So What is Personal Branding Anyway?!

27Jan by The Scribe

Today we are focused on the concept of a personal brand.  The best and most simplistic definition I think I’ve ever heard is, “a personal brand tells the world about you.”  It is indeed who you are, what you are about, and how you handle yourself but it’s also; what you’re interested in, who and what you are connected to, what you’re involved and associated with, what and how much you share, how you present yourself and all that information.  Not only do you have to be conscious of all that stuff, but I haven’t even mentioned the two most imporant things to consider.
When dealing with your brand you’ve got to recognize that; One, your personal brand influences how everyone perceives you.  And two, when I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE.  The world is a much smaller and more connected place than it’s ever been.  If you’re reading this, and actively using social media, someone can find out about you if they really want to look hard enough.  It’s really not a bad thing as long as you manage your personal brand and portray the you, you want them to see.

More than 750 million people actively use

Facebook.  I’m pretty sure not everyone on there is aware that, whether they are trying to or not, they are actively promoting their brand.  That’s Bad News for them, because a simple lack of awareness can make their brand feel some major ramifications.  But, that’s what I’m here for, and that’s a whole other blog post!

So, we finally know what a personal brand is!  We know that it is very important to build it and properly manage it.  We know that it can be leveraged to give you a competitive advantage, and that it can assist you in your career development.  We also know that CareerScribe is the perfect anchor and a great stepping stone to get you started in the right direction.  So, stay tuned and let’s keep building our brands together!

It's Your Story. Own It.

 

 

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Job Hopper vs. Free Agency

23Jan by The Scribe

I used to be considered a “Job Hopper”. Within the first 10 years of my career after graduating from college, I held 7 different positions with 6 different companies in 5 different industries. When I was asked… “Jeff, aren’t you concerned that employers will think you’re a job hopper, not stable, etc.”, my response was always… when they stop asking me to interview, and making me offers for career advancing opportunities, I’ll stay where I’m at until they do start asking. I wasn’t that smart earlier in my career to understand, let alone explain, what I was really thinking… basically, I have a product (my career)… and I should be marketing myself all the time. Not because I NEED to find another job, but because I have something of value (my career)… that others (employers), are likely trying to find. How do I possibly know the value of my product if I’m not continually measuring what people think of it? If I
manufactured a product…. that no one knew about, and only brought it to market every 3-5 years for a limited time, do you think I have any idea what that product is really worth, or that I’m getting full value for it? Of course not! As an alternative…. if I marketed the heck out of a product that everyone realizes they can’t live without, but can’t have it because it’s not available (I love my current job), what do you think they will pay for it when it does become available?

Hopefully, this is simple way of understanding that we have entered a Free Agency Employment Market.
To make it even a little more scary… a GLOBAL Free Agency Employment Market. If you’re not starting to think about better ways to “market the heck” out of your product (your career), your product is not going to have the value it deserves. Social media and the internet have provided incredible ways for individuals to promote themselves. With tools like CareerScribe, you can tell a more complete
professional story about the product that others (employers) can see they can’t live without. By leveraging “promotional” sites liked Facebook and LinkedIn, you can market the heck out of your product, and measure who’s looking… at what, how long, etc.

I wish I had better news for many of you that are waiting for things to return back to the days when it seemed so much easier… go to school, get offered a job, trust my employer to care about my career, and only change jobs a few times. Sorry… those days are gone, and if you think it’s going to get easier, it’s going to get more complicated. Technology is advancing steadily… actually exponentially, and your competition is becoming global. Don’t despair… more and more tools like CareerScribe will be coming to make this task easier and easier. Your personal professional assistant…. your career Siri is only years away, but start now!

Good luck Job Hoppers!

Jeff Bockelman

It's Your Story. Own It.

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Career Myth – A Resume is Enough

18Jan by The Scribe

It’s killing me!… If I see one more article/ad about helping individuals create a better resume, I’m going to die.

It’s true that resumes will continue to be a necessary part of the career planning process for some time in the future, but its value has been diminishing exponentially for the past 10 years with the convergence of web based technologies that allow someone to get greater insight into the story of who you are.

The concept of personal branding, or profile sharing, is beginning to rule the day. Personal branding is about identifying, promoting and measuring the stories and artifacts that support what you want people to know about you professionally. A resume is only a fraction of that story, and can’t possibly add the necessary color and proof of your accomplishments that will make you stand out amongst your competition.

Let’s face it…. that is what it’s all about after all, right? How do I beat my competition to the job? No… it’s about how do I beat them to be considered! If you think a one or two page document in a stack of hundreds gives you an edge… no matter how good of a writer you are, you’re already in trouble. How many top product marketing pieces do you see that are only words? So why would you market your career product that way?

Instead of leading with a resume and cover letter, consider tools like CareerScribe…. a career support solution that allows you to create a digital dossier which can be shared securely in this age of employment free agency.

 

It's Your Story. Own It.

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Use Personal Branding to Gain a Competitive Advantage

16Jan by The Scribe

So who out there has heard of personal branding?  Maybe the better question should be, who has heard of personal branding but has no clue what it means?’

I’ve found in my experience that everyone wants to get a leg up on their competition, no matter what they are competiting with them for.  It is just in our nature as a society.  That’s why sports are so huge, we are squarely focused on being the best at what we do.  So, whether it’s a person, team or company at some point they are going to want to gain some sort of competitive advantage.

Here’s what baffles me.  Companies KNOW how important branding is, why don’t individuals? With all the tools at hand; CareerScribe, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, why isn’t everyone building their own personal brand everyday?  Sometimes I wonder why people talk about how silly social media is.  Yes, I agree it’s silly if you use it like your average everyday user.  But what most people don’t know is that you can use social media for a PURPOSE!

Change perception!  Don’t think of social media as an opportunity to tell everyone that you’re out walking the dog or having Taco Bell for lunch, use it as a tool to build your brand.  Who are you, what are you about and how do you handle yourself?  Isn’t that what consumers want to know about the brands they purchase?  Why not create a brand out of the most valuable thing you’ll ever have………YOURSELF?!

So how do I create said brand you ask?  Here’s a great way to start!  Sign up for your CareerScribe account TODAY and stay tuned to the blog for more tips on how to use social media to build that brand!

Stick with me, and we’ll gain that competitive advantage together!

It's Your Story. Own It.

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How CareerScribe Makes Your Personal Brand Better

10Jan by The Scribe

CareerScribe is BY FAR the best thing I’ve found to use as the foundation of your personal brand.  Mind you, there is MUCH more to CareerScribe than just the ability to brand yourself.  It is an incredilbe tool for career development, career management, career goal setting and much, much more.  But as a marketer my mind is always wrapped around ways to market, and CareerScribe is a vital asset for your personal brand.

It allows you to store, document and track all of your greatest work and accomplishments, in one user-friendly location.  What this means is that you can quickly and easily record and share who you are, what you’re about and how you handle yourself.  It is easy for others to view, and it looks really good when you present it!

What does that do for your brand?  It gives it the right kind of exposure, and more importantly, it gives you the right kind of FIRST IMPRESSION.  Let’s face it, with technology the world is a smaller, faster and more connected place.  We’ve got to be very careful about how we represent ourselves and how we position ourselves.  You never know who’s looking, and CareerScribe gives you the tool you need to make sure that when they look….they like what they see!

Sign up today and give YOUR brand a MAJOR leg up!

 

It's Your Story. Own It.

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Be Your Own Chief Executive Officer

6Jan by The Scribe

Over 12 years ago, Peter Drucker, one of the best-known and most widely influential thinkers and writers on the subject of management theory and practice of the twentieth century, is quoted in an article entitled Managing Oneself as saying that “Companies today aren’t managing their knowledge workers’ careers.  Rather, we must each be our own chief executive officer.   [To do well], you’ll need to cultivate a deep understanding of yourself.  Only when you operate from a combination of your strengths and self-knowledge can you achieve true – and lasting – excellence.” Never is this truer than it is today, as we continue to navigate significant, and permanent changes involving workforce solutions.

CareerScribe is a perpetual career support system that contains a broad array of tools and services that enable you to thoughtfully develop, manage and promote your career, as well as a helping to develop an overall sense of responsibility for your own career development. At the foundation of the CareerScribe system are three core functions: 1) capture, store, develop, present, share, and report on career related information; 2) get people interacting with each other more frequently and on a deeper, more impactful, level in order to support the career planning process; and 3) matching people with service/product providers that can help you grow as professionals so you can achieve your goals and reach your career potential.

Virtually all economic activity is in some form of transition into the Digital Age and this includes the world of employment. The old certainties of work and career no longer apply. Swings in unemployment are commonplace, and job tenure for those that are employed is compressing. All of this human resource activity in the Digital Age has led to an advent of job boards and networking tools that have expanded the traditional search functions for job seekers. But professionals–in particular, “Knowledge Workers”–in the marketplace today, those gainfully employed and those that aren’t, are seeking more…and they need more. They are no longer satisfied to be merely being on a company’s payroll. You need to proactively manage your career in a meaningful and compelling way.

 

It's Your Story. Own It.

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What in the World is the Point of Facebook?

4Jan by The Scribe

“What in the world is the point of Facebook?!”  I hear so many people say this and it just drives me crazy.  It amazes me how people often don’t see what’s right in front of them.  I know Facebook says they are creating a “more connected world,” but I say Facebook is creating a more marketable me!  It is a very powerful branding tool that gives us a platform to really set ourselves apart, IF we use it the right way.

The IF in that sentence is key.  Facebook can do amazing things for your personal brand, but it can also damage it just as quickly.  I recently read this article about recruiters using Facebook to look more deeply in to the candidates they are sifting through.  People are looking at us everyday!  They are looking at who we are, what we’re up to, our pictures, our friends…..they are researching and who’s to blame them.

So what can you do to make sure you are displaying the you, you want them to see?  For starters, think of Facebook as more than a social network.  Think of it as a way to turn yourself in to a brand, not just a profile.  It is a way for you to show off the you that you want people to see.  Here are three easy tips to start building your personal brand and differentiate yourself with Facebook.

#1 Be Careful
Like I said, people are looking so pay attention to what you’re showing them.  Pictures, posts, things you like, all reflect on you.  So make sure that those things are what you want people to see.  This is a quick way to build your brand and show what you’re about, but if you’re not careful it can damage that brand just as quickly.

#2 Be Creative
There are some really cool things you can do with your Facebook profile.  One of my favorites is using your profile pic as a tool to market yourself.  You can make it bigger, show more stuff and do some really cool tricks.  Check out how these people used their PhotoStream to do some really cool stuff!  Get creative and it will really catch people’s attention.

#3 Be Active
Don’t let your profile sit stale.  Make sure you are actively contributing to the social aspect of Facebook.  Join conversations, post links, generate interest, but make sure that you are doing it in the right context.  Don’t forget, people are watching and reading, so make sure that you are sharing in a brand conscious way.

There is so much stuff that Facebook can be used for.  It’s a perfect marketing and branding tool for both personal and business use.  It is a powerful tool and the great thing is that over 700 million other people think so too.  That gives you the potential to have a huge market to share yourself with!  So sign up or sign in to Facebook and start branding yourself TODAY!

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The Facts are the Facts

3Jan by The Scribe

Disclosing specifics about education and employment dates has been a very popular discussion point for years, and unfortunately… there isn’t one way of handling it, that everyone agrees with. At CareerScribe, our approach is based on years of employment industry experience, and what “really” goes on, not what you would philosophically hope takes place.

The reality is that I want, and need to know, that your education was 30 years ago if I’m an employer. By not disclosing that to me, you’re forcing me to spend more time and effort trying to find the information if it’s important to me. If you don’t want to be transparent and forthright with me as a candidate, then I have to question what else aren’t you telling me, with hopes that you’ll trick me into talking with you.

Ultimately, you could be wasting everyone’s time, especially your own, if I truly have a problem with that fact as an employer. In the end, you’ll end up getting some other excuse… such as, not enough experience, not the right experience, someone else more qualified, etc, which in fact isn’t the real reason. Candidly… if you don’t show me, I assume it was 30 years ago anyway… maybe more, so you might as well disclose it.

We feel everyone should be completely transparent with relevant facts such as employment, education, certifications, dates, salary, etc., and then market/promote your story to show accomplishments, progression, initiative, passion, continuous learning and education through use of actual proof ( documents, pictures, videos, etc.) as much as possible. In today’s age where information is more readily available via the internet, this is the story that employers want to see… portraying honesty, genuineness, transparency, trust, enthusiasm and all the things I just mentioned.

Don’t make me hunt for facts. The facts are the facts, but filling in the story around those facts is the art form that gets people hired. If someone has problems with the facts… better to get that out of the way quickly. I have never seen anyone EVER get hired if there is a problem with the facts of dates, etc. It just a question of how much time do you want to spend in interviews that likely should have never happened.

Interviewing for practice isn’t a bad idea… but quantity over quality as a strategy to ensure finding a job is generally a waste of time, but I might support quantity over quality if you don’t feel you have a compelling “story” to tell.

It's Your Story. Own It.

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Does a line between our personal lives and business lives still exist?

21Dec by The Scribe

Today I’d like to discuss how the Internet and technology is shaping our society.  I read this post on the Marketing Technology Blog the recently, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

CISCO conducted a study to determine how important the Internet and technology is to college students and young professionals. The results showed that this demographic considers the Internet and technology a vital part of their daily lives, with some respondents saying it is just as vital as food and water.
This study also found that, “7 in 10 young professionals ‘friend’ managers and coworkers on Facebook.” Facebook Friends Isn’t this an interesting phenomenon? Throughout history we have all been told that there is a very distinct line between our personal lives and our work lives, but is that still true today?  Technology is very clearly reshaping how we interact socially in our personal lives, which in turn is reshaping how we interact in business, which in turn is clearly creating a very blurry line between the two.    

I am Facebook friends with just about everyone I have ever worked with.  Consequently, I know more about the people I work with than I ever have before, and you probably do too.  I know what these people were up to last weekend, what they will be up to next weekend, what their favorite restaurants are, where they like to shop, their favorite music and strangely enough I have never once asked any of them for this information.  Is this a good thing?  Should barriers be put back in place?

Co Workers/FriendsMy generation (20 somethings) is relationship driven.  We have grown up in the social age, watching the world get smaller and more connected.  We are conditioned to relate to everything we encounter; friends, family, coworkers, companies, brands, everything, and think about the generations younger than me, they have never known it any other way.

So, as we prepare for the workforce of the future how do we approach it? With the advent of technology, and the surge of social media, is it possible that there is no longer a line between our personal lives and our work lives?  Will it just become commonplace for everyone we work with to know exactly who we are and what we have been up to?  Will work really be work anymore, or will it be a place where “friends” go and do work together?
And maybe the best question of all, is any of this really all that far-fetched?

It's Your Story. Own It.

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The Rules are Often Just Opinions

3Nov by Jeff Bockelman

In a recent discussion with a CareerScribe member, we were discussing the many rules and opinions that exist in the employment world. The individual seemed uneasy discussing some of the finer points that can absolutely be more sensitive to many people… age, gender, race, etc.

I think these are great conversations to have. It’s hard to make a good decision if you don’t have all sides of the discussion. I find that the right answer is usually somewhere in the middle, but the right answer is ALWAYS the one you make…not what someone else thinks. I know that’s a bit cliché, but there are too many opinions out there, and very few true “rules” in career management (if you ask me).

The variables/tools have changed significantly in the past 5-7 years, forcing everyone to rethink how I market my career asset.  If you’re not rethinking… you’ll be relying on luck, while you will slip further behind your competition (who are utilizing their resources better). Unfortunately, no one in the labor market now was taught the skills and habits associated with career management, which makes it as tough as dieting and exercising. We were taught job search management at best (resumes, interviews, etc).

The variables/tools have changed significantly in the past 5-7 years, forcing everyone to rethink how I market my career asset.  If you’re not rethinking… you’ll be relying on luck, while you will slip further behind your competition (who are utilizing their resources better). Unfortunately, no one in the labor market now was taught the skills and habits associated with career management, which makes it as tough as dieting and exercising. We were taught job search management at best (resumes, interviews, etc).

Universities and colleges are now beginning to teach career management and self-marketing, and you’ll see much more of this in the next 10 years. Younger professionals will have a distinct advantage because of their education, habits/skills using web based social tools, and the freedom with which they are willing to offer up information about themselves. A double edged sword, but hiring managers like more information, not less… no matter what the HR professional might say.  At least that’s been my experience with being directly involved with the placement of hundreds of professionals ranging from $35k-$250k/year. What is actually discussed behind closed doors in the recruitment process might surprise you….   hopefully not.

But that’s just my opinion…

Start using better resources today…

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