearly 20 years in the talent acquisition space. Currently CredHive's CEO, she is dedicated to changing the way hiring is done to create a more level playing field for talent. Visit CredHive to learn more.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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