Why You Need A Strong Personal Brand and How To Build One

Why You Need A Strong Personal Brand and How To Build One This article was originally written for Leonard Kim, Managing Partner of Build Your Influence, and published on his blog.   When I was starting out in my corporate career, the idea of personal branding hadn’t yet come into being. So I did what any self-respecting “nice Chinese girl” would do: put my head down, worked hard to learn and become excellent at the job, and waited for someone to recognize my talents and raise me up. Guess how well that plan worked out? What’s a personal brand? What I really needed was a personal brand, as in what you stand for â€" the package of character traits and capabilities that make you who you are, expressed in a way that others can understand right away. It’s what you project to the world as the most accurate view of who you are, what you stand for and the value you bring. It’s about believing in the best version of yourself and articulating it to those who matter. Why your personal brand matters Even when you aren’t consciously projecting your brand, others are experiencing you as a package of traits and capabilities. That’s called your reputation â€" how others see you. And they’re forming those impressions even if they aren’t regularly articulating it. Sometimes they’re not even conscious of it themselves. It’s simply normal human behavior to be sizing people up â€" are they friend or foe? Most importantly, people act based on those perceptions. Including deciding whether or not to hire you, ask you to dinner, promote you and so forth. The bottom line is that if your reputation doesn’t accurately reflect your true brand, then you are likely to get short changed, miss opportunities, or get the wrong ones proposed to you. Therefore, it’s important to be conscious of whether there’s a gap between your brand (the accurate picture you want to project) versus your reputation (how others perceive you), and it’s worth doing some reconnaissance on this point â€" I’ll share one way you can do this in a moment. My corporate wake-up call So, back to my “nice Chinese girl” default brand strategy. In a year-end review, I found out that my reputation was as a “super organized hard worker with a great attitude”. All of that was true, but the same could be said of my top-notch secretary. Instead, I aspired to become a Vice President and was hoping to be seen as the best version of myself: resourceful, great with clients and a leader. Thanks to this early wake-up call, I discovered my potential career show-stopper in time: a serious gap existed between my brand and my reputation. I spent the next several years figuring out how to change this perception. If only I had known about personal branding back then! Don’t be lulled into complacency The danger for those of us in corporate settings is that it can make you complacent about building your own personal brand. And that’s a career mistake. In a corporate setting, you’ve got two aspects of brand happening simultaneously: You’re expected to represent the company’s brand as well as have your own personal brand, and it’s hard to know where one leaves off and the other begins. Two aspects of brand are happening simultaneously in a corporate setting In reality, most of our clients awarded business based on our corporate reputation, and while they cared about the specific banker working on their account, it was largely because they wanted to know he or she could deliver the firm. That relegates the personal brand part to being important mostly from an internal perspective, which makes it seem like a “nice to have” rather than a necessity. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Make your personal brand resonate for you If you’re like me, this can be a problem. I put my own career needs behind those of my clients and delivering results for my employer. Plus, I intensely disliked the idea of “playing politics” and “selling myself”’ to internal constituents. If only I realized sooner that this was a completely wrong way of thinking. If you want to succeed beyond the mid-level of an organization, then you need to have a strong personal brand â€" one that you’ve ‘made friends with’ and are comfortable finding graceful ways to let others know about. Often, this requires reframing it so that you can get past your own mindset issues. In my case, I found this to be the best way to frame it: “My team depends on me to be a leader who is influential and respected so that I can deliver for them by getting them paid, recognized and promoted, and my organization depends on me to be successful in bringing in more business and developing the next generation of leaders. To do that, I need to invest in my brand and develop the connections and visibility so that others can see the value I bring.  Only then can I get promoted to a level where my contributions can help more people and make a positive impact on a broader scale.” I ultimately did get my brand and reputation to align. The result was that I started getting asked to lead initiatives and build our parts of the franchise. It started from a watershed moment when the new department head came to a client meeting and saw me in action. Fortunately, I  â€˜nailed’ the meeting and we won the mandate. The department head became an advocate who helped spread the word about my personal brand and great opportunities flowed from there. Including the opportunity to transfer to London to build a new business, which is where I live now. Your personal brand is everything (as an entrepreneur…) Despite my progress in the corporate setting (I became a Managing Director, and COO for Europe), I didn’t fully realize just how important a personal brand could be until I left the corporate world and had to stand on my own. Now that I have my own business helping achievers accelerate their time to success, my personal brand is critical. In fact, I am the brand. And this personal brand needs to be strong enough to establish for myself the part that the corporate brand used to provide. As an entrepreneur, your personal brand is everything Fortunately, I have the personal brand from my corporate years to serve as a foundation, and I’ve spent the last several years building my personal brand in a new direction from there. This time, it involves going public in a much bigger way. Rather than obediently refraining from engaging with social media (which was the corporate directive back then), I’ve learned to embrace it and frankly, engaging with people through my online presence is a major part of my strategy. This requires much more courage and intentionality. Every day, I remind myself to be brave and to do at least one thing that’s outside my comfort zone. Nowadays, I’m guided by my fear. That means that if I’m afraid to do something (here I’m talking about psychological fear and not physical safety!), then that’s my cue that I need to do that thing. In fact, that’s part of my new personal brand â€" to be courageous and live permanently outside my comfort zone. It’s how I’ve pushed my business forward and collected a string of “firsts”: webinar, book, speaking engagements, new clients, to name a few. Create a virtuous cycle that builds greater confidence As a result of putting my personal brand out there with the website, speaking, workshops, social media and blog, I’ve been able to share my advice with and help even more people. I’ve also made friends, found partners, and received more requests for coaching, speaking and consulting engagements. It has created a virtuous cycle once again. In fact, most of my work is through word of mouth and from people “seeing me in action”. These days, it’s less about having senior management come to my meetings and more about people who have read my work or experienced my talks, webinars and workshops. But the same personal branding benefits kick in. The virtuous cycle begins with taking a step to put yourself out there, then having the courage and conviction to keep going, learning and growing. And ultimately, this builds greater confidence and self-belief to put yourself out there again. Dan Sullivan, Founder and CEO of Strategic Coach, writes about this in his book “The 4 C’s Formula”. He describes the cycle as starting with Commitment to take action, which leads to Courage to do the new activity, and that leads to developing Capability, which in turn leads to Confidence. And by the way, your personal brand is not something you develop once and then you’re set for life. Rather than treating it as a one-time inoculation, reassess it regularly and make sure it’s fit for purpose as you learn, grow and progress. As CEO coach Marshall Goldsmith says in his best-selling book, “What got you here won’t get you there”. Which means that the virtual cycle is more of a virtual spiral that keeps moving onward and upward â€" and with it goes your career! So, what does this mean for you? 8 things you can do to build your personal brand Here are eight tips to help you build and invest in your own personal brand as you rise to your full potential. 1. Make use of stereotypes When you’re looking to give the accurate impression to people who don’t yet know you, it’s useful to identify what they’re likely to be thinking and assuming about you already. Start by identifying the stereotypes that are likely to spring to mind when people look at you. For me, it’s that I’m a “nice Chinese girl”. Then identify the assumptions that go along with that stereotype that are true and also work for you rather than against you. Lean into these â€" which in my case was hardworking, diligent and good with numbers. Equally important, identify the assumptions that work against you. If they’re true, then work on changing them â€" in my case, this meant working hard to stop being quiet and unassertive. If those negative assumptions aren’t true, then find a way to dispel them quickly. For example, showing confidence by having confident handshake and sitting up straight and taking up your space at the meeting table. 2. Be a person, not a label Along with stereotypes and assumptions, we’re also likely to label each other whether we want to or not. Those labels, however, can be counter to the brand we want to communicate. Instead of allowing labels to get the better of you, strive to be seen as just you and not some pre-fabricated societal shorthand in someone else’s head. For example, I focused on being seen as “May Busch” rather than a woman, or a Chinese person, or a short person. While it’s true that I am all of those things, I’ve worked hard not to let any of them define me. The best way to do this is by consistently speaking your mind, staking out your own position on issues, and saying things that portray your unique take on things. And at all costs, avoid just repeating what others are saying or parroting the party line of groups representing those labels. 3. Identify the gap between your brand and reputation That gives you the basis for figuring out what needs to change. One way to do this is to ask a few people you trust to tell you the three words or phrases that come to mind when they think of you. Tell them to use positive words only. Then, compare this with your own set of three words or phrases. What’s the gap? And for more great strategies on how to figure out where you stand on brand, check out Dorie Clark’s book, “Reinventing You” (especially chapter 2 on doing your own “360”). 4. Focus on what moves the needle Once you’ve identified the gap between perception and reality, choose the aspect that will make the biggest difference in changing perceptions. What will give the biggest boost to your personal brand? What’s the one thing that will make the other parts of the gap easier to close? That’s what you want to work on first. 5. Invite others to see you in action As they say, seeing is believing. There’s nothing more powerful than having an opinion leader or decision-maker see you demonstrating your powerful personal brand. So have the courage to invite them to attend your big speech or join your client pitch. You could be creating an advocate and supporter for the next decade. 6. Keep showing up As Woody Allen says, 80% of success is showing up. This means volunteering for those projects that are cross-divisional and give you a chance to do something you enjoy while also demonstrating what you’re capable of. Learn to be a little bold â€" the world needs you to strut your stuff and help out! 7. Say it and you’ll mean it A great way to change people’s perceptions about your personal brand is to start using the new words that you want people to associate with you, whether it’s strategic, or assertive, or tough. A great example of this is in the book “Expect to Win” by Carla Harris, Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley. She talks about needing to be seen as “tough” at one point in her career, and succeeds by using the word “tough” as often as she can, as in “I may be being too tough here, but we should do …” and “Let’s be tough on this one…” and so forth. 8. Act like you have to fill in the entire “brand bar” Even if you’re in a larger organization with its own brand, “big up” and start behaving as though you need to own the brand as an entrepreneur would. That doesn’t mean being a diva and making it all about you. It does mean taking ownership of your end of the branding bargain rather than defaulting to relying on the umbrella corporate brand alone. Start investing in a strong personal brand Building, investing in and developing your personal brand is essential whether you’re in a corporate setting or an entrepreneur. You are constantly projecting your brand, consciously or unconsciously, and others are acting based on how your brand comes across. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that your reputation accurately reflects your true brand so that you can rise to your full potential. If you want to succeed beyond the mid-level of an organization then you need to have a strong personal brand, and these eight tips will help you towards that goal. So, which tip could you put to work right away that would most help you propel your personal brand to new heights?

Importance of Using Sky Blue Resume Writing Reviews

Importance of Using Sky Blue Resume Writing ReviewsSky blue resume writing reviews can provide you with insight and guidelines on how to structure your CV. In this case, the point is that having a good CV or resume is important for any job or career in a particular field. The reason is that it helps a potential employer evaluate you based on your character and personality. But, such an outcome may not be guaranteed because, how to structure your CV will determine the approach to take when presenting it to a potential employer.You need to have a good example of someone who has made an impressive CV and resume, as it will help you know where to start if you are going to do the same. Aside from having great examples, it is also important to keep it short. This helps your CV to be in line with most employers' requirements for resume writing.In a nutshell, your CV should clearly lay out your career goals and show you have the right approach to pursue them. Even if you have several ideas a bout how to do it, it is better if you could get a sample job and make use of that. In this way, you can see how you would present yourself if you were applying for such a position. Thus, CV writing reviews can help you develop a good approach to present yourself.The key factor in getting the right CV is to take note of the things you should not include. One thing that you may want to include is a personal anecdote. Perhaps, you have had a very stressful day or were excited by the possibility of a good opportunity that arose suddenly. Whatever the reason, an anecdote can prove to be a strong point and can persuade the employer to take a close look at you. While, a CV itself should be simple and concise, anecdotes can show you have a lot of potential.For example, you may want to highlight your skills and expertise in some of your personal aspects. That way, the employer will be able to see that you have the potential to go far in your work. On the other hand, be careful not to make y our CV too long. Most employers are more than willing to read a short resume but they won't want to deal with a lengthy one.Before you apply for a position, you should first write the CV and it should be treated like a resume. If you plan to use the CV in applying for a job, then it should be completed to appear professional. However, it is also important to do this before starting your job search because it will give you a clearer idea about how you can present yourself professionally in order to get hired.Once you have written your CV, you can now apply to a few jobs so that you can have a clearer idea of how you can present yourself to a company. This is important because a CV is your one chance to impress potential employers, so your best chance to succeed is to ensure you present yourself in the best way possible.

Writing Bullets on a Resume

Writing Bullets on a ResumeWriting bullets on a resume is easy. The first thing you have to do is determine what areas you are going to cover. Then, you need to write your job title at the top and then the specific job requirement in bullet form right below that.For example, if you are looking for a bookkeeper, then you would use a bullet format to describe your job requirements. You may include your name, contact information, and job duties. The job title would then be included below that. Then, you may also use subheadings to describe your experience and job duties.In addition, you can add a description of the job responsibilities if that's what you are looking for. This way, you will be able to tell from the title whether or not you are working under an assistant or not. In addition, it will help you determine if you can do the job.Since we mentioned the job title, you can choose to change it to reflect what the job actually entails. If you are applying for a sales position, then you may use the phrase 'managerial position' to emphasize the level of responsibility you have. Likewise, if you are applying for a production position, then you can change the phrase to 'specialist position.'Just be sure to keep the job title similar to the job description. Otherwise, you will be confusing your resume and may end up reading too much and looking for something else.Lastly, there are times when you will need to include some subheads to tell about what you did with the bullet. Such examples include:In conclusion, bullets on a resume can be effective. The only thing you need to remember is to make them as short as possible so they will fit into the resume comfortably.

Writing and Effective Resume Features

Writing and Effective Resume Features How to Choose Writing and Effective Resume There's no need to share any personal details about yourself or your family within it. However rigid the form seems to be, it's possible to still use it in order to demonstrate why you're the person for the job being filled. Know the purpose of your resume Some people today write a resume like the use of the document was supposed to land work. At first, application forms appear to provide a work hunter no leeway. If you're asking for a job which has unique requirements, you might need another edition of your resume to totally demonstrate your qualifications. You commence writing a functional resume by deciding the skills the employer is searching for. There are lots of basic forms of resumes used to make an application for job openings. Resume objectives can be somewhat controversial. When you're considering how to format your resume for a genuine live reader, concentrate on making the docum ent attractive and simple to skim. Prepare one resume for every sort of job. Choosing which to use depends upon the sort of job that you are applying for and your degree of experience. Resume writing can look like an intimidating job, but it's actually simpler than you believe. Proofreading your own work is not a great idea. Writing resume bullets is often the most difficult element of writing a resume. Resume writing can occasionally be a mystery. Unique, relevant, concise and simple to understand summaries are the best introductions into a resume. There are two primary kinds of resumes. There's an abundance ofdifferent kinds of resumes and it can be hard to select. Definitions of Writing and Effective Resume The resume sample has a strong ability to keep a reader's interest over the duration of the whole document. Nobody would like to know exactly what tasks you performed. The forms certainly don't have the flexibility that a resume does, but it's still possible to u tilize them to your very best advantage. When there are several proofreading programs and tools you may use, it's also useful to ask trusted friends or colleagues to assess your resume. As you write either document you'll wish to think about how to create the most efficient presentation of your abilities and talents, as well as what factors in your experience and demonstrate your capacity to satisfy the demands of the job. If you've got many abilities, the previous skill paragraph may be called Additional Skills. Learn about the three kinds of skills you're able to highlight and the way it is possible to incorporate them into your resume. At times the Skills and Accomplishments section is an individual section. A CV for a current Ph.D. graduate will probably be about 3-5 pages. Your Job Search Goals We will understand your work search goals before the building of your resume. State which you would prefer the chance to interview or discuss employment opportunities. Resumes are ordinarily used by employers and admissions committees who need to learn more about a specific candidate. After all, you're going to obtain work. Otherwise, your resume won't fit the job that you seek. If you are in possession of a consistent work history with no significant gaps and ample expertise in the area for which you're applying, a chronological resume will be OK.

#1 Problem With All Resumes, Job Searches, And Interviews - Work It Daily

#1 Problem With All Resumes, Job Searches, And Interviews - Work It Daily Want to know the biggest problem with all resumes, job searches, and interviews? Well, imagine sitting in a lobby waiting for an interview. You look around and all those waiting are as professional and qualified as you... Graduates from top schools Possess years of experience in your field Have achieved impressive triumphs in their careers In other words, they are ALL highly QUALIFIED. Again, highly QUALIFIED!! What will you say during this interview that is special and more compelling in order to outdistance others? Also, What is your USP (unique selling point) and what does that translate to so it's a benefit for your new employer? Standout From The Crowd Of Experts The number one strategy job seekers neglect is the selling of their UVP (unique value proposition) over other qualified candidates. Your competition is not the under-performer with an unpolished resume and poor communication skills! (Wouldn’t that be easy?) Your competitor is smart, hired a professional resume writer, is articulate, and accomplished. So, you, must introspect, dig deep, and develop a enthralling marketing plan that persuades from resume, to online brand, to interview, and through follow-up by seducing your employer with the promise of success through a differentiating value you, and only you, can offer. You must examine your career performance, find those special ways in which you deliver results--own them and promote them! Because to win in this challenged job market, you must sell a unique value proposition/a brand/a differentiating value. Deep-Dive Analysis So, how do you go about this? Take out your pen and paper. Better yet, open your MS Word program and answer the following questions: 1. Why Would An Employer Hire Me Over Others Who Are Qualified? You are not allowed to answer this question with education, years of experience, or industry knowledge. Sorry! Yes. These are important and you must leverage them but these are qualifiers. Remember, your competition is qualifiedâ€"we are looking to nudge your employer over the fence by dangling a gem. 2. What Is My UV And How Will It Impact My Future Employer? When others speak of you, what do they say? What have you been consistently recognized for? How have you delivered in areas that no one else could? 3. What Guarantee Can I Make To My Future Employer? It is not enough you have discovered your brand or USP/UVPâ€"you must market it and convince the employer to switch/buy what you are selling. 4. What Can I Use To Substantiate My Personal Brand Or UVP? Convincing is done with examples, stories, and references. You must prove it. 5. Is This Message Delivered Consistently And Persuasively? These materials include your resume, cover letter, interview performance, online social profiles, and self publishing content. The more consistent you are in the promotion of your image across all materials/communicationsâ€"the more believable you will be. You will also gain more trust, and the more you will convince. The game has gotten tougher folks! The same way in which you make purchasing decisions (you want to get the best for the money)â€"and they desire to not make a mistake in hiring you. Present and position yourself over the competition, dominate, close the deal by reassuring you are unique. Not only are you qualified, but you will deliver above the rest! Related Posts: What School Forgot To Teach You About Job Search The Terrible Job Search Advice You Are Getting By Accident Photo Credit: Shutterstock   Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!

The Way You Respond to Stress Might Be Ruining Your TeamFairygodboss

The Way You Respond to Stress Might Be Ruining Your TeamFairygodboss A recent study conducted by VitalSmarts revealed that when under stress, a manager can make or break their gruppes chance of success. If youre a manager who becomes visibly angry or withdraws when the pressures on, your team (and thus your business) is likely to suffer greatly. The researchers found that 62 percent of employees were mora likely to consider leaving their jobs when they were managed by hot-tempered managers than those managed by someone who kept their cool. Working for an easily-angered manager also meant employees were 56 percent more likely to opt out of participating, 49 percent less likely to put in extra effort, and 47 percent more likely to become frustrated themselves.How common are managers who combust under pressure instead of putting on a game face? According to the survey, 1 in 3 managers became hotheads under high-pressure situations. Faced with stressful situations, 53 percent were descri bed as being more controlling than open-minded, 37 percent were described as using avoidance and sidestepping over directness, and 45 percent were described as behaving emotionally rather than calmly.On the flip side, managers who communicate with their teams in an open, respectful mannereven during stressful situationsenjoyed major benefits from their team members. Employees who worked for managers who practice good communication met quality standards 56 percent more often, acted in ways that benefited customers 56 percent more often, improved workplace safety 47 percent more often, and met deadlines 47 percent more often than those working for hot-headed managers.According to the study, neither age nor gender predicted a managers ability to effectively handle high-stakes situations under pressure. If youre questioning how your employees interpret your ability to handle stress or wonder how you can better communicate to your team while under stress, there are a few tricks you can i mplementBe ProactiveWhen you know a stressful time is on the horizon, alert your team so that they can prepare. Having all team members on the same page will allow everyone to find solutions to problems before they occur to make the work environment less stressful for everyone.Self-evaluateWas there a time when you yelled at your team instead of talking to them calmly? Do you leave team members in the dark until the last minute? Reflect on how youve handledstress in the past, so you can make better decisions in the future. If you feel yourself getting caught up in a moment, take a second to imagine how you would feel if your boss were speaking to you the way youre speaking to your team, then decide if you should adjust your behavior.Ask for Outside PerspectivesFeeling like the success or failure of your company is up to you alone is daunting, and that can contribute to becoming overly stressed out and reacting negatively. Listening to team members about their perspectives can help y ou keep in mind that everyone is impacted by whats happening in the company. Hearing what other people think can also help you keep facts in mind that will help you come to solutions more easily than you would taking on all of the mental strain yourself.--Kayla Heisler is an essayist and Pushcart Prize-nominated poet. She is a contributing writer for Color My Bubble. Her work appears in New Yorks Best Emerging Poets anthology.

The Unexposed Secret of Mayo Clinic Resume Writing

The Unexposed Secret of Mayo Clinic Resume Writing Mayo Clinic Resume Writing Ideas On the 1 hand, the work outlook remains very bright because of the thought that NPs will have the ability to act as physician extenders and will have the ability to help alleviate the developing shortage of competent doctors. Many have jobs that arent related to nursing or healthcare in any way. Furthermore, you can find out more about healthcare careers on Monster. To genuinely differentiate, you will need to think long and hard about ways to distinguish yourself in the medical market. What is Actually Going on with Mayo Clinic Resume Writing Among the fruchtwein successful details of the training course is a once-a-month mock reception scenario. An excellent sample medical resume objective will state what you wish to achieve to your medical resume. A vital portion of your healthcare branding plan is to make aya your values are communicated through each touchpoint. The aim is to get noticed . There might be hundreds of applicants for the identical job and you must get noticed. The quickest way to finish a work application is to be certain youve got the information that you believe you will need before you begin. Not only is it unethical to lie on a work application, it really is illegal Some job applications need additional info to be submitted along with the application itself. The Characteristics of Mayo Clinic Resume Writing Oral cancers are usually painless in the first stages or may appear to be an ulcer. After a long length of abstinence, it might take time to stretch the vagina so it can accommodate a penis. The physician will often determine the length of time the treatment is projected to take in addition to how often. Your doctor will be able to help you choose the right size. The Hidden Gem of Mayo Clinic Resume Writing There are specific rules which are fairly universal for all resumes. When youre managing your career the most suitable way, y ou should be searching for methods to boost your profile within your favorite profession. The piece you truly need the hiring manager reading is your latest work experience (and be sure you tailored that info to fit the work description). If youre still at school your university may likewise be able to supply you with sample medical resumes, from which you may pull other suggestions to use. A career in biomedical research is not for everybody. Clinical experiences are largely inpatient. For a wholesome job search, allow the experts at Monster demonstrate where your weaknesses are and prescribe methods to strengthen your candidacy. Students also have the chance to learn the difficult skills that set them apart from graduates of different colleges. Well, when you have a social networking account, you already see it. Most likely youll be told just apply online. An internet search will offer other medical resume samples that may be utilized to generate ideas. There are lots o f templates available online.