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By thejobcoach, April 29, 2009 3:12 pm

DIGITAL JOB SEARCH AND PERSONAL BRANDING

Installment five

Books, seminars and all manner of digital offerings are available to illuminate the nuances of creating and maintaining a personal brand.  Personal branding for your job search is not an arcane art. If you are a six figure income executive or technology leader, you already have a brand.  You may not know what it is, but it is there.

Jeremy Siegel offers a well researched piece on personal branding and social networking sites.  His article is an excellent overview and leads right into this post which tells you how to embrace your personal brand specifically for your immediate needs of your job search.

Step one: There are tools that reveal how the world sees you digitally.  I like setting alerts on search engines since a simple Google search reveals only a partial picture of your digital existence.

Step two: Uncover even more of what prospective employers see, select a few of the tools mentioned on this excellent list from JobMob.

Once you know your digital brand you can maintain or correct it based on what you want employers to know about you and to increase the probability you will be found when they use sophisticated search tools to locate your special expertise.  Don’t think employers use digital tools to find you?  Take a look at the Boolean Strings groups on LinkedIn, use a search engine ‘Boolean strings, recruiters’ and read what the Boolean Strings black belt has to say.  And this is just one resource they use.  Some recruiters have been quoted saying they prefer to use blog entries to locate the experts they need as candidates.

Step three: LinkedIn is a significant branding opportunity.  Use it correctly and you become a candidate, use it poorly and you are overlooked or discarded as a candidate.  For an extensive guide to using LinkedIn for Job Search, download my free white paper.

Most people use LinkedIn to vet any new connection.  Job seekers use it for myriad purposes.  And employers and recruiters use it extensively to determine if they want to take next-steps with a prospective candidate.  Here are a few things you can do today.

1. Use the profile section as a marketing tool, not a recap of your resume.  Learn the priority of prospective employers and highlight your expertise in that area.
2. Solicit every reference you can garner.  Prospective employers read them, especially if they are short, sweet and on point to their requirements.
3. Insert your public email address so anyone can contact you easily.  Public because the spam catchers are invaluable.
4. Ask and answer questions germane to your brand.

Step four: Measure every social networking site where you have a profile against the brand you want to portray.  Is it consistent with the image you want employers to see?  Sure, these are person sites, but make no mistake, employers see them.

Step five: Join and participate in groups associated with your brand.  LinkedIn provides resources for groups where you will be in contact with peers.  Go beyond LinkedIn.  Join your college alumni groups as well as alumni groups of former employers.

Step six: Blog.  Don’t have one of your own?  Then use key-word searches based on your brand and contribute to related blogs.  Use your LinkedIn profile in your signature.

Step seven: Know your elevator pitch.  Use it at all business networking gatherings and cover letters.  Let your elevator pitch broadcast your brand.

Take care of these basic chores and return here for other advice on personal branding for job search.  My personal soap box includes the advice to watch your writing; make certain you are seen as someone who pays attention to detail, is literate and communicates well.  Without this, no amount of branding will gain traction.

Click here to learn why your brand is critical to your job search Installment One

Click here for installment two on Digital Job Search and Branding.

For discussion of how to discover how the world sees you: installment three.

Click here for installment four to discover your current identity.

Click here to start your branding efforts for your job search installment five

If you are ready for a job search tune-up purchase Job Search Debugged.

For step-by-step guidance to improve your networking results read Networking Debugged.

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By admin, April 19, 2009 1:31 pm

Do you know how the world sees you?

DIGITAL JOB SEARCH AND PERSONAL BRANDING

Installment number three

Years ago, when computers were steam-driven and search engines like Google and Yahoo were not yet  household words, I searched on my name.  I had a website, an established business as a job search coach and what I assumed was a wide-spread Seattle-based reputation in the technology community.  Imagine my surprise when my name search rendered no results.

Today, that same search results in pages of entries including my website, magazine articles, blogs and even long-forgotten comments on a variety of sites.  Mixed in are various other ‘Rita Ashley’s’ but since they seem to be accomplished women, I am not embarrassed by their digital footprint.  Folks looking for me know I am neither a Raytheon employee nor serve on a the Olanthe school board.

The real win when you set your alert is you can qualify which John Smith you want to find.  Employers know to use alerts such as John Smith, teacher, Tucson to find exactly the person they want to vet.  You can do the same.

Is it vanity to check my on-line presences?  Not one bit.  It is a smart business decision to monitor what the world sees.  And if you are a $100,000+ professional, it is your business to monitor and maintain your brand and appear to the world as an expert in your domain.

But is a search engine enough? There are many entries hidden in blogs or articles where my name may be used by others.  A small group of irate recruiters, for example, took umbrage at a blog I wrote warning candidates about traps set by recruiters.  They say horrible things about me.  Since I know, I can do some damage control.

How did I find out?  I set search engine alerts for my name, my company and a few key words associated with job search coaching for executives and technology leaders.  Most of the entries I receive are irrelevant but there are often a few tidbits that are very useful.  In addition to monitoring my brand, I often find new blogs where my advice or comments will be seen by folks in need and sometimes, I meet like-minded contributors with whom I can establish a common bond.

Setting alerts is a simple first-step in creating your on-going personal branding monitoring program; an important component of building a healthy personal brand.   To learn more about your digital presence, choose a few tools from this comprehensive list created by JobMob.  No need to use them all, but pay special attention to those that look for blogs and social networking comments.

Time for some clean-up?  Here’s a few tips for starters.  Return to this blog frequently as the Digital Job Search Branding series continues.

Click here to learn why your brand is critical to your job search Installment One

Click here for installment two on Digital Job Search and Branding.

For discussion of how to discover how the world sees you: installment three.

Click here for installment four to discover your current identity.

Click here to start your branding efforts for your job search installment five

Click here for more resources

For a step-by-step guide to networking that understands networking can be hard.

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By admin, April 15, 2009 12:35 pm

DIGITAL JOB SEARCH AND PERSONAL BRANDING

Installment number two

“Your brand is the promise you make to employers on what you bring to them.” Shivonne Byrne, Director of Brand and Content at Microsoft.

All the noise in the media on personal brand can lead you to think creating and maintaining your brand is an arcane art. Nothing could be further from the truth. While there are books and webinars dedicated to the proposition that personal brand requires expert guidance, there is much you can accomplish on your own, free.

How do I discover my Brand? It pays to ask people, “What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of me in the workplace?” The answer may surprise you. Your brand may be completely different from what you think it is.

Examples: George P. believed he was seen as the go-to guy for all things technical both within his company and on the street. Turns out, he is perceived by most as a person who simplifies technology so it is accessible to anyone. That is not only a rare characteristic; the trait is highly desirable in most IT organizations. Once he accepted his brand he was able to revise both his elevator pitch and the accomplishments section of his resume and he distinguished himself from all the other highly competent technology professionals with whom he competed for key jobs.

Lorelei T. knows she is a brilliant technical marketer.  She is able to get products into the hands of the customers in record time.  She brands herself as an effective marketer who gets products to market quickly. After she queried her references she discovered she was most valued because she was able to keep communications between marketing, sales and development open and crisis free.  Lorelei’s actual brand was more valuable to prospective employers than the one she believed.

The brand statement is a concise description of the essence of your brand. Whether Paul H. is heading sales, creating alliances or running a company,  he connects with people and makes them feel part of the team. Paul is Senior Vice President of Partners and Alliances, but he doesn’t position himself as a Vice President. Instead, he positions himself as a successful senior executive and relationship builder; an important attribute for success in his role. His brand statement is “Community Builder.”

Many executives feel they need to conform to business norms when they go to work. But this prevents building a brand. In the world of work, those who stand out succeed, so put your brand on everything you do. Whether you’re making a presentation, in a meeting or writing a report, ask yourself how you can connect your brand to every situation.

Click here to learn why your brand is critical to your job search Installment One

Click here for installment two on Digital Job Search and Branding.

For discussion of how to discover how the world sees you: installment three.

Click here for installment four to discover your current identity.

Click here to start your branding efforts for your job search installment five

For other resources, click here. Return soon for more installments on personal branding…or better yet, join my blog.

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By admin, January 21, 2009 12:22 pm

Resources to learn more about personal branding

My clients often ask for more information and different points of view on personal branding.   We start our coaching relationship with a focus on their brand  and how to up their brand exposure.  In the job search game, exposure is the most important factor so we start by creating the right focus.

For efficiency sake, I created this  list of resources where you can read about the importance of personal branding and how to affect your own brand.  All start from the fact that you have a brand whether you know it or not, so you might as well gain control over it for career optimization.  While the list is not exhaustive, it provides enough resources to get you going.  Check back frequently as I add to this list.  Feel free to let me know other resources you have found to be valuable.

Shivonne Byrne’s blog is an ongoing discussion of thoughts on strategy, business, marketing, content & creativity.

Tom Peters (TJPET@aol.com) is the world’s leading brand when it comes to writing, speaking, or thinking about the new economy. “The Brand YOU 50? is Tom’s complete guide to personal branding.  Look for “Tom Peters’ Career Survival Guide” (Houghton Mifflin interactive),   In Search of Excellence and A Passion for Excellence.

Tom Peters comments on Brand for Fast Company.

Managing Brand You by Jerry S. Wilson, Vice president of Pepsi is renown for his branding successes.  He turns his expertise to individuals in Managing Brand You; an excellent guide to taking charge of your own personal marketing through branding.

Dan Schawbel tells readers how to get their brand into the public eye.

Chris Brogan talks about building a strong brand online using examples you will recognize.  Click here for his bio.

Quintessinal Careers lists many articles on personal branding and the job search.

Dealing with your digital dirt by an Execunet career guide is another resource for understanding the problem and solution to digital dirt.

Job Mob shares the ultimate list of resources to view and clean your digital dirt.

CFO.com discusses personal digital dirt and the harm it can do.

Peggy Klaus discusses how to toot your horn the right way.  This is a must read book for those reluctant to go beyond, ‘actions speak louder than words.’

William Arruda stresses the importance of personal branding in seminars and training sessions.

Martin Lindstrom is the New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best-selling author of Buy-ology – Truth and Lies About Why We Buy. Lindstrom is the CEO and Chairman of the LINDSTROM company and the Chairman of BUYOLOGY INC New York and BRAND sense Agency London.  While he advises corporations about branding, much of the content is relevant to any professional who hopes to establish their own brand.

justbrand.me A common sense blog that speaks to the heart of the branding issues.

Branding made simple  Installment One

Branding made simple installment two

Branding made simple installment three

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