Brand You!

Brand You: What Makes You Special?

Companies spend millions of dollars a year trying to develop compelling employment brands by interviewing current employees, surveying external job-seekers, and validating the conclusions they draw from the data.

But even after all that, there's no guarantee that the brand statement will perfectly reflect what an organization offers potential employees.

If branding is that difficult for a company with money and resources, how in the world can you and I figure out what our own brand is, how we can present ourselves for a career move, to land that first management role, to move up the ladder?

Fortunately, it's easier than you might think. Let me use the perspective of a recruiter as an analogy.

This morning I went to my "Rolodex" of business contacts (really a stack of business cards held together with a rubber band!) and randomly chose two. As I pulled them out of the stack, I wrote down the first word that came to mind:

Incredible. This is a woman who supervised another department at a company where I used to work. She was so smart and innovative I volunteered to take on any project of her choosing just for the privilege of working with her. I still marvel at how much I learned from her.

Innovative. This is an IT consultant I worked with for several years who is always able to think of a clever solution to any problem, and consistently delivers it ahead of schedule.

Let's face it: no one probably deserves to be reduced to a single word, and each of these people undoubtedly exhibits behaviours contrary to the labels I've given them. Nonetheless, over time, this is the label they've earned in my mind. What label have you earned in the minds of those you meet, work with, strive to impress?

A popular phrase among the self-help profession is "We teach others how to treat us." Do you find your coworkers/boss claiming credit for your best work, yet find yourself saddled with blame for messes you were not even involved with?

Perhaps the problem is your brand. Just like a company, everyone has a brand, whether they like it or not. It's that one word that comes to mind for people when they think of you. The challenge is to learn what your brand is and then position yourself such that you emphasize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.

Gather Data and Assess Your Current Situation
People, like companies, have both positive and negative qualities. As a first step in the branding process, most corporate initiatives start with an assessment of some sort. This is accomplished through the use of focus groups, surveys, or individual interviews.

Similarly, when you're attempting to learn about your personal brand, it's also a good idea to find out how your "customers" perceive you. You can certainly ask a trusted colleague to share their thoughts, but I recommend one of the widely available 360° assessment tools. In a pinch you can also use a free Web-based survey tool.

Regardless of how you do it, it's important to learn what you do well, what you don't do well, and what overall impression you leave.

Determine What Makes You Unique
I remember being assigned to a business group as its new recruiter. Every person I talked with had the same thing to say: "I'm sure you're a good recruiter, but, alas, no one will ever be as good as jane was."

Jane was this group's recruiter several years before, and despite having worked with several competent recruiters since, the entire team was unable to get beyond the fact that their beloved Jane was now gone.

It would have been easy to start acting like Jane to try and get that client group to like me, and that's in fact what they really wanted. However, as I probed a bit, I learned that her style was very different from mine.

Also, she always asked the hiring managers what they thought about a particular candidate first, and would respond the same way each time: "Isn't that amazing, that's just what I thought!" No wonder everyone liked her! I realized quickly that such a style just wasn't me.

My style is more analytical: "You have expertise and I have expertise. You define success this way, and I define it that way. You want this outcome, and I want that outcome. Let's design a process up front that will get us both what we want, and allow us to measure how we're doing along the way."

Did they like me as much as Jane? I don't know, but we did hire some very successful people into the company.

Advertise and Embrace Your Idiosyncratic Differences
The best recruiters I know tend to unabashedly let people know what makes them unique in the way they approach their job. Adopting a professional style that's not "on brand" for you can make you look insincere, unconfident, and unprofessional.

To hiring managers looking for an opportunity to challenge the "current recruiting model" for their own political gains, such a flicker of weakness is like blood in the water. I've seen it result in phone calls to supervisors, power plays by HR generalists, and frustration on the part of recruiters who begin to question their own abilities.

There are many different recruiter styles, and they all can be effective. For example, we all know the recruiters who are loud, brash, and direct a never-ending stream of resumes at their customers. Some of the resumes are worthless, but they just laugh that off and send over even more. Their customers adore them, and over time they start to focus that barrage of resumes and zero in on the correct skill set.

We also know the more cerebral type of recruiter, the one who thoughtfully goes back to their workspace for several days, triumphantly emerging with a single, perfect resume in hand. Can you articulate your own recruiting style?

Communicate and Reinforce Your Brand
Once you understand how your customers perceive you, and develop a style that plays to your strengths, let people know what to expect when they work with you:

•"You'll be hearing from me by phone several times a day. I like to keep you informed as we work together."
•"Let's set up a face-to-face conversation each week to review the resumes I've sent you, and agree on next steps."
•"I'm only going to send you the resumes that meet your exact specifications; otherwise, we'll just waste time. I need you to be very specific about what a candidate must have and must not have."

Take time to point out the things that make your style unique as you develop working relationships in the industry. You'll be able to feel more confident and instill this in your teams. A win-win situation!

Resume Blunders

From screening job applications to conducting interviews, hiring practices have undergone a dramatic transformation over the past decade. Despite all the changes, common resume blunders continue to plague job search practices at all levels. This article attempts to overcome some of these errors.


#1: It's all about the number of pages
The one-page rule is probably the most common myth about a resume. Candidates, even senior executives, use microscopic fonts, leave off important information, use 0.1 inch margins, and resort to a myriad of unhealthy practices -- all in an attempt to restrict their resume to just one page.

Many well-meaning college counsellors advise their students to be concise and limit their resume to one page. That was important when you were a student with little or no experience, but why subscribe to the same wisdom after rising to the ranks of upper manaegment or a senior executive role?

There is an opposing viewpoint. Some job seekers mistakenly believe that if they can somehow balloon their resumes to four or five pages, they will probably be considered for higher-paying positions. What? Will someone offer me $250,000 simply because my resume is ten pages and redundant to the point of boredom?

Content rules. The quality of experience should influence the length of the resume, not hearsay. If you have held only one job, then don’t try to create a five-page resume, but if your background merits a lengthier resume then don’t use eight point fonts in a desperate attempt to fit everything on one page.

If you are too concerned about the length of your resume, consider creating a one- or two-page resume with additional pages serving as an appendix or addendum.

#2: Make up that degree - no one will know
Lying on a resume is the worst mistake a candidate can make. Even if you pass the background check (very unlikely considering how sophisticated background checks have become), a savvy employer will discover the deception within days, if not sooner.

Apart from the legal ramifications, we live in a professional world that is influenced by social media. At the touch of a button, HR managers across the country can discuss their experiences. Maintaining a good reputation is more important than ever.

#3: Your resume must have an objective
“Seeking a position that will be beneficial and mutually rewarding … and will make use of my experience and education ....” If that is your idea of an objective, don’t bother using one. Every inch of resume space is precious. Don’t waste it on generic information that can be found on almost every other resume. Every word, every character that appears on your resume must position you as the perfect candidate for the job.

In place of objectives, use what many experts call “branding statements” or “headers”. The concept can be explained with the help of an example.

In the case of a clinical researcher, for example, a generic objective would be as follows:

“Seeking a mutually beneficial position that will make use of my 10+ years’ experience in hotel management.”

An improvement would be:

Hotel Manager with Hospitality Degree and 10+ Years’ Professional Excellence

Worked with top two global hotel chains. Leveraged hospitality expertise to manage three multi-billion dollar projects from ground 0 to financial growth.

The generic example does almost nothing to position the candidate but the refined version, in addition to serving as an objective, brings out three to four prominent strengths and an overall value proposition.

Whether you decide to use an objective or a positioning statement, refrain from presenting generic arguments.

#4: Your references must be listed on the resume itself
Normally, a separate page is used as a reference sheet. This not only protects the privacy of your references (imagine posting their contact information on every job board), but also makes the screening professional’s job a little easier.

#5: I can use the same resume for multiple job targets
If your current resume focuses on your hotel housekeeping background, please don’t send the same resume for marketing positions. It is understandable that you may qualify for multiple positions or be interested in pursuing alternate careers. If so, try to create a customized resume for each job target.

When it comes to a resume, never follow the “one size fits all” approach.

Interview Prep Program - Interview Ease

Publish at Scribd or explore others: School Work Other business blog