Uploaded byGreg David
Personal Branding in a Job Search by Greg David of Gregory Laka and Company
This document discusses the importance of personal branding for a successful job search. It defines personal branding as focusing on your subject matter expertise and positive impact rather than just your job title. The document provides tips for developing your personal brand, such as crafting an elevator pitch and value statement, researching your target market, and highlighting your strengths, weaknesses, and tools. It recommends taking specific actions over two weeks to build your brand through various online and offline channels.
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Personal Branding in a Job Search by Greg David of Gregory Laka and Company
- 1. Personal Branding: The EssentialKey to a Successful Job Search. Greg David, President Laka & Company
- 2. What personal brandingis NOT! • Defining yourself by TITLE or DEPARTMENT. – Example: I am an accountant. – Example: I am a computer programmer. – Example: I am in sales. – Example: I am an attorney.
- 3. What personal brandingIS: • Defining SME to capture attention, create value, and define a critical positive impact that you make. – It is specific. – It is positive in emotion. – It is desirable for others to have. – It makes your competition less desirable.
- 4. What personal brandingIS: • It consists of many small and not so small items, it intertwines, and creates an identity that you wish others to know you for. • Everything counts! Nothing is too small! From your email address, to your resume file name, to the online footprint you manufacture. IT ALL COUNTS!
- 5. What personal brandingIS: • Branding is making yourself: – RELEVANT to others. – DESIRABLE to others. – DIFFERENT than your ‘competition’.
- 6. The old searchprocess. • “Moths to a light” demonstrates the outdated, and unsuccessful process of job seekers (moths) flocking to a light (job). HINT: It doesn’t work.
- 7. The new searchprocess! In the new job search process, the job seeker is the light, and moths are jobs. The trick is to get them to flock to you. HINT: It cuts a job search cycle down significantly and makes future job searches a snap. In fact, the longer and more successfully you do it, the less likely you will be hurt in the future.
- 8. Personal Branding BASICS: Whereto start.
- 9. Defining Your BRAND. •Who are you AND what do you do? • Define Subject Matter Expertise (SME) ? • What impact on others does it have? • What pain do you eliminate? • What benefit do you create? • How do you help save time or money? • How do you increase revenue or profitability? » Write down these bullets quickly!
- 10. Exercise One: Brainstorming. •Use a legal pad to write down as many answers to the questions on the previous slide. Fill as many pages as you can. Write quickly. • You will need to do multiple drafts to make your words and thoughts meaningful. Write, define, refine. » Challenge: Can you fill 10 pages? 20?
- 11. Exercise Two: DefiningYour Market. • What geographic markets need you? • What industries need you? • What size organizations need you? • What organizations need you? • What departments need you? • What roles need you? » You’ll need to research!
- 12. Exercise Three: DefiningYour Advantages. • What is your SME (Subject Matter Expertise)? • How does it directly affect: increased profit, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, improved revenue, market share, lower costs, or entrance into new markets? » Advantages are skills.
- 13. Defining Your Weaknesses •Comparatively---to others who do what you do- ---how are you poorly positioned? – Years of experience? – Cost? – Risk of turnover or stagnation? – Performance? Ease of managing? – Ability to learn? – Flexibility? Adaptability? Desire to grow? – Past observed shortcomings? – Are you a ‘moldable piece of clay’ or a ‘weed’? » Weaknesses are bad habits.
- 14. An exercise NOTfor the weak BUT the STRONG! • Contact multiple prior managers for real and honest feedback to improve yourself, and the value you bring to the table. • Go to work on those issues immediately, and be able to show tangible corrective action taken. • Stay with it for a minimum of one year or until it becomes part of a NEW you.
- 15. Defining Your STRENGTHS. •Comparatively---to others who do what you do- ---how are you PROPERLY positioned? – Years of experience? Cost? – Able to act as a ‘catalyst of change’? – Performance? Past achievements? – What are you learning at a rapid rate of speed? – Flexibility? Adaptability? Desire to grow? – How are you a ‘moldable piece of clay’ & not a ‘weed’? » Strengths are a mix of positive competitive positioning and positive habits.
- 16. Defining Your Tools •Word based. • Paper based. • Media based. • Technology based. • Examples of work/portfolio based. • Web based.
- 17. BRING Clear Substance Quickly(CSQ): • How easy is it for others to get their questions answered about you? • How well do you communicate? • How quickly do you provide substance that matters to others?
- 18. Defining WORD based BRANDING. •THINK: VERBAL & WRITTEN: – Elevator speech. – Value statement. – Mission statement. – Subject Matter Expertise (SME). – Biography. Articles or books written. – Speaking engagements.
- 19. Defining PAPER basedBRANDING. • THINK: – Business cards. Handbills. Resumes. – White papers, SME documentation. – Articles written about you, items authored, etc. – Examples of work. – Positive past employment reviews. Awards. – Certifications.
- 20. Defining MEDIA basedBRANDING. • THINK: – CD’s. – DVD’s. – USB memory sticks. – Virtual based presentations.
- 21. Defining TECHNOLOGY based BRANDING. •THINK: – Email address and resume file name. – Vcard (your electronic business card). – Electronic signature. – Set up of your PC and email product. – PowerPoint, white paper, video, etc. ‘style’. – “Follow me” phone service. » Are you creating ‘an experience’ for the viewer?
- 22. Defining PORTFOLIO based BRANDING. •THINK: – Examples of work. – Letters of recommendation from past supervisors, clients, etc. – Employment reviews documentation. – Letters of commendation and awards. – White papers, SME documentation. – Articles written about you, items authored, etc. – Certifications.
- 23. Defining WEB basedBRANDING. • THINK: LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook, Twitter, blogs/vlogs, websites, uploaded content (video clips, presentations, white papers, etc.). • What is your web sized foot print and what does it say about you? • Can anyone even find you on the Internet or web---what is your online identity and visibility?
- 24. Your online identityand visibility: 0-100%? • Vizibility’s Online Identity Calculator: http://www.onlineidcalculator.com Provides you advice on how to build a stellar online identity that is aligned with your real-world personal brand.
- 25. Niche sites tobe on: • www.eons.com (focused on Boomers, founded by Monster.com founder Jeff Taylor). • www.partnerup.com (start up and small business site---advice and right time, right place job opportunities). • www.Biznik.com (great social site to demonstrate your SME).
- 26. More niche sitesto be on: • www.youngentrepreneur.com Filled with great ideas, tips, and the occasional connection to a new job. • www.constantcontact.com Use email campaigns to share your SME. • www.gobignetwork.com You might score big with a job at a startup.
- 27. ‘Swiss Army Knife’web sites: • www.quintcareers.com 5 star job site. • www.google.com search on ‘job search personal branding’. • www.employmentdigest.net • www.about.com another terrific tool for a job search. • www.siteslike.com A MUST HAVE TOOL!
- 28. Steps to getstarted
- 29. Day One • Complete‘legal pad’ exercises to define and refine YOUR branding. – This can take 1-4 hours or more. • Register with social & business networking sites and create a profile. – This can take 1-3 hours or more per site.
- 30. Day Two • Author/Re-author: –Resume(s) and cover letters. – Handbill. – Business card. • Have SME information on back of card. » This will take 4-8 hours or more.
- 31. Day Three • Setup/re-configure PC and email product to accurately show your name. • Set up/re-configure profiles on LinkedIn, Plaxo, etc. • Set up/re-configure XOBNI, GWABBIT, Act! or Goldmine, and Skype (with video). • Set up a reach me anywhere phone account. » This will take 2-4 hours total time.
- 32. Day Four • Writefive draft ‘PowerPoint’ presentations on a topic in which you are an SME. – Write one every two hours. – Simple and powerful in content. – Needs to evoke interest, and capture attention. – Depending on topic, 5-20 slides.
- 33. Day Five • RevisePowerPoint presentations until at final edit. • Have approved by an expert for quality of content and to ensure grammatically correct. • Upload to public sites. » This will take 2-4 hours total time.
- 34. Day Six • Writefive draft ‘articles’ on a topic in which you are an SME. – Write one every two hours. – Simple and powerful in content. – Needs to evoke interest, and capture attention. – Needs to impress, not alienate.
- 35. Day Seven • Revise‘articles’ until at final edit. • Have approved by an expert for quality of content and to ensure grammatically correct. • Upload to public sites.
- 36. Day Eight • Mirroringyour ‘articles’, develop an outline to create a video based version of your ‘articles’. – This will take 30-60 minutes for each. • Develop a script to use for each. – This will take 60-90 minutes for each.
- 37. Day Nine • Witha backdrop in place and an assistant, create the video clips. – This should take 15-60 minutes per clip. • If necessary, perform any necessary editing of the video clips. – This should take 0-60 minutes per clip. • Upload video clips. – This should take 15-60 minutes per clip.
- 38. Sites to uploadSME info to: • http://www.slideshare.net • http://www.scribd.com • http://www.docstoc.com • http://www.readwriteweb.com • http://www.calameo.com • http://www.issuu.com • http://www.smashwords.com
- 39. More sites toupload SME info to: • http://www.youtube.com • http://www.vimeo.com • http://www.clipshack.com • http://www.myspace.com • http://www.slideboom.com • http://www.slideserve.com • http://www.powershow.com
- 40. Day 10 • Incorporatethe links from all ‘articles’, PowerPoint presentations, and uploaded video clips into: – Cover letter and resume. – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest. – Make sure all uploaded content contains links back to all other content.
- 41. Day 11 • Blog:Go to www.blogger.com or another blogging site on the Internet and create an account. • You will need to write 3 times per week to gain an audience.
- 42. Day 12 • Usethe internet and library to become an expert blogger and use sites like http://www.bloggingtips.com to become even better, learning from others mistakes, and their successes. • What do you have to blog daily or regularly to help others? Keep it positive, passionate, and help others learn more, and more about you.
- 43. Day 13 • Twitter:http://www.twitter.com Set up your account, profile, and what your Twitter space will look like visually. • Use the search feature to search on others you want to follow, & do it! • Make sure you link your Twitter, Blog, and LinkedIn account to maximize exposure and others following you.
- 44. Twitter: Helpful sites •http://mashable.com/2009/05/20/twitter- personal-brand/ • http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/twitt er-personal-branding-checklist/ • http://altaeeblog.com/100-personal- branding-experts-to-follow-on-twitter-in- 2010/
- 45. Day 14 • VLOGS:Take your blog to the next level, and make it a video based blog. – With audio and video based content, you take the benefit of a blog to the next level. • http://desktopvideo.about.com/od/videoblog ging/ht/howtovlog.htm • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3PXQ9 uxWFw
- 46. What to dodaily & ongoing. • When applying for particular jobs, reference specific links to your virtual SME information wherever applicable and in all cover letters or emails. • Contribute to your blog/vlog, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, etc. daily. • Share original content and content from other sources.
- 47. What to doweekly and ongoing. • Brainstorm daily on new, innovative ‘articles’, Power Points, and video clips you can develop and add one SME topic per week to your collection. • Read, read, read. Research, research, research.
- 48. Use old fashionedways to fuel your success. • Spread your branding message using ‘others focused’ vehicles. – Kids based organizations, coaching, etc. – Faith based organizations. – Community based organizations. – Teaching opportunities. – Political office campaigns. – Associations and not-for-profit groups. – Fundraisers.
- 49. I don’t havethe time to do this! • For the unemployed, take a look at how they spend their time in a job search. They have the time. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2 009/07/31/business/20080801- metrics-graphic.html
- 50. I don’t havethe time to do this! • Measure the time you spend clicking, applying, emailing your resume, and measure your results at the end of a week. Then a month. • There is more than enough time to do personal branding and the results are far better!
- 51. I don’t havethe time to do this! • If you are working, you are at a huge disadvantage in a job search. You cannot be as responsive, cannot interview as easily, and cannot respond as nimbly. • Personal branding makes the jobs come to you. Just be savvy enough to hear the knock of opportunity.
- 52. Recommended Reading • Me 2.0:Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success by Dan Schawbel • How YOU Are Like Shampoo for College Graduates: The Complete Personal Branding System to Define, Position, and Market Yourself and Land a Job You Love by Brenda Bence • Storytelling about Your Brand: Online and Offline by Bernadette Martin • I'm in a Job Search--Now What???: Using LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter as Part of Your Job Search Strategy (Thinkaha) by Kristen Jacoway and Jason Alba
- 53. The real questionis: What is it that you want?
- 54. Do you wantthis?
- 55. Or do youwant this?
- 56.
- 57. Don’t just becomea light, become a beacon! Gregory David (Laka), President Laka & Company 312-528-9107 greg.david@laka.com www.laka.com www.linkedin.com/in/gregdavid https://twitter.com/gregdavidlaka www.pinterest.com/gregdavidlaka www.facebook.com/gregdavidlaka