How Strong Is Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How Strong Is Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Guest post by Denise Lee Yohn When you want to know how strong your personal brand is, you usually refer to your Kred or Klout score, right?   Or perhaps the number of followers, friends, or connections you’ve attracted. Maybe you do a quick search to see how high up you and your content appears in search engines or maybe you look at how many LinkedIn recommendations or endorsements you’ve gotten. The problem with all of these measures is they really only tell you about your past and your present. They’re good indicators of what you’ve done to date, but what about the future? There are no fast and hard metrics telling you whether or not you have a strong enough brand to propel you into new opportunities and to protect you from unknown challenges. The best way to ensure your personal brand is as strong as it needs to be for what’s ahead is to employ a brand-building mindset that extends beyond typical personal branding techniques. In the research for my new book, What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand-Building Principles That Separate the Best from the Rest (Jossey-Bass), I discovered that great brands conceive of their brands as more than a name, logo, or image to promote externally. Great brands use their brands as a management tool to fuel, align, and guide everything they do. Developing a great personal brand involves a similar approach. Instead of thinking only about how and where you appear, consider developing your brand as a strategic platform that serves as your own personal GPS.   And seek to apply to your personal brand the brand-building principles that great brands live out. Great brands start inside.   The leaders of great brands start brand-building by cultivating a strong brand-led internal culture within their organizations â€" and they save marketing and communications for later.   In the same way, define or re-define your personal brand by starting within yourself.   Ensure you have a clear purpose and vision â€" as well as values, or guiding principles, that define how you do things. Until you’re clear about what you stand for and what’s important to you, how can you expect to convey that to others? Great brands avoid selling products.   Instead of pushing products, ingredients, and prices, great brands engage customers on an emotional level.   That’s because people make decisions based on how products make them feel.   The same is true for how people decide whether or not they are going to hire you, follow you, read your content, etc.   So instead of simply listing your skills, experience, or qualifications, link these “products” to the real value you create for people â€" the emotional benefit you deliver. Ask yourself, what really differentiates you from others and why does that matter?   How do you want people to feel when they interact with you? Great brands don’t chase customers.   Great brands know you don’t create brand passion by appealing to everyone equally, so they don’t chase every customer out there. The best brands are very clear about who they’re for â€" and just as importantly, who they’re not for.   Likewise, as a personal brand, you should be clear about the kind of people and opportunities you want to attract.   Figure out who is most likely to value what you uniquely offer and be laser-focused in seeking them out. Great brands sweat the small stuff.  Great brands design their customer experiences down to the last detail because they know that every interaction is an opportunity to enhance their brand image or to detract from it. And they consistently seek out new opportunities to express their brand in the finest details of execution.   Do you do the same?   Have you conducted a detailed, objective assessment of your interactions to ensure that your values and personality are conveyed in everything you do? Are you always challenging yourself to identify ways to improve what you do and how you do it? Great brands commit and stay committed.   Great brands are clear about their priorities and stick to them relentlessly, regardless of how attractive the alternatives might seem.   You have a similar opportunity â€" and challenge â€" to stay committed to your core.   When you’re a new or relatively unknown brand, every avenue to build your awareness, extend your reach, or get involved seems attractive. But you must discern what opportunities are aligned with your core identity and values and be willing to say “no” to those that aren’t right for you.   Of course, your economic reality may require you to take a job or do a gig that meets your short term needs â€" but you should always keep your brand vision in mind and make decisions that move you toward that whenever possible. To ensure a bright future, lay a strong foundation for your personal brand today.   Think like great brands do.   They know brand strength comes not from an image, a score, or a legion of followers.   A strong brand is built by what you do.   Author Bio Denise Lee Yohn has been inspiring and teaching companies how to operationalize their brands to grow their businesses for 25 years.   World-class brands including Sony, Frito-Lay, Burger King, and Oakley have called on Denise, a brand-building expert, speaker, and writer.   She is the author of new bestselling book, What Great Brands Do:   The Seven Brand-Building Principles that Separate the Best from the Rest (Jossey-Bass.)   Read more by Denise.  

How to bounce back from missing that deadline - Debut

How to bounce back from missing that deadline - Debut This post is written by a member of the Debut Student Publisher Network. Struggling with deadlines and feel like you cant bounce back? Its not too late, according to  Zaki: It’s happened to lots of us over the years. You get behind with a piece of work and then realise that you won’t get it in on time or, at least, not to an acceptable standard. Whether it’s at university or at work, when you miss a deadline, you can find it difficult to catch up and stay positive. So what do you do? Don’t dwell on it too much Remember that it’s happened and there’s nothing you can do to change the past. When these things occur, I find that it’s all too easy to go into a decline, put it off and make more of a psychological mountain for yourself. The longer you leave it, the harder it’ll be to get back up to speed. Tell yourself that it won’t make or break your degree classification or employment status. Undergraduates on essay-based courses are likely to submit 15 to 30 summative essays during the course of their degree. A late submission penalty is typically 10 marks. Broadly speaking, missing one essay deadline is likely to affect less than 0.5% of your overall mark. A good piece of work can be more than 10 marks better than a rushed one. In a work context, it depends what the deadline was. Hopefully it won’t have too much of an impact on the company, and wasn’t in your first couple of weeks in the job. Always work extra hard to make a good first impression. Either way, the key is the recovery, making sure that you use your extra time to ensure it’s good but also don’t get behind with other work. How you respond and convey what happened is also important. Communication, communication, communication â€" early! Apologise to your line manager and explain why you don’t think you’ll be able to get it done on time. This shows  you understand the implications for them or other colleagues who may have to do extra to make up for it. Did you find it challenging? Have you got any personal issues which have made it hard to focus or find time lately? The more communication, the better, but don’t make anything up. Crucially, contact them to let them know you may struggle to make the deadline as early as possible. Give them a heads-up as early as you can so they have time to see if someone else can help. At the very least, doing this will  manage their expectations. The last thing managers want is to only find out that a piece of work isn’t completed the moment it’s due in. Obviously it can be different with academia, where late submissions carry automatic penalties. But apply for an extension if you have a valid reason to. Similarly, do it nice and early to allow yourself enough time to get the assignment done on time if the request is rejected. Also, top tip:  get help or advice from your personal tutor. And most importantly, don’t rely on the assumption that your extension will be granted or race to Netflix to celebrate though. There’ll be plenty of time for that once you’ve handed your work in. Learn from your mistakes and make sure it doesn’t happen again Remind yourself how stressed you got when fretting over missing that deadline. How you missed dinner. How you had to turn down the chance to go to the pub for a drink with your closest friends. Or a spare ticket to see your favourite band play. Use that to motivate yourself to start earlier next time, and to avoid distractions, whether that involves turning your phone off or working in the library rather than at home. Also make sure not to take too much on. Whether that’s constantly offering to do bits of your colleagues’ work for them to be helpful or signing up to too many extra-curricular activities at university. Involvement in societies, sports clubs and student media can be great.  But prioritise one or two groups and find a balance. Where you can, let committee colleagues know in advance that you’ll be bogged down with essays and therefore out of action during a particular week. And don’t offer to do things you won’t have time to do. That will risk letting them down too. Download the Debut app  to get Talent-Spotted by amazing graduate employers today! Tweet us @DebutCareers or message us on the Debut Facebook page, we love hearing from you.

Put Plan B into Action

Put Plan B into Action Its been months since you lost your job and you are frustrated. Maybe it is time to put Plan B into action. Having a job, any job, usually makes you feel better than facing all the rejection or indifference. Having a job gives you something to do. It provides income. It gives you a sense of worth and value. So how do you chose what your Plan B job will be? First, you will need to sit down in a quiet place and brainstorm all the things you love, LOVE, to do. Do not filter out things that might seem unrealistic, silly, or I cant make money doing this. If this is difficult, it should be. Keep going. Think of the things you enjoyed doing as a kid. Think about your favorite job ever. What was your dream growing up? Once youve brainstormed, enlist the help of a true friend. Someone who you trust. Someone who will not shut your ideas down (A spouse might not be the best person to use at this time in the process, unless your spouse is very open minded and incredibly supportive.) Ask this friend to help you identify ways you could get a job in these areas. Ask them to help you think of related opportunities. Ask them if they know anyone in these areas. Also ask if they know anyone who owns a business. Any business. Ask if you can talk to that person about getting some help. Securing a Plan B job can take as much time as a real job. Start today trying to line one up. Dont send a resume or fill out an application. Call on the phone or stop by in person. Explain why you want to work there. It may sound something like: Ieat atyour restaurant pretty regularlyand really enjoy the people who work here and the customers who come here. I love your food and know that I could do a great job representing you.Theres a little extra time inmyday and I would like to be doing something worthwhile and make a little money.Is their a shift you might need some help with? Dont give up. If they dont seem interested now, they may be later. Move on, check in with another place that does something similar. Always convince them that you are interested in working specifically for THEM. Flatter their large but fragile egos. Here are some regional Plan Bopportunities that are gearing up right now: Landscaping (mowing, raking, yard maintenance) Golf coursesare gearing up their hiring Restaurants Garden centers Parks and recreation programs Summer youth programs/camps need help House painting and outdoor maintenance Here are some other Plan Boptions that are usually hiring: Call center work (customer service, fund raising) Office cleaning companies Hotel/motelpositions Employers in these organizations want to hire someone who is reliable and will do the work and will stay longer than a couple ofweeks. Convince them you have what it takesto do this. I know these dont sound likedream jobs. You might even be angry at me for suggesting these things. Good. Come up with some other creative solutions andlet me know. Ill post them here!

Tips on Picking Out a Resume Icon

Tips on Picking Out a Resume IconThere are hundreds of thousands of resume icons out there, but you really need to take your time and figure out which one will best showcase your ability to be a leader. You might have the wrong image in your mind that all resume icons look alike, but they don't all have to be the same.An important thing to remember when selecting a resume icon is the personality of the person who will use it. If your potential employer thinks that the icon you selected for your resume is unflattering, then you'll probably find that your chances of getting hired decrease. So, remember to pick an icon that will show your strengths.Think about what you're going to put on your resume icon. If you want a 'cute' icon, you can pick a cute logo or image that's similar to a heart, a smiley face, a doodle, etc. But, don't use images that might be offensive or even hurtful to a potential employer.It's also a good idea to refrain from using personal information in your resume ic on. This could include your full name, your address, or any other details that would identify you in some way. Remember, these icons are for your potential employer to see.Career icons are another place where you can make an impact on the type of job you get. You can use your interests, passions, or your hobbies as an indicator that you'd be a good fit for a certain career path. For example, if you're a photographer, you could have a photograph for your resume icon that shows you taking pictures.If you're applying for a job that requires personal information, be sure to include your hobbies, or other areas of interest. For example, if you're applying for a retail manager position, you could have a photograph of yourself shopping with a friend.One final consideration is whether or not you'll want a screen-printed resume icon. Some companies are very particular about the design of their resumes, and this can be problematic if you choose to design your own icon. If you want a professio nal look for your resume icon, consider getting screen-printed.Choosing a resume icon that shows your strengths and talents is important, but it's also important to pick one that shows off who you are. Screen-printed resume icons are the best way to accomplish this.

Writing Objective in Resume - Using Objective in Resume

Writing Objective in Resume - Using Objective in ResumeA good objective in resume is important for a number of reasons. In the long run, it can influence the outcome of your resume writing. It is therefore important to follow and respect the format.Before you start to write an objective in resume, first you need to make sure that you have read the guidelines that will guide you through this writing exercise. First you need to know what it is that you want to do with your resume. The objectives are related to the keywords and the content of your resume. What you are looking for is to highlight your knowledge, skills and experience on the job. This will help you appear more qualified when you get in touch with your potential employer.You need to create a format that suits your requirements. Do not be too specific when writing an objective. Most employers will like more than one objective. Once you have decided on the format, the next step is to think about the right words to describe y our objective. You need to consider how your objective will be received by your prospective employer. You must come up with the words that you need to convey.Use words that will be meaningful to your prospective employer. You need to go beyond what is usual. Do not write the words 'like'likes', or 'on the job training'. Do not put quotation marks around the words. Avoid an objective that is too vague. A vague objective will only make you appear superficial and unfocused.After you have written an objective, you need to come up with a supporting statement. Explain why you are in the ideal position for the job. An employer will not necessarily be impressed by your statement alone, but it is an important part of your resume and helps your future employer to decide whether to hire you or not.Research is very important. You should be aware of the important decisions that you need to take before you begin to write your resume. If you want to be awarded an award or certificate, you need to make sure that you include the details on the award or certificate that you will be receiving. Make sure that you include the details on the date, time and place of the event.Writing an objective in resume is a great way to boost your chances of getting hired. It should be prepared carefully so that you will not have any trouble with it. There are a lot of ways to improve your resume, but creating an objective in resume is a good way to showcase the best aspects of your talents and skills.

The Idiots Handbook to Resume Writing Management Experience Revealed

The Idiot's Handbook to Resume Writing Management Experience Revealed The capability of good managers to delegate unique responsibilities to employees gives workers a feeling of worth, teamwork, drive, and the chance to learn new skills as each purpose is met. Entry-level employees, who don't have lots of on-the-job experience, should incorporate every job possible whilst emphasizing the skills that match the work listing. Write a summary statement of your grant writing expertise, and include the particular dollar value of a number of the larger grants your current or previous employers have received due to your work. The management skills you select will depend to some degree on your industry. A manager is somebody that has a good deal of responsibility to his staff and the provider. You've got a fantastic case manager resume up to now. Your manager resume clearly needs to concentrate on your precise experience and should not be excessively generic. A project manager is a critical portion of the infrastructure of any provider. The Importance of Resume Writing Management Experience If you're asking for a management position, your resume needs to display your management-related abilities and experience. Other vital areas in your work experience will likewise be explored to highlight your credentials and make a stand-out resume. Skills a lot of the skills listed here were pulled from work description. For instance, if you're asking for a job as an administrative assistant, you don't will need to discuss the way your role for a babysitter helped improve your childcare skills, but you might share the way the experience helped you cultivate time management abilities and the capacity to juggle numerous tasks at the same time. Regardless of what your age, the ideal approach to advertise yourself is to showcase your very best attributes and accomplishmentsespecially those that align with the job which you're vying for. It's also important to think a bout the type of work you really wish to be hired to do. If you don't have a strong record of winning grants as the main grant writer, list the ones you've assisted in the writing and submission approach. Your resume will get a better likelihood of being noticed if you have qualifications that the provider is on the lookout for. In case you were writing promotional articles and internet press releases, mention the quantity of page views they got within the very first week. It's particularly important if writing your work experience. If you follow the advice above you will have an interesting, compelling resume summary that is likely to make the reader want to find out more about you even regardless of your lack of work experience! A good summary is vital for any resume, but it's even more vital for someone without a lot of experience. Management resumes benefit from listing the vital skills of a person. Learn about the three sorts of skills it's possible to highlight and t he way it is possible to incorporate them into your resume. General managers oversee several stores in a particular region. The overall manager is one particular step up the corporate chain from a shop manager. The info above should explain to you how sample manager resumes are best structured, to find an interview and find that job. Our resumes for management positions aren't the standard boring job descriptions, but instead action-packed management practices that will put your resume at the very top of the pile.

Challenge Take 10 Minutes To Learn A New Skill - Work It Daily

Challenge Take 10 Minutes To Learn A New Skill - Work It Daily Today’s Work It Daily Challenge is to take 10 minutes to learn a new skill. We live in a busy, fast-paced world and sometimes it can be hard to make time to continue educating ourselves. However, it’s important that we continually grow and learn new skill sets. That’s what’s going to keep us relevant, confident, and fresh (all of which are essential to personal and professional success). Learn a new skill today. It doesn't matter what it is, why you want to learn it, or how you choose to learn it. Set aside 10 minutes today and try something new. Not sure what you want to learn? Ask yourself these questions: What have you always wanted to learn? What skills could you learn that would give you an edge at work? What skills would be beneficial to your professional development? What do you need in order to learn those skills? Whether you want to learn how to speak French, take better photos, or speak more articulately, make it a priority to dedicate at least 10 minutes a day learning that skill. It might not sound like much, but 10 minutes a day can go a long way if you keep up with it. Make time to learn something new today. What do you have to lose? You might not be a natural, but don't get discouraged if you don't catch on right away. It's going to take practice. If you allow yourself a few minutes each day to continue learning this skill, you'll master it before you know it. Don't give up! If you need help staying accountable or just need additional guidance, check out our NEW Career Coaching Subscription package. Email a career coach as much as you want and get the answers you need on the go. Learn more here. Related Posts: 4 Ways To Upskill At Work To Get That Promotion 6 Ways To Build Your Skills And Expertise Outside Of Work Challenge: Be Coachable   Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!