Resume Writing & Career Marketing Insider

The Importance of Managing Your Online Identity When Job Searching

Last fall, while at a political event, I had several opportunities to be interviewed by newspaper reporters. While I contributed to their stories, I did so anonymously. Why? Simple. I conduct business on the web and am acutely aware of the importance of managing and controlling my online identity. While I absolutely believe in keeping my business and my politics separate, that isn't the most important reason for my decision. Rather, when a customer, potential customer, or business associate searches on my name, I don't necessarily want political articles coming to the forefront of the search results. I want my business websites, the websites promoting my books and products, business-related articles I have written, my blog and LinkedIn profile, and other professional sites. I want some level of control over the professional image and personal brand that I display to the world.

Managing your onine presence and identity in this way is important for every professional and is expecially critical when you are looking for a job. When a recruiter targets you as a potential candidate for a job opening, more often than not the first thing they do is to go to the web and search on your name to see what pops up.

Don't make the mistake of thinking you can separate your personal online presence from your professional one; you can't. Nor should you want to. A good online presence is a mesh of the professional and personal-creating a rounded and positive image of who you are and what you can do. On the other hand, it is wise to be prudent about what you release to the public domain. Topics such as religion and politics are often controversial and have the potential to cause bias in other's perceptions of you.

You may be reading this and thinking, "That's not a problem I face; I don't have an online identity." But, if I were a betting person, I would bet that you're wrong. If you've ever used the Internet, then there is a strong chance that you've established an online presence.  Using social networking sites, commenting on blogs or articles, reviewing a book, posting your resume-all of these things create an online presence. So the question isn't, "Do you have an online presence?", but "How does that online presence make you look?" And if you're job hunting, the answer to that question is paramount.

Okay, the next question in your mind may be this; "Why is what I do personally any business of yours?" The answer is simple: Most employers are looking for more than just skill-set and experience. They are also looking for people whose personality will fit in with their company. So they are going to take an interest in your personal profile as well as your professional one. Everything you do--from your Facebook page to uploaded photos of your latest trip to Spain--is susceptible to scrutiny by a potential employer seeking to learn more about you. So make sure what they find is something you want them to see. The last thing you want is for some recruiter to Google your name and find a photo of you drunk and happy, dancing bikini-clad on a beach in Cancun. Will this eliminate you for consideration? Maybe. Maybe not. But, is this the impression that you want to make on your future boss and co-workers?

Since it's out there and someone just might see it, you need to see it too. So go ahead, Google yourself. If you don't like what you see-even if what you are seeing is nothing--do something about it. There is a plethora of ways to establish a good online identity: networking sites, blogs, and personal web pages are just a few methods of getting your name out there in a positive way. I always that professionals involved in a job search create a LinkedIn profile. An online career portfolio that includes downloadable versions of your resume are another good idea.

The bottom line is, when it comes to the Internet and managing your online presence, there simply is no separation of personal and professional. So make sure that every action you take online works towards creating an image you want the world to see. Because whether you like it or not, we will eventually see it.

Tips For Branding Your Resume

Q. How are resumes different now than in the past? If you had one piece of advice to bring my resume up to current standards, what would it be?

A. There are actually many differences because styles and trends for resumes are changing all the time. However, I would say that the most fundamental difference has come about with the increasing importance of personal branding. While it is much more complex than this, at its essence, personal branding is about the authentic and unique promise of value you offer. In relation to your career, it is about the promise of value you offer that differentiates you from your peers and competitors in the workplace and job market. On your resume, this personal brand needs to be communicated in a way that will differentiate you from the vast pool of candidates. This demand--this need to communicate on your resume exactly what it is that distinguishes you and sets you apart from the competition in the job market--has really transformed what used to be viewed as a simple chronological listing of employment into a dynamic and compelling self-marketing document. And, of course, it isn't enough to just tell the reader of your resume that you have certain abilities. You must illustrate these abilities and your value proposition through past accomplishments presented as concise "success studies" complete with challenge faced, action taken, immediate result, and strategic importance.

Personal Branding Tips for Your Job Search

Q. You always talk about personal branding and how important it is in my job search. Do you have any tips about how personal branding can be promoted in my resume?

A. Sure! Branding provides your resume and other career marketing documents with instant, precision-like focus that positions you as the ideal candidate for the specific type of opportunity that interests you. An unfocused resume is boring and ineffective. An unfocused resume wastes your readers' time and will land in the circular file. A properly branded resume is, by definition, focused, and addresses not only your unique value proposition, but it does so in a way that addresses the concerns of your target audience.

You can use your personal brand profile and personal brand statement to project a cohesive brand image and value proposition across your resume, cover letters, and all your documents. In my work, I have the opportunity to review a lot of resumes, letters, biographies and other documents that my clients and prospective clients have tried to write for themselves. This tip relates to one of the most common mistakes that I see. Too many people try to be too many things to too many people. Their career marketing portfolios (resumes, cover letters, biographies, etc.) are a hodge-podge of documents written over a number of years and added onto randomly whenever the need arises for an updated resume. Certainly across the portfolio, and sometimes even within the same document, I find multiple design and content styles, as well as disconnected and outdated messages. When you brand your job search documents you immediately correct this problem.

How-to Create a Compelling, Branded Elevator Pitch for Your Job Search

The elevator pitch. You are probably familiar with the term. It is most commonly used to describe the concise 60-second speech that business owners and executives, as well as salespeople, use to describe their business, product, or service to others. More importantly, it is a speech that is delivered in a compelling way that describes what is unique about the business (or offering), describes the benefits to the target market, and excites interest in the listener.

So, why should you--the job seeker and career professional--care about the elevator pitch? If you are familiar with the concept of personal branding, and the idea of leveraging your brand to advance and promote yourself in your career, I’m sure you immediately recognized similarities between the above description of an elevator pitch and a personal brand statement.

Personal branding allows you to make a name for yourself. It differentiates you from your peers and helps to position you as a leader in your field – as a specialist and an authority who knows how to do a job and fill a particular niche in the workplace better than anyone else. A personal brand statement is a succinct statement that clarifies and communicates what makes you and your unique value proposition different and special.

Your personal brand statement will play a large role in your 60-second elevator pitch as a job seeker and career professional. Your entire elevator pitch will be a mini presentation that you are able to give on the fly in response to those all-too-common questions “what do you do?” or “tell me about yourself?”  With precision-like focus, an effective elevator pitch will immediately convey to the listener who you are as a professional, and will do it in a way that addresses not only your unique value proposition, but in a manner that addresses the concerns of your listener. Of equal importance, while your pitch is planned and rehearsed, when you actually speak it, it should sound completely natural and spontaneous, yet it should leave the listener with a lasting, positive, and memorable impression. You will use your elevator pitch frequently, in networking situations and during interviews.

But, once you recognize that crafting an elevator pitch is essential, you might feel daunted at the prospect of creating and perfecting one. Certainly, this is a task that your career coach or the professional that you hired to create your résumé can assist with. However, with some introspection and honest self-assessment, developing your elevator pitch does not have to be difficult. To get started, ask yourself these essential questions:

1. What is the focus of your search? What is your job target?
2. Who is the person/people most likely to make a hiring decision about you?
3. What are the problems faced by your target audience?
4. What is it that you are offering that would solve these problems?
5. What is it that differentiates you and makes you different from your peers?
6. What are the benefits of your work as experienced by your target audience?

To create your elevator pitch, you now must put these elements all together in a brief presentation that you can deliver quickly—in the time it would take you to get from one floor to the other in an elevator.

As an example, here is my own “branded” elevator pitch that I developed to concisely describe my work as the executive director of Distinctive Career Services.

“You know how some career professionals miss out on really great employment opportunities, or don’t advance as quickly in their careers as they would like, or don’t get paid the compensation they deserve, all because they don’t really know how to differentiate themselves in their careers or promote themselves effectively in the job market?

Well, I am a career coach, personal branding strategist, and career marketing professional—one of just a few people worldwide with this unique blend of expertise. In my business, which is internet-based and global, I provide a mix of innovative products, programs, and services delivered to six-figure+ and aspiring six-figure+ professionals, managers, and executives. All my offerings are designed specifically to empower my clients to promote and market themselves effectively, opening doors and enabling potential to achieve their highest career ambitions and goals.

The benefits are that my clients dramatically reduce the time and money they spend job searching, rapidly advance their careers, boost their incomes, enjoy greater professional recognition, and overall, establish themselves in careers that are more professionally, financially, and personally rewarding.”

Once you have the answers to the six simple questions above, you have everything you need to create a similar elevator pitch for yourself. Do you see how I have taken my own answers to the questions and interspersed them throughout my pitch? I’ve clearly communicated who my target market is, have identified the problems and challenges that they face, have conveyed how my offering is not only unique but solves those problems, and I’ve described the key benefits that my offerings produce.

You can use this same model to develop your own elevator pitch. But remember; don’t go into too much detail. Your goal is simply to pique interest and make yourself memorable. Don’t spend too much time on the details of your qualifications. Just quickly highlight them and tie them back to how they benefit your target audience (current or future employer).

Once you have your pitch perfected, practice it, practice it, and practice it some more. Your goal is to have it sound completely natural. Rehearse in front of a mirror and be aware of your body language and eye contact, as these aspects of communication often speak even louder than words. Now, try your pitch out a few times and observe the response to the listener. Be open to the prospect of adapting and modifying as necessary to elicit the response you want to generate. And, of course, be flexible. If your listener interrupts with a question, be ready to pause and answer it.

Creating your elevator pitch may take some time and thought, but it is a wise career professional who invests in it! You will hear the “what do you do?” or “tell me about yourself?” questions over and over, both during your job search and throughout your entire career. Don’t wing it! Preparation is the key to confidence and the key to making a lasting, positive, and memorable first impression. The benefits to your career will be phenomenal. It is well worth the effort!

Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Do you want to use this article in Your ezine or website? You are welcome to as long as you use the following text with it:

Nationally certified resume writer and career marketing expert, Michelle Dumas http://www.linkedin.com/in/michelledumas is the founder and executive director of Distinctive Career Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents http://www.distinctiveweb.com and her $100k+ Executive VIP Services delivered through http://www.100kcareermarketing.com  Michelle has empowered thousands of executives, professionals, and managers all across the U.S. and worldwide. Michelle is also the author of the popular e-book 101 Before-and-After Resume Examples found at http://www.before-and-after-resumes.com and of Secrets of a Successful Job Search found at http://www.job-search-secrets.com

The Biggest Thing To Happen In Personal Branding In 10 Years

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Tom Peters’ thought provoking-article on Personal Branding published in Fast Company, leading Personal Branding Strategists—including many certified by Reach (a leading authority in Personal Branding worldwide) have planned the most exciting event ever on Personal Branding. Peters’ article launched “Brand You Thinking” as the new revolution in which professionals could manage their careers, and it has now become a mainstream concept ten years later.

The Global Telesummit will be held on November 8, 2007 in the form of a Teleconference (details of how to register to join the event are at www.personalbrandingsummit.com ). The Personal Branding Summit is expected to draw more than 100,000 professionals from throughout the world.

There is no charge for this event which comprises of 24 separate seminars, and the value of the content and the expertise of the speakers rivals any world class professional development conference.

Participants are being invited to make a contribution to the events social cause partner Kiva. Kiva provide microfinance loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries with the goal of eliminating social poverty. As the event is free to attend, the event organizers are hoping to raise US$100,000 for Kiva through donations.

With bestselling authors and personal branding experts as speakers and panelists, this unprecedented event is important for people who want to increase their career and business success and companies who are interested in attracting and retaining top talent.

Confirmed presenters include Jason Alba, William Arruda, Dick Bolles, Leigh Branham, Anita Bruzzese, Silvia Cambié, Krishna De, Tim Demello, Kirsten Dixson, Stewart Emery, Phil Gerbyshak, T. Scott Gross, Neville Hobson, Thebe Ikalafeng, John Jantsch, Catherine Kaputa, Guy Kawasaki, Andrea Kay, Liz Ryan, David Meerman Scott, Andy Sernovitz, Debbie Weil, Susan Whitcomb, Carol Wilson, and Martin Yate.

Globalization has changed the way we work, and this event is a testimony to the global, virtual project team. Chaired by Krishna De in Ireland, the planning team also has representatives from the United States, France, Italy, and Portugal. Personal brand strategists from all over the world are engaged in promoting the event in their local markets to increase the awareness of personal branding as the best strategy for accelerating success in business today.

Sponsors include Reach, Conference Calls Unlimited and Ziggs. Conference Calls Unlimited is also recording all the teleseminars that will be available free at www.personalbrandingsummit.com after the live event.

More information about the event and how to register can be found at www.personalbrandingsummit.com

Q&A: How Resumes Have Changed

Q. How are resumes different now than in the past?

A. There are actually many differences because styles and trends for resumes are changing all the time. However, I would say that the most fundamental difference has come about with the increasing importance of personal branding. While it is much more complex than this, at its essence, personal branding is about the authentic and unique promise of value you offer. In relation to your career, it is about the promise of value you offer that differentiates you from your peers and competitors in the workplace and job market. On your resume, this personal brand needs to be communicated in a way that will distinguish you from the vast pool of candidates. This demand--this need to communicate on your resume exactly what it is that differentiates you and sets you apart from the competition in the job market--has really transformed what used to be viewed as a simple chronological listing of employment into a dynamic and compelling self-marketing document. And, of course, it isn't enough to just tell the reader of your resume that you have certain abilities. You must illustrate these abilities and your value proposition through past accomplishments presented as concise "success studies" complete with challenge faced, action taken, immediate result, and strategic importance.

Personal Branding Magazine

Have you had a chance to read the inaugural edition of Personal Branding Magazine yet? http://personalbrandingmag.com/  If not, I really encourage you to!

The premier edition includes material that comes from a collection of 12 authors from across the globe (including myself).  It is in PDF form and is valued at $12.95 through internet distribution, with 100% of proceeds benefiting The American Cancer Society.  Take a look!

Top Tips For Incorporating Your Personal Brand In Your Job Search

When you think about your next career move, how would things be different for you if you were HUNTED rather than being the HUNTER? Personal branding (the process of clarifying and communicating what makes you and your unique value proposition different and special) allows you to make a name for yourself. It differentiates you from your peers and helps to position you as a leader in your field – as a specialist and an authority who knows how to do a job and fill a particular niche in the workplace better than anyone else.

Rather than finding yourself constantly pursuing jobs opportunities that never quite pan out, sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring, and having doors stay locked shut to you, imagine what a positive and secure feeling it would be to have employers and recruiters actually seek YOU out. With some time and effort put into identifying and communicating YOUR personal brand as it relates to your career, this is one of the key benefits you will enjoy.

If you are a professional engaged in a serious job search, it would be almost impossible to escape the issue of personal branding. Everyone is talking about it! And, for good reason. Personal branding can make an incredible positive impact on not only your current job search, but on the success and progression of your entire career. But, just because everyone is talking about it, doesn't mean that everyone is making use of the knowledge. Through personal branding, there is still an incredible opportunity for the forward-thinking professional to position themselves heads and shoulders above their peers and competitors in the job market.

Branded Resumes

Last week I attended the National Resume Writers' Association annual convention, held this year in Stamford, CT, just outside of NYC.

What an extraordinary convention! Of course, it is always a pleasure to network with my peers and colleagues in the resume writing/career coaching/employment industry. But, more than that, the workshops were extremely informative and relevant to the needs of my clients, and it was exciting to come back to the office today and start to think about how I will incorporate what I have learned into my practice.

Perhaps worth the entire convention admission fee was a three-hour workshop on personal branding (how to help job seekers to define and communicate their personal brand) and techniques for incorporating the personal brand into resumes, biographies, cover letters, and other career marketing documents. My job as a career marketing/resume specialist is to assist my clients in uncovering their real and enduring value in the workplace and then transform this value into a succinct and authentic personal brand statement that will differentiate my client as a solution provider with a unique value proposition.

Market-driven branded resumes help job seekers - regardless of their position or level - to stand apart from the competition. At all levels - entry to senior executive - branded resumes are a differentiator in today's job market, showing initiative, leadership, vision, and innovation while proving a team and company "culture" fit. Throughout the branded resume, the unique value proposition is supported and proved through interview-attracting stories that are built on results-backed accomplishments that are strategically selected for inclusion based on both the brand and the marketplace needs.

While identifying and communicating the unique selling points and value proposition of each client has always been an integral part of my career marketing practice, the process of helping clients identify their own personal brands, will help to provide even more clarity to the work I do and will add even more value and benefits around my services to clients!

Your value proposition - the key to getting interviews

In my business, before I develop and write a resume, I require my clients to complete a fairly comprehensive questionnaire. When these questionnaires are returned to me, I am frequently frustrated by incomplete answers...sometimes just a few sentences to describe five, ten, fifteen years of experience!

These clients assume that I have written hundreds of resumes for sales people, or accountants, or operations managers (or whatever profession) and so I must know what they do in their job.

In general they are correct. But, what they don't understand is that if I simply write a general job description based on my knowledge of various professions and industries, all I have done is define them as one of a million, no different than all of their competitors in the job market. What I really need to do - to create a powerful, interview-generating resume - is define them as one in a million, distinguished from all of their competitors in the job market by a unique value proposition based on their personal and distrinctive talents, skills, and abilities.

We are all unique. To truly stand out in the job market, you must take the time and energy to understand what truly sets you apart and makes you stand out from the crowd. What can you offer your next employer that is distinctive? Why are you best suited to understand and meet the needs and challenges of your next employer? What problems can you solve for them and what results can they expect from you? Hiring you is an investment. As a candidate in the job market, you need to persuasively and convincingly explain why you will deliver a better return than another candidate on that employer's investment in you.

A resume that simply describes how you are similar to all the other people who do the same type of work that you do, simply won't cut it. By reflecting on and answering the above questions, you are well on your way to identifying and articulating your unique value proposition. To be effective and generate the results you want, your resume must be centered on this value proposition and your job descriptions should be worded to demonstrate  how you have produced value and benefits for your past employers. By creating your resume based on your unique value proposition, you prove in concrete terms your ability to produce a solid return on the employer's investment in hiring you. This is the key to standing out in the job market!