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Posted: Wednesday, January 06, 2010 - 9:15:14 AM by Chris Bilotta The Job Seeker’s Resolution It is customary as we end one year and head into the next to make a set of New Year’s resolutions. That is the easy part. The hard part is to keep or maintain them as January 1 fades and we are caught up in the daily grind.
2009 represented a watershed year for job seekers as unemployment rose to over 10%. Entering this new decade, we remain optimistic that things will turnaround, the economy will improve and companies will begin hiring. However, wishful thinking is not the answer to finding your next opportunity. Rather, it will take the resolve to stick with your plan and the persistent execution of each tactic.
In the spirit of the New Year, here is one word that job seekers should resolve to implement.
P – Personal Brand
Be certain that you have defined your uniqueness and value proposition and that you are consistently communicating your brand.
R-– Résumé
Review your résumé, cover letters and other marketing correspondence to make sure that the message is compelling.
O – Online Identity
Google your name and review the results to see whether your digital persona matches your brand; make sure that your online profiles are professional and consistent.
A – Accelerate
There is no time like the present. Do not wait. If you can do something today to move your search forward, do it.
C – Connect
Keep expanding your network, both in person and online. Be a contributor. Look to help others where you can.
T – Time
Allocate your time to the activities that will provide the highest return. Focus your energies on networking and direct marketing and do not rely solely on job boards.
 Posted: Friday, December 11, 2009 - 2:28:06 PM by Chris Bilotta Conducting a LEAN Job Search No doubt, you have heard the terms “lean manufacturing” and “5S” used to describe a set of tools and principles that help companies increase productivity and efficiency, reduce waste and streamline operations.
Over the years, many of these tools have also been adapted by non-manufacturing companies because of their common sense applicability. In fact, the term “lean office” has grown in popularity as service and distribution companies, and even non-profits look to make dramatic changes to the way they do business.
After attending a recent workshop on Lean Transformation, it got me to thinking that many of the same concepts can be adapted by today’s job seeker to help make them more effective and productive, especially in the areas of allocating time and reducing waste.
Now that the holidays are upon us and we are winding down 2009, it is an opportune time to evaluate where you are in your search, what’s working and what isn’t. But most importantly, you need to take a critical look at your process.
Borrowing from the 5S framework, you should consider these points:
- Sorting - go through all your marketing materials (résumés, cover letters, etc) and make sure they are the right tools; everything else should be discarded.
- Set In Order – allocate your time on the tasks (networking, direct mail, job boards) that will produce the greatest return.
- Systemic Cleaning – constantly review your progress and solicit feedback to determine what needs to be changed.
- Standardizing – develop a repeatable process and discipline, create a plan and then follow it diligently.
- Sustaining – as you make changes regarding the previous 4S’s, it’s important to maintain focus on the new way you are conducting your search and not fall back on old habits, stay positive.
Conducting a job search that will produce the desired result is based on preparation, process and attitude. These same attributes can be found in companies that have successfully implemented lean and are experiencing dramatic results.
Given these economic times and the amount of competition fighting for each position, if you want to land the job you desire, you need to go LEAN!
Posted: Monday, November 16, 2009 - 3:19:42 PM by Chris Bilotta Branding Your Résumé Your résumé will get a 15-30 second look from a hiring manager, if you are lucky. Given that small of a window, it all comes down to what the top one-third of the document has to say. For maximum impact, a well-written, key word rich personal branding summary is the most effective way to market yourself.
It’s as much about style as it is content. You first have to direct the reader to where you want them to go and then provide a concise, hard-hitting description of who you are, what you can do and how that will add value for a perspective employer.
Objectives are passé. A company doesn’t care what you want or what your goals are. They do care about what you can do for them. What problem can you solve? How can you increase sales? What can you do for their bottom line?
Your opening should clearly answer those questions. It should articulate your personal brand, your unique difference and the value you offer. Whether you present a short list of major accomplishments or demonstrated areas of expertise or a combination of both, the important thing to remember is you have to get to bat before you can hit.
Your résumé should be geared to give you that chance. That is its’ sole purpose. You have to leverage your brand and your résumé is just one more way to do it. While self-marketing is difficult even for professional marketers, you have to adopt that mindset. Put yourself in the hiring manager’s place. What will make them call you? Whatever it is - make it compelling, make it interesting, make them want more!
Posted: Monday, October 26, 2009 - 2:12:53 PM by Chris Bilotta Time for A Promotion Before the advent of Web 2.0 and the widespread use of social networking, to have your own personal website was probably viewed as narcissistic or the ultimate form of self-promotion.
But sites like LinkedIn and Facebook have served to change that thinking. With LinkedIn recently passing 50 million users and over 200 million users on Facebook spending 3 billion minutes per day, these platforms are becoming the standard form of communicating and sharing information, both professional and personal, even surpassing e-mail.
Because of this phenomenon, we are on the doorstep of the next evolutionary phase in Web 2.0 – creating your own personal website. If you believe in the concept of personal branding and the notion that you are CEO of BRAND YOU, then having your own, distinct personalized website to serve as your brand central makes cents (use intended).
It is accepted wisdom, that you must have a website if you are a business (Fortune 100 or sole proprietor) to establish credibility, allow prospective customers to find you and to communicate your brand, expertise, and value to your target audience.
As an individual, in charge of managing your own career, why should it be any different? The fact is, it’s not. You probably have a profile on LinkedIn and/or Facebook, but that should just be the first step in establishing your online identity. For as good as these social networking sites are, they are still third party platforms, where one size fits all using a standard template and you are just part of the crowd.
In today’s environment, it’s about standing out, being unique and separating yourself from the competition. What better way to do it, than having your own personal website with a unique domain name that truly communicates your brand and is yours and yours alone.
The trends are there. The time is now. Better to get out in front of the bandwagon rather than jumping on after its already down the street.
Posted: Thursday, October 22, 2009 - 8:48:25 AM by Chris Bilotta How Leaders Earn Brand Loyalty We all have a personal brand whether we like it or not. Simply by being ourselves in the workplace, others perceive, think, and feel about us in a certain way. The question is whether we have created the personal brand we want. This is especially important for those who hold leadership positions. If you lead others, the way they perceive, think, and feel about you as a leader, in relation to other leaders, can make or break your short-term and long-term success.
Brenda Bence (www.brendabence.com), a certified executive coach, branding expert and author suggests five behaviors that can damage a leader’s personal brand.
- Not taking risks or accepting tough challenges.
When you reach a leadership position in any organization, it can be much too easy to rest on your laurels. If you have a lot of experience, you might become inclined to stick with what you know has worked in the past rather than try something new. We all need challenges. As a leader, it's your job to find them and lead your team through them.
- Not speaking up when you disagree with top management.
Even leaders have a difficult time speaking up to superiors. It's natural to worry about the reactions of top management when you disagree with their decisions, but it also hurts your leadership personal brand to hold back and keep your opinions to yourself. Most leaders are expected to offer ideas about how to solve problems or improve operations. You will be respected for making your views known.
- Worrying about being liked, not respected.
A good leader is liked and respected. It's a difficult balance, but it's an important one. If you worry too much about being liked, you probably aren't making enough tough decisions to lead others effectively. If, on the other hand, you worry too much about being respected and don't care about being liked, chances are you won't be able to garner the support you need from your team to succeed.. The best leadership personal brand is one that straddles these two poles.
- Fearing feedback, both giving and receiving.
Many leaders stop moving up the ladder either because they aren't good at coaching others or they've stopped being coachable themselves. The best leaders are good at coaching their teams and at accepting regular feedback, no matter how high up in the organization they are.
- Using destructive language on the job.
Too many leaders fail to pay attention to the way they speak. Destructive language—even if it's intended as being funny—has an effect on everyone, including yourself. Take notice how you speak, and if talking negatively is a habit you've developed, start to break it. Figure out how to turn negatives into positives—it will make a world of difference.
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