Archives for Branding You

Whoever said the more things change, the more they stay the same wouldn’t have a successful job search in 2008. Of course, some old ideas still work pretty well: Nepotism still beats struggling. Fraternities still spawn lifelong business partnerships.  

Pounding the pavement - well, maybe that idea should be retired, too. Fortunately, there are productive new career management strategies that can re-energize your job search and redefine your personal branding.

Old Idea: Graduate school
Fresh Concept: Immersion

A graduate degree still takes you farther in many ways than the school of hard knocks. Studies show wages are consistently higher for highly educated workers. But what savvy employers value now is immersion - they want you to start out as an expert and have skills they can’t find elsewhere, except perhaps at a higher price.

That’s why your resume or C.V. should reek of immersion, that is, your dedication to the law, to biotech, or journalism. Whatever it is, you should be doing it already before you even apply for a job. It could be an internship, a blog you write, an organization you volunteer for, or something else that shows your absolute dedication to this field.

Old Idea:  Social Networking
Fresh Concept: Career Networking

In the past, if you wanted to assume power in this country, you wanted to belong to honors societies or be asked to join secret ones at Yale. That may still hold true 1,000 years from now. There’s no cyber-equivalent of the Skull & Crossbones club. Joining a Rotary Club or a Temple may be good for your quest to build a doctor’s practice in the suburbs, but that’s not the way to get ahead now.

Career networking is building & maintaining a regional, national or global network of contacts on a social media site such as Linked-In, Xing or Friendster and then sticking with it particularly as you work your way up the career ladder. It’s an unbeatable way to stay in touch with college friends, professors, co-workers, or to meet people who share mutual interests in areas of career development or interest to you. Within a few years logic suggests that you will have one profile that shows up on multiple social media sites.

Old Idea: Ingenuity
Fresh Concept: Teaming Skills

Ingenuity never goes out of fashion, but when it is paired with maverick behavior that becomes a turn-off many risk-averse employers. If desperate, you could try a stunt such as impersonating a Stanford graduate student, but on the whole I would suggest going to a good college and taking an internship in China, India or France. What savvy employers look for today is someone who works well on teams, yet isn’t sycophantic or dull at problem solving. Knowing how to successfully collaborate with co-workers, customers or suppliers located in other time zones, countries or cultures is highly appealing to savvy employers. James Surowiecki’s 2004 book The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations may sport the world’s longest subtitle, but it is an idea that appeals to IP-intensive companies. The argument he presents is that “chasing the expert is a mistake, and a costly one at that.” I wouldn’t take that idea too literally; it’s still a winning idea to be an expert, just be the one who can excel in groups too.

The bottom line is you don’t need to lose any of the old ideas, just help usher in the new.  Let us know examples of new strategies that are working well for you.