With Personal Branding, There is NO Bare Minimum - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

With Personal Branding, There is NO Bare Minimum - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career A question I occasionally hear from people who are just getting started with personal branding is, what is the bare minimum I should do online? As my friend Doug Karr says, thats like being given the keys to a high-performance race car and asking whats the slowest you can drive. The better question to ask is what is the fastest I can go?' Bottom line When it comes to personal branding, there is no bare minimum. Youre trying to grow your personal brand, to become famous or at least a recognized expert. Why would you want to throttle your efforts by thinking in terms of a bare minimum. Several years ago, motivational speaker Zig Ziglar would often speak of foundational performance. That was the starting point for the bare minimum thinkers, not the end. For example, if you had to make a bare minimum of 12 phone calls a day for your job, the bare minimum thinkers would do 12 a day and call it quits. But for foundational performance thinkers, 12 was just your starting point, 15 was better, and 20 was awesome. Think performance We need to think of our personal branding efforts in the same way. Dont assign a bare minimum value to what youre doing, whether its the number of tweets you can send, the number of blog posts you should write, or the minimum number of LinkedIn connections you can make. After all, this is your career, your business, and your personal reputation youre talking about. Youre not willing to work for a bare minimum salary, live in bare minimum housing, or eat bare minimum food. And if you are currently doing that, youre not willing to stay at that point in your life, are you? Instead, look at where you want to be, determine the steps and length of time you need to take to get there, and then work to achieve that. Set realistic goals, and then see where you can exceed those goals. If you know you need to grow your Twitter network to 3,000 followers but you capped at 1,000 because that was all you could handle, then grow it and figure out how to handle all of those new followers. If youve only been tweeting five times a day because someone said that was enough, increase it to 10. If youre blogging once a week, challenge yourself and do it every day for a month. Goals and vision Your goals are important and ones you need to meet. If youre hitting the target every time you aim, youre too close to the target and your goals are too low. If youre hitting your personal branding goals, then youre not setting challenging goals, and youre focusing on bare minimum thinking. Remember, youre competing with everyone else who is trying to build their personal brand too. Theyre going for the same job you are, competing for the same clients you are, and fighting to win that top-of-mind spot you are. Someone is going to win it, and I can guarantee it will not be the person who does the bare minimum. If it is, its not something that was worth having to begin with. Author: Erik Deckers is the co-owner and VP of Creative Services for Professional Blog Service in Indianapolis. He has been blogging since 1997, has been a published writer for more than 24 years, and a newspaper humor columnist for 17 years. Erik co-authored Branding Yourself: Using Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself (Pearson, 2010) and also helped write Twitter Marketing for Dummies.

Do Your Updates Define or Refine Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Do Your Updates Define or Refine Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I’m enjoying the book Socialnomics by Erik Qualman.   It focuses on how social media transforms the way we live and do business.   And, I agree.   Social media is just another form of communication and those formats are ever changing as we see with the extinction of the pay phone. One particular excerpt I enjoyed was the topic of “Assessing You Life Every Minute”.     Addressing that age-old question of “What am I doing with my life’, Qualman quotes Bill Tily, from a personal interview. Tily at the age of 83 shares, I actually made a habit of physically printing out my social media updates from the previous month and going through them one by one and highlighting updates that were necessarily contributing to a “full” life.   Over time, I reduced the amount of “waste” and actually became so cognizant of it during the actually act of updating my stats that I’d recognized in that specific moment in time what I would deem an “unfruitful activity” and cease engaging in it immediately.   I wish these social media tools were around a long time ago!” How many of us have ever printed out our updates in Facebook , Twitter or LinkedIn; or our blog posts and comments we’ve made regarding blog posts? Would our communication be something that we would be ‘proud’ of? Take the challenge and look at just this last week’s updates and leave feedback in the comment section below on how you fared. A recent survey by Hubpages, found that people find that 84% of status updates are negative. Define Use your updates to DEFINE your brand and share what makes you unique. Focus on those things and look that every Facebook status update, every Twitter tweet, every linked in news update â€" does each one support the definition of who you are?     Do they exude your brand attributes or excrete something different? Refine Next, REFINE your updates. No doubt there will be negative stuff that happens in our lives.   The key question to ask before you post about these events (and it’s actually the same question to ask yourself in real life â€" even if it has nothing to do with posting to anywhere), is this:   What can I learn from what I’m experiencing? Now, share what you’ve learned in your update. This will refine your communication to be genuine and yet more valuable because there’s a problem and solution (or solution mindset) that you are communicating.   That will refine your communication to being on brand and ultimately make your updates and brand attributes more visible and viral as people “like” your update or retweet it. Do let me know in the comments section below how you do on reviewing your last week’s updates! Author: Maria Elena Duron | chief engagement officer is co-founder of #brandchat, a weekly conversation on Twitter. Join us weekly as we discuss all aspects of branding.

2009 Personal Branding Predictions - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

2009 Personal Branding Predictions - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career [youtube=http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=2x9HgdA1V-4] Im very surprised that no one has posted about their predictions for 2009 yet. Ive seen a lot of best of 2008 posts, but no predictions! One can only assume that you will see a flurry of posts in the next couple of weeks, as thought leaders are trying to make predictions for next year. 2008 was a great year and we started to see some of my predictions from 2007 come true. The economy forces people into personal branding In 2009, personal branding will be a commonly used vocabulary word. It will also become the cure for the economic poison that is plaguing our world. As of right now, there are three times more job seekers than available jobs! By mid next year, there will be over 3 million layoffs and growing. The fewer jobs there are, the more competition there is for those jobs. This forces people to work much harder to claim these few openings. When thousands of resumes are tossed in a recruiters face, they may all end up in the trash. How do you end up in a pile that they read? How do you differentiate yourself? The answer, as Ive stated in this blog many times, is personal branding. Turning to proven tools and methodologies is a great way to get yourself on the right career track and turn your passion into money, even in a poor economy. Personal brand management becomes easier One of the biggest challenges with building a personal brand, in bits and bytes, is managing it over your lifetime. First impressions are near random on the web, so its hard to know how someone if first meeting you. This means your brand must be consistent and accurately portray you throughout the web. This month, we have seen some major players come out with applications that enable this consistency, such as MySpace Data Availability, Facebook Connect and Google Friend Connect. Any website in the world can leverage these applications and users are able to connect their existence on these networks to the site easily. In essence, instead of joining smaller networks, you are able to use your information from the big boys to comment on blogs, etc. Facebooks application is the most compelling because you share your activities with your Facebook network, which is extremely good for building traffic and word-of-mouth. Personal branding in the classroom Over the past few months, Ive heard from a lot of college teachers and career advisers that they are starting to enhance their business course offerings with social media classes. Within their curriculum, there are segment on personal branding using social media tools. Weve certainly come a long way academically, and its only the beginning. I see more schools adopting these methodologies because they are cheap (colleges dont have big budgets). Aside from helping students with their careers, they are building community within their classrooms, which is especially good for students who express themselves through online means. Growth and elimination of social networks There is going to be 28% less social network ad spending next year, which means that many social networks will be closing up shop. Venture capitalists and angel investors will become extremely selective, leaving the majority of the dinero with the largest networks, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace. On the upside, its apparent that each of these networks is experiencing growth still. Facebook now has 130 million users, 230,000 users sign-up each day at MySpace (I think they have over 200 million users now), and LinkedIn has over 30 million users. The economy has drove a few million people to sign-up for LinkedIn because employers are searching there. These networks will continue to grow and evolve, while smaller ones will be eliminated due to funding, entrepreneurs whove given up and by not having a business model. Brand name craze I can see a lot more people hopping on the brandwagon by purchasing their domain name. I think the majority will just purchase theirname.com and forget about .net and .org. Other people that share your name may pickup the pieces. I think lawyers might be getting involved at some point because of identity theft and shared name confusion. For instance, if youre a company and your competitor takes your Twitter name, what do you do? Just like there are domain name collectors out there, that buy low and sell high, there will be ones with social networks. The difference is that it costs you nothing to purchase social network names, while their is a barrier with the $7 domain name price if you scale up. Journalism: brands matter, paper doesnt PC Magazine was one of the first major magazines to cut their print edition, sticking with just an online version. Due to the economy and the fact that media has been dispersed by the growth of citizen journalism, more magazines will drop out of print next year. Advertisers will be cutting back substantially and journalists will continue getting laid off. I think theres a major opportunity for journalists to start their own blog now, before its too late. The big brands will keep afloat for now because of their reputation for good quality news reporting. My big plans for next year My efforts in the personal branding arena in the past were a preview of whats to come next year, when I step on the gas. I have my first book coming out called Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success, which is a complete game changer. It will help people of all ages, especially college students, discover their own brand and use it to create the job of their dreams, without even applying for it. I want to create a legion of career commanders, who wake up everyday confidently and with pride, as they journey into bettering the world. Aside from the book, issue 7 of Personal Branding Magazine will be out on February 1st. A free sample version of issue 6 is available right now. Ill also be launching a new blog in January, which will have the same brand name Personal Branding Blog, but it will be hosted on PersonalBrandingBlog.com instead of this wordpress.com address. I dont want to spoil anything, but Im doing it to open the blog up to more contributors and to make money to fund everything else Im doing. Theres a lot more to come next year, so stay tuned!

Interview Series - Career Experts - Gia Ganesh CareerMetis.com

Interview Series - Career Experts - Gia Ganeshâ€" CareerMetis.com In this interview series, we caught up with Gia Ganeshwho shares her expertise and insights about job search, career change, etc. in today’s marketplace.Tell us a little bit about your companyevalGia Ganesh Solutions is focused on helping professionals take their career and/or side hustle to the next level.How did you get started in this path?When I worked at a corporate firm, we had executive coaches for the senior folks in the company. But in working with tons of middle tier professionals, I realized the need for having a coach for them.I started pursuing a coaching certification to become a coach for the middle tier folks for my organization.The program did not come to fruition and I decided to pursue it on my own.Is this something you decided early on in your career?I have always believed that we each have more to offer than what meets the eye.Uncovering my own potential and helping others uncover and reach and live up to their potential is something that has always appealed to me.When I met professionals who undermined themselves and did not believe in their worth and capabilities or were lost in expressing it to the outside world, I was fueled to help them.What is the Best Career Advice You’ve ever received?Own Your Career!Meaning step into any role you take on and truly own it. Do everything as you would if you were the owner of that organization.Make decisions, take action and work like you are the owner.This is the same message I share in my upcoming book -“Career Inc: The Business of You”.evalWhat is the most exciting part of working in thisindustry?The most exciting part is how this has almost become a movement!!So many career coaches helping professionals achieve and live their professional dreams!How do to stay abreast of the industry as an expert?Tons of reading, podcasts and interacting with other like minded professionals.What are some of the things that you see job seekers struggle with the most?One thing that job seekers are struggling with are in speaking about their transferable skills.People are capable and skilled but struggle to convey the same in a job that may not be the same thing that they have experience in.What are the common mistakes that you see them do?Failing to put themselves in the interviewers’ shoes when answering questions, talking too much or too less during interviews, being uptight, not reading the job descriptions and addressing the instructions presented in it.How should job seekers approach job search today?I still believe that the hidden job market truly exists and hence focus on building relationships and tapping into your network.What is the biggest trend(s) you see that job seekers will face in the next 2-3 years?Automated Video interviews are on the rise and will continue to grow rapidly, hiring for specialists as opposed to generalists and easier application processes.What is one advice you would give someone just out of college today?Please find a job and get some real world exp erience!!I am seeing so many new grads getting to a Masters program right out of college with the belief that a Masters degree gives them better job opportunities.Work experience and some time to understand what area they want to specialize in are crucial before taking on another huge financial burden.Skills over school should be the focus for a few years out of school.What is one advice you would give someone who is switching careers?Speak to your transferable skills effectively!How should job seekers get the most out of LinkedIn?As cliched as it sounds, LinkedIn is a platform for professional relationship building, so focus on that.You can do it 2 ways :1) To be a proactive relationship builder who is on LinkedIn regularly, not just when you are seeking new opportunities and engaging with your network by liking, commenting and sharing relevant content. This is also a great way to expand your network.2) As a job seeker, when you identify interesting opportunities, connect to 1st or potential 2nd degree connections at those organizations. Focus on genuinely learning more about the organization and/or role and the person you reached out to. Do not try to seek a referral immediately. Remember GIVE before you GET.Unemployment is at the lowest levels, why do you think that is?The gig economy is the contributing factor.A large number of people have stepped into the entrepreneurship world thereby reducing the number of available candidates for job openings.What is the biggest trend(s) you see that hiring managers will face in the next 2-3 years?Structured interviews, use of more and better technology in the hiring process and candidates will need a lot more benefits to make the offer enticing to them.Gia,what are you currently working on?My product â€" The Daily Career Journal is something I am super excited about. I sell it on the website : careerikigai.com.Aimed to help professionals keep track of their professional accomplishments in 6 key areas of career growth! ! 50% DISCOUNT CODE for your audience: https://bit.ly/2XZKE1h.Also super excited about my book coming out titled Career Inc: The Business of You.What are the best resources you recommend to job seekers?Fast CompanyBusiness InsiderForbes career growth articles andmy own blogWhat is the best way for our audience to reach you?Via Email : [emailprotected] or 404.729.1182.Connect with or Follow Gia Ganesh on Social Media:LinkedInTwitterGia Ganesh has also been featured in our recent compilation of the most resourceful career experts and career blogs â€" Top Career Advice Websites.

Meet me in the UFO - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Meet me in the UFO - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog This awesome UFO is parked in the courtyard of the Zappos.com HQ in Las Vegas and can be used for meetings. I love that kind of thing. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

A Simple Guide to Writing a Resume

A Simple Guide to Writing a ResumeA simple guide to writing a resume is a good thing to do before you send your resume out to the companies you want to work for. Resumes are one of the most important things when you are applying for jobs, but you don't want to waste time on one that does not give you the information you need.You should make sure to use a simple guide to writing a resume. You want to get your resume as short and simple as possible to make it easier for the person to read and make sure that they can easily locate your information if they need it. This will also ensure that you do not waste any of their time.When you are looking for a job, there is always going to be an interview involved. During the interview, this is usually the time that you will be getting to know someone a little bit better. It is best to use a good tip for writing a resume that is going to make your first impression last.Before you go to an interview, you want to make sure to have all of your answ ers organized so that you are ready to go when it comes time to do so. It is a good idea to use a simple guide to writing a resume that allows you to keep track of what is required in each section. This will make it easier for you to see where your information should be placed as well as keep it simple.The first and most important thing you want to do when you are sending out a resume is to make sure that you are making it as professional as possible. You want to make sure that you have a good look at the sample resume that is available online. This is not a bad idea since many of these samples are written by real people who have been in the same position as you are.Having someone write out your resume may seem like something you could do, but there is nothing worse than being hired for a job that requires one. You want to make sure that you do this before sending your resume out to any companies. Most employers want to know that the resume is real and not a joke that were made up.O ne great tip for writing a resume is to have a nice looking cover letter attached to your resume. This is a great thing to do because it will show them what you are trying to get from the company and will allow them to see that you have the ability to provide the required information for them. You will find that this also saves you from wasting time on a resume that is not worthy of your application.A simple guide to writing a resume is not hard to follow. However, if you want to make sure that your resume is as good as it can be, then you need to make sure that you spend some time taking a look at samples. This will allow you to get a good idea on what your resume should look like.

Muse Resume Writing Reviews - What Makes Yours Difficult?

Muse Resume Writing Reviews - What Makes Yours Difficult?The Muse resume writing reviews that have been written are just some of the many that are available online. There are several websites that offer them and others that only offer sample pieces that can be downloaded from the Internet. You have to make sure that you know how to use these and what is best for your needs, and then you can decide which one will best meet your needs.You can decide to write your own samples or you can select the sample Muse resumes that are provided for free to find the resume style that will suit you best. Muse resume writing reviews should be able to tell you which styles they think will be most appropriate to your job requirements.Sample Muse resumes will also be able to tell you how to write your resume so that it flows nicely. Muse writers know the pros and cons when it comes to writing a resume that can be read by the employer or a potential employer. They also know which types of resumes are th e most successful and which are not. The Muse resume writing reviews will tell you what type of resume is most likely to get you a good job.The Muse resume writing reviews can tell you how to customize the sample resume that you are provided. You can customize your resume the way that you want it to go, but you should know that it will go out to the recruiters. You do not want them to be disappointed with your resume and give you an offer that you can't take.Resume writing reviews can also tell you what information you will need to include in your resume. Muse writers know that sometimes people are reluctant to divulge information on their resume. They also know that employers will see this as an indication that you do not care about your job and your career, and that you are lazy.That is why it is very important that you include all of the necessary information in your resume. Muse resume writing reviews should also tell you how to make your resume stand out from the others. Muse w riters know how important it is to make sure that they are the first one to be seen on the resume cover page.Muse resume writing reviews can tell you how to show off your skills and knowledge in a concise and entertaining manner. Muse writers know that you do not want to be seen as boring, so they give you tips on how to make your resume more interesting and to catch the employer's attention. Muse resume writing reviews are useful for both you and the recruiter.