Career Hub

What Michael Jackson, The Brand Icon, Can Teach You About Personal Branding

 There was an article posted by on the Harvard Business Review How Michael Jackson Became a Brand Icon and interestingly it's author John Quelch kicked off with the following comment;

"Countless books advise how to build your personal brand. Michael Jackson was so unique that he cannot realistically serve as anyone's role model in that effort"

But, I beg to differ, the fact is Michael Jackson was a personal brand and countless thousands of fans looked to him for inspiration and direction. So let's take John's Top Ten Factors and see how Jackson's brand can apply to your personal brand.

1. Start Early - even more critical now than when Jackson started his career. The world of work has changed forever and sooner that you start managing your career (or business) through personal branding the better.

2. Let Go- it is highly unlikely that staying at one company is going to happen in your career - so be prepared to make the move and be proactive about it - better that than get the call to the bosses office. Some of the most successful companies were started in a recession too - so let go and go for it.

3. Break Out - the day of the traditional resume and cover letter have gone. There are a myriad of other media available to you to get your message out there and in front of your target audience - if its relevant to them it will work.

4. Get help- develop your board of trusted advisors, ask for help and insight and when you need to, ask your network - but be sure you have been helping them along the way too.

5. Be visible- you are not going to have to moonwalk in to an interview or business meeting, or wear just one glove, but what you wear and how you act all says something about your brand. Make it distinctive and memorable - but it must feel right to you.

6. Go global- now even more than ever the competition for your next opportunity is not in the cubicle next to you - it could be half way around the world. Make sure that your reach is equally global - social networking sites, blogs and general web presence can do that - build your on-line brand.

7. Crown Yourself - 'King' might be pushing it a little too far, but leading authority on IFRS is not. Take your expertise or develop one and become known as the go to person for advice and insights.

8. Be vulnerable - it is great to have all the necessary skills and attributes expected to be a top performer in your industry / vocation - but if you do not show your emotional side you might be accused of being one dimensional - nothing wrong in being the fun accountant or caring IT manager.

9. Give back - community and causes are all part of who you are, your personal brand foundation should include a vision for the world that is bigger than you - what is your purpose in helping effect that vision? It might well include giving back.

10. Die Young- certainly not literally. But you should constantly be reviewing and refining your brand and sometimes that might include reinvention too.

Cross posted on The Personal Branding Blog and Reflections of a Square Peg

Death of Three Personal Brands

This week marked the death of three personal brands, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon.

What do you remember about each? Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was one of the all-time chart-toppers and had a short resurgence from the movie, "13 Going on 30" with Jennifer Garner. Farrah ranked No. 1 in TV Guide's "TV's All-Time Sexiest Women" - based on her "Charlie's Angles" series and that 1976 swimsuit poster (12 million sold!). And Ed McMahon, the most famous "second banana" for his long-running role on the "Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson.

What will people remember about you? What would you like them to remember?

When watching the tributes this week, it was sad to see McMahon's final ending with financial troubles and Jackson's varied image issues.

Overall though, what do you remember most? All three were big personal brands.

Coaching Challenge: Now, think about what you'd like people to remember most about your legacy. How would you like to be remembered? Make a list of your Top 10.

What action can you take right now to move toward your Top 10? Go for it!

Posted by Wendy Terwelp

Is your personal brand failing to impact the competition?

The new iPhone 3GS recent launch saw two impacts - Apple dropping the price of it's 'older' model and more significantly Palm's share price dropping by 7%!

It seem's like never a week goes by without another new phone hitting the market - I heard that the lifespan for a smartphone before it becomes 'obselete' and overtaken by a faster, sleeker, more buttons and gadgets phone is about 3 months.

Is the same happening for you in your career?

Dan Pink in his book A Whole New Mind said that if your job can be done faster by a machine or cheaper somewhere else then you need to differentiate yourself right now.

This is particularly relevant now in a tight job market and where competition to remain useful and employed is becoming key. Even if the economy is showing some signs of recovery you will see it's impact for months to come - the commercial real estate bubble has not burst yet!

So if you are employed how can you have an impact at work so that your value rises?

1. Make sure you get involved in the projects at work that are going to have an impact on the future success of the company and have some senior management sponsors.

2. Look to raise your profile by attending meetings that are not directly your area, but you have interaction with those teams. If you are in finance go to a marketing meeting and if you are in marketing get along to operations or logistics - step out of your bubble and perhaps comfort zone.

3. Keep your boss up to date with what you are working on and keep track of the measures of success - what is the direct impact you are having on the business - make sure you know and then make sure others do too.

If you are currently unemployed how can you impact the competition and get hired?

1. Construct a 'brag' sheet that speaks to your top 5 strengths and how you have used each one of those in a specific situation with a measurable result. Use that as your intro career marketing document - not the boring resume - stand out, be different, get noticed.

2. Be very clear about what value you bring to an organization. They do not care what you want (if you have objective still on your resume GET IT OFF NOW!). What can you do for them? Again this needs to be as measurable and relevant as possible - there are too many others out there with similar skills, experience and education - it's not enough anymore.

3. Go where the competition is not going. Get in front of the senior managers who work with the peole that might hire you. If you are in finance do not go to all the finance networking meetings - all your competitors are doing that - get to the marketing networking meeting.

Cross posted on Reflections of a Square Peg blog

The 11 Day Job Search

In my opinion, one of the nicest features of social media is the "web of support" one can develop. Today, I'm pleased to share with you the story of Brian Ward, a college classmate of mine whose innovative job search was just written up by Time Magazine.

Brian recently found himself joining the ranks of the unemployed. As a father of three and primary breadwinner, He knew he had to act fast. He landed on his feet after receiving a job offer in only 11 days through a lead from a former colleague on Facebook.

As a career coach and resume writer, I view this as an "extreme happy outcome" and one which cannot be expected in every search.

After all, for most job seekers,  the search is a process--not a transaction. Ultimately, where you choose to work is a mutually selective process: you pick your employer and your employer picks you. Pick the wrong job and you'll end up spending your days humming the Avenue Q song "For Now" instead of whistling while you work. Brian got lucky--he found his match early, and he found a position that aligned with his skills and interests.

Putting the role of good fortune aside, Brian made five smooth moves that helped luck play into his favor:

1. He developed and maintained strong relationships before he needed them. Brian and I became re-acquainted on Twitter last fall. (We were casual acquaintances in college.) He demonstrated an interest in my work long before his layoff, and we exchanged a few quick messages that went beyond the standard LinkedIn "I'd like to add you to my network invitation." He did the same with many others.

2. He reacted to his layoff by admitting what he didn't know. Before Brian widely publicized that he had lost his job, he researched how to present his skills. He credits a LinkedIn webinar from Lewis Howes for helping him develop a strong online profile.

3. He carefully crafted his message before going mainstream. Armed with suggestions from friends in the industry and expert advice, Brian created a consistent online presence across multiple platforms from LinkedIn to Facebook and Twitter.

4. He was clear about what he was looking for, but he recognized that leads may come from an unlikely source. Brian's strategy included a clear call for help ("this is what I'm looking for") and an expansive approach (he expanded his membership in LinkedIn groups to include indirect business affiliations, such as his college fraternity).

5. He kept his friends and contacts in the loop during his search, and thanked them regularly. By updating his community, Brian let others know of his progress--and how he could help them in return.

You can read about Brian's initial setback and subsequent success in Time; he hopes his story will help you land on your feet, too.

Do you have any additional smooth moves to share?

Color and Personal Branding: Jump-start the Emotional Connection

Your personal brand has both logical and emotional components: what people THINK about you and what they FEEL about you. Of the two, emotion often trumps feeling in the final “buying” decision. In fact, in the sales world, it is commonly known that people buy based on feelings, and then justify their decision with logic. So, while you may be a job seeker with prime credentials, if you do not evoke a strong positive connection or feeling from interviewers, you may not be the candidate chosen.

How does this relate to colors? Well, colors are aligned with emotions. Cited in Why Color Matters, the Institute of Color Research  reports that a subconscious judgment about a person, environment, or product is made within 90 seconds with 62-90% of that judgment based on color alone. In the Psychology Today Blogs, Maureen Healy (MBA and Masters in Clinical Psychology) writes in The Color of Emotion that “the connection between colors and feelings is probably the most simple and profound.” She goes on to add that “color connections are greatly influenced by culture” and explains that the color white can have very different meanings depending on whether viewed by someone from America or Taipei.

In addition, colors can have differences depending on shade, tone, and intensity. Explore Color Meaning further to discover some of those subtleties. For example, my personal brand color is a pure green. It denotes nature, growth, harmony, and safety – all themes that resonate with me, my personal brand attributes of caring, genuine, and connected, and my preferred work environment (the beautiful Northwoods of Wisconsin). However, dark green may be associated with greed and jealousy!

The following resources relay even more on how color relates to your personal brand and marketing yourself:

Using Color to Express Your Brand – video by William Arruda, founder of Reach Personal Branding
The Exact Science of Personal Branding – blog post by Dave Saunders, celebrated speaker, radio show host and business start-up strategist.

What color are you drawn to? Explore the variations of that color and the feelings associated with it. Which color will attract your target audience and still reflect the unique you? Keep in mind cultural differences and industry niches to avoid a major faux pas. Then test-drive your color in all of your self-marketing efforts and pay attention to responses you get. Learn from the feedback, refine, and boldly express and exude your color with confidence knowing that the emotional connections you make will advance your job search from anonymity to A-list.

Cross-posted at Career Goddess Blog

Please Introduce Yourself

“Hi, what is it you do?”

It’s the dreaded question.

One of the biggest challenges faced by people in the middle of a career transition is knowing how to introduce themselves whilst socialising or networking.

It’s even more challenging for people who are in the process of starting a business or becoming independent consultants. They don’t quite know what it is they plan to do and so they frequently withdraw from conversations, go shy and often avoid going to social events until they’ve figured out exactly what it is they are doing. Completely irrational, but it’s amazing how many people do it.

I speak from experience as I played this avoidance and perfection game a lot in the past. It’s all one big mistake because avoiding these interactions until things are ‘just right’, means you:

- Miss out on potential work and business opportunities
- Miss out on a helping hand in clarifying what it is you do
- Miss out on the opportunity to screw up and become better at introducing yourself

Yes, getting your ‘message’ right is a key part of any change process – finding work, changing careers or becoming self employed. People cannot connect you with future employers and prospects if they don’t know what you do and what it is you’re looking for. And there are many resources and help for people on how to get their message right (articles, books, videos, coaches etc)

But fundamentally the work should be done in the field, not in your lounge or your home office.

The best way to learn how to cook, is to just cook. Classes and recipe books are good, but ultimately, you learn to cook by burning a few things and getting it wrong before you get it right

The best way to learn to interview, is to go out and be interviewed. Screw up the occasional interview, make a few mistakes – and then you become proficient at interviews

The best way to articulate what you do to others, is to put yourself out there and introduce yourself to people. Get a few things wrong, adjust your style and get out there again and again.

So don’t wait around too long trying to figure out what you’d say before getting out there. Don’t play the ‘when-then’ game and wait until you feel good about yourself. Please just get out and start introducing yourself.

The clarity, proficiency, opportunities and ‘feeling good’ come once you step out there and introduce yourself.

.....so what is it you do again..?

By Sital Ruparelia from 6 Figure Career Management

Does Your Resume File Name Waste a Self-Marketing Opportunity?

How much thought did you put into naming the resume file that you send out to prospective employers and recruiters? Does the file name clearly indicate who you are? Does it go a bit further and tell the recipient what you do? Or is it labeled something like "resume.doc," "myresume.doc," or another name that could apply to virtually any one of thousands of applicants?

A press release on PRWEB (www.prweb.com) highlights conclusions from a "Resume Filename Best Practices Report" recently released by Palladian International. While the report found that 92% of resume files had at least some indication of the sender's name, only 58% included both the first and last name. A large proportion of resumes contained information of no use to a hiring manager or recruiter, such as version numbers and dates.

The report advises that your first and last name always be included in the file name. It is also a good idea to include a word or short keyword phrase that describes your main skill set or industry (for example, CFO, Marketing Executive, etc.). It is important to keep the keyword phrase fairly short, so as not to create an unwieldy file name that extends beyond fields in a database or beyond the edge of the reader's window or screen (such as on a Blackberry). A further recommendation is to separate words with hyphens for readability. I have found that underscores (_) also work well for this purpose.

Following is a sample structure for an effective file name:
FirstName-LastName-Resume-KeywordPhrase.doc

With regard to file format, MS Word is virtually universally accepted. However, if you have Office 2007, it is advisable to convert your file from its default ".docx" format to Word 2003/97 ".doc" format. The new ".docx" format is not readable by earlier versions of Word without installation of a conversion pack. Since there are many recruiters and companies that do not yet have Office 2007 and also do not have the conversion pack installed on their systems, sending the file in Word 2003/97 format avoids the risk that your file will be unretrievable and (horrors) possibly discarded.

***

Posted by Laurie Smith at Creative Keystrokes

Are You Being Memorable Enough?

A good friend once said to me that on your birthday you should always try to do something you have never done before. It's a great philosophy.

My son Aidan turned 9 last weekend and he had a party for a handful of his friends. We had given him a few options,but one that seemed to really interest him was Circus School!
Well that certainly fell in the realm of doing something he had never done before, so we looked in to it and that is where we ended up.

We were not disappointed - The Zacada Circus School in Stoney Creek is run by ex-Cirque du Soleil people and the kids had an absolute blast.

They got to do many of the activities you would see at a show - including tight rope, aerial hoop and the finale the trapeze - 15 feet up in the air. My son even managed to stand up on it, whilst he was swinging!

As you can imagine, no-one wanted to leave - even all the adults!

The staff were great and really did everything to help the children relax and enjoy themselves - they wanted this to be memorable - after all word of mouth is going to be a good marketing tool for them.

Look how many people I have told now!

Are you leveraging those unique skills you have in a way that makes others experience of you memorable?

John Updike's Personal Brand and Yours

I heard an interview with David Resnick, Editor-in-Chief of the New Yorker magazine, this morning about John Updike who recently died. Updike was a prolific writer and you'd think it would be hard to pinpoint who exactly he was as an author. But Resnick had no trouble! This, roughly, is what he said:

John Updike was the chronicler of the middle - not of kings and queens and not of the urban poor and desperate.

How concise is that? One sentence that clearly delineated Updike's brand, in this case by indicating who he was NOT.

When asked to review a resume yesterday, after I finished I was left wondering: "Who is this guy?" The title he gave himself was "Information Services Professional." And his resume was all over the map in terms of technology.

But, when I spoke with him, it turned out that he is a master database architect/designer. He loves the role and has numerous success stories in support of that positioning.

Taking a page from John Updike's book :), what he needed to do in his resume was reveal who he really is and what niche he plays in. It also became obvious in our brief conversation that he had personality X10. No hint of this in his resume, although his personal website also made that abundantly clear. 

He'd been through parts of the Reach personal branding process but hadn't taken that next all-important step of integrating what he learned into his self-marketing materials and self-concept. 

Whether famous and exalted or one of millions looking for jobs in this market, it makes sense to "know thyself." No need to wait for an obituary. Here is a moving poem by Updike that addresses this issue of our own authentic identities:

Perfection Wasted

And another regrettable thing about death

is the ceasing of your own brand of magic,

which took a whole life to develop and market-

the quips, the witticisms, the slant

adjusted to a few, those loved ones nearest

the lip of the stage, their soft faces blanched

in the footlight glow, their laughter close to tears,

their warm pooled breath in and out with your heartbeat,

their response and your performance twinned.

The jokes over the phone. The memories packed

in the rapid-access file. The whole act.

Who will do it again? That's it: no one;

imitators and descendants aren't the same.

-John Updike

 

Who's Me?

There have been numerous posts here and elsewhere attesting to the value of personal branding and various ways to establish a personal brand. One can extend their visibility in the virtual world by posting to relevant discussion forums affiliated with professional groups, industry elists, and jobsite discussion boards, commenting on blogs focused
on your particular niche of expertise, publishing an article or writing a
letter to the editor of respected media in your industry. One other suggestion: deliver a presentation at an industry meeting or conference. Alumni groups are another platform to share your knowledge and
display expertise.

Keep in mind that "It's not just what you know, but who knows what you know". Be sure that your presentation is not only as good as it can be, but the audience is one that will recognize your value and provide future
opportunities, leads, resources, etc. Furthermore, you want to be selective in where your brand is exposed; avoid venues that may not be well regarded
since your affiliations definitely influence how others perceive your brand
value. It’s still very early in 2009, so create a plan to increase your visibility and then take steps to increase your presence where targeted individuals, especially decision makers, are apt to notice you!

Posted by Debra Feldman