Wrong. Sometimes less is not more. And, interviews offer an opportunity to strategically slide in a value-add here and there, depending upon the course the conversation takes.

Following are five ideas of value-add items to bring to the interview to help enhance your personal marketing message, compelling your interview forward:

1. Tweaked Resume: Even if you recently updated your resume, assess if a tweaked headline or modified achievement would more perfectly align your message with this specific interview.

Then, print off five to 10 copies of your resume from a quality printer using good, 24 lb. paper. Use a neutral, earthy tone: off-white, tan, light brown, gray or something similar. Show attention to detail, ensuring the watermark prints in an upright position. With a stack of freshly printed resumes in hand, you are equipped to distribute them to additional hiring decision makers who may unexpectedly arrive, empty-handed, at your meeting.

2. Toot-Your-Own-Horn Book: If you are in sales, this is an especially valuable tool. However, brag books needn’t be limited to sales-oriented interviews. Consider what visual representations of your value you could provide. Buy about a dozen 3-hole-punched sheet protectors in which to display your horn-tooting items. Examples include a thank-you note, a printout of a sales graph, an email from a happy client and a project milestone chart showcasing results of a mammoth project. What this book may consist of is only limited by your imagination and creativity. Think colorful and glimpse-able.

3. Testimonials Page. While you may not be ready to hand off contact information of your valuable references during the initial interview, you could create a ‘testimonials’ page with a list of three to five key people (names only, without phone numbers and email addresses), who are wowed by the value you provide.

Diversify the references to include a client, a vendor, a senior executive, a colleague, a direct report and so forth. Then, organize the page to include three columns: 1. Name of person and their company affiliation; 2. Your relationship to that person; e.g., you and s/he collaborated on a specific project; you provided sales consultation to that person; or, you trained them in their new role, for example; and, 3. What they have said in the past about you or would say if approached today about your contribution to individual or team goals in relationship to saving time, trimming costs or adding to profits.

4. ROI Action Plan. Whether it’s your first interview or your third with the company, come prepared to articulate how you will hit the ground running to make an impact when hired – how you will return the company’s investment. You do this by communicating your action plan for solving their problems.

Naysayers will quip, “I have NO idea what the real problems my target company is facing until I am hired.”

The optimist will take initiative.

Vigorously search the Web using Boolean searches to unearth universal industry and sector issues. Determinedly search the Web for target company tidbits. Research using Glassdoor, LinkedIn or Facebook company pages, and scour online business journals, websites and other resources that drill down to potential challenges. Then, when building your strategy, speak to specific action plan steps you are prepared to take to resolve those issues during the first 30, 60, 90 days.

5. Marketing (Business) Card: Offered up as a mini-resume of sorts, your business card should include critical contact information such as your name, email, voicemail and your LinkedIn profile. It also should include your tagline, further underscoring your value, as well as a metric-based achievement result to add concreteness. Remember, there are two sides to a business card – use both.

While it is true that in some interviews you may simply be whisked in and out of a rigidly orchestrated meeting with no opportunity for additional information sharing, that is just one scenario.

In others, the conversation is more flexible and fluid. You must be proactive presenting your value through a variety of visually appealing and content-rich items. By preparing the above five weapons for your career interview arsenal, you will walk into the interview office more confident and empowered.

Author:

Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter is a Glassdoor career and workplace expert, chief career writer and partner with CareerTrend, and is one of only 28 Master Resume Writers (MRW) globally. An intuitive researcher, she helps professionals unearth compelling career story details to help best present their unique experience, skillset and interests in resumes and other career positioning documents as well as through social media profiles. In addition to being interviewed for television and radio stories, Jacqui has written for the Career Management Alliance Connection monthly newsletter and blog, ExecuNet’s Career Smart Advisor, The Kansas City Star, The Business Journal and The Wall Street Journal. In addition, she and her husband, “Sailor Rob,” host a lively careers-focused blog over at http://careertrend.net/blog. Jacqui also is a power Twitter user listed on several “Best People to Follow” lists for job seekers.

Rather, I’ve come to recognize that many of these individuals make highly intelligent career decisions that lead them to get where they are. Here are 4 of those:

1. Birds of feather become successful together – Highly successful people surround themselves with others just like them. They know that we are a product of our environment and wealthy individuals go out of their way to only do business with others who are hard working and effective at what they do.

They have a keen ability to “read” people (a.k.a size them up) and determine whether that person is worth working for and/or doing business with or whether they are not the real deal. This knack for accurately judging others leads them to become employed at top companies that provides career growth and intellectual stimulation.

2. Highly successful people have learned how to effectively deal with others – When I first started my business, I was highly ambitious, but very poor in forming positive interpersonal business relationships and that put a strain on my ability to get to the next level in business.

It may have taken some time, but I’ve come to the realization that success can not exist in a vacuum; we need the work and motivation of others to achieve goals that are above and beyond the capabilities of a single person.

Let’s take two great examples: Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Both are known for their technical savvy and innovative minds, though rarely do people mention their ability to manage and lead others in business. Surely, it took more than one person to design, develop, manufacture, market, package and wholesale the iPhone.

3. Highly successful people don’t feel the need to convince others that they are good at what they do nor do they over promise results that they can’t deliver – I have this competing company in the staffing industry that spends 300 pages of their website attempting to convince potential clients how great they are and they end up looking just the opposite.

Successful people know that other likeminded individuals can smell b.s. and rather than drawn in, they are turned off by overly arrogant candor. Instead, they carry themselves with a demeanor that is self-confident on the inside and humble on the outside.

4. Highly successful people strive to be great, but come to terms with the fact that they are not perfect – It may have taken me 31 years to learn, but I’ve come to grips with the reality that I can’t control every situation nor will I ever be perfect.

Highly paid individuals know that they are bound to win some and bound to lose some. When they win, they celebrate and anticipate more positive results and, when they lose they are able to bounce back with an uncanny resiliency and energy a.k.a. successful people don’t beat themselves up mentally for mistakes that may be out of their control.

In the End

Next time you’re around others who have high paying jobs and who are successful both in business and in interpersonal relationships, look closely at some of the traits they have and the decisions they make and you should see some striking similarities.

Author:

Ken Sundheim is the CEO of KAS Placement, a sales and marketing recruiting firm based out of New York City. He is also a writer for Forbes and guest lecturer at universities around the U.S.

“Harajuku girls. I’m looking at you girls. You’re so original girls. You got the look that makes you stand out”

Located in Tokyo, Harajuku is a place where every Sunday teens dress up in various unique and extreme styles of clothing and roam the streets. Mixing different styles and mismatching colors and patterns is encouraged. Basically, the only ‘criteria’ is that your outfit must be a thoughtful expression of your individuality.

Here are 3 Harajuku guidelines and lessons we can apply to personal branding.

Layering

Layering clothes (or giving the appearance of layering) allows Harajuku Girls to mix and match a wider variety of different styles and add more dimension to their outfits.

When branding yourself think of the different layers that define and add dimension to who you are. The layers of your brand are your “VPs” – vision, purpose, values, and passions.

• Vision: Your image of what you see possible for the world – your desired future.
• Purpose: Your role in turning your vision into reality.
• Values: The ideals or operating principles that determine how you conduct your day-to-day activities. Your values are true to you and you do not compromise them.
• Passions: This is what motivates and energizes you. Your passions get you out of bed in the morning, but have ‘pure unadulterated tenacity’ to drive your passions forward.

Customizing

Harajuku Girls are not afraid to get out the scissors, glue, needle and thread to transform ordinary store-bought clothes into something extraordinary and uniquely theirs.

Branding yourself is all about customizing. You need to stand out among all the others who offer the same or similar service, skills, experience, and background as you. If you don’t customize you remain ordinary, a commodity, and people simply do not get excited about commodities! When customizing your brand always make sure to follow the three C’s of branding – clarity, consistency, and constancy.

• Clarity: Be very clear about who you are and who you are not. By knowing your unique promise of value you are identifying the ‘customization’ that sets you apart from others. This is what differentiates you and allows you to attract brand loyalty among the people who are compelled to do business with you.
• Consistency: Once you are clear about your promise of value, consistently demonstrate your customized brand promise everywhere. This includes your social media profiles, your website, your business cards, your communications. Everything.
• Constancy: It is not enough to be clear and consistent if you are not always visible to your target audience. Strong brands are constant. They are always there for their customers, prospects, and those who can help them achieve their goals. For example, social media accounts are pointless if you are not constantly visible in some way or form. Of course you need to find the right balance but don’t run the risk of being forgotten.

Accessorizing

A key part of a Harajuku brand are the wild accessories – belts, earrings, hair clips, handbags, jewelry. Again, matching is not a concern and the louder and more colorful the better!

Think of the accessories of your personal brand as the visual vocabulary of your brand environment. This includes your appearance, how you decorate your office, the colors, logo, or tagline you use, and even the network of people you choose to surround yourself with. All of these accessories support how you brand yourself.

• Color: What color represents your brand? For example, if your brand attributes are ‘passionate’ and ‘energetic’, are you accessorizing your brand with RED? If you are seen as ‘mysterious’ and ‘spiritual’ are you using PURPLE. And always make sure your colors are culturally appropriate for your target audience.
• Logo / Slogan: Once you accessorize your brand with a logo and slogan they immediately become your brand identity. Make sure to invest the time in selecting the best logo, image/icon, and slogan to represent you. The images you select need to tie directly to your brand attributes. For example, if you value physical fitness, you should use active, healthy, and athletic images.

Take a lesson from Japan’s Harajuku Girls to build your brand: layer, customize and accessorize!

Author:

Peter Sterlacci is known as “Japan’s personal branding pioneer” and is one of only 15 Master level Certified Personal Branding Strategists in the world. He is introducing a leading global personal branding methodology to companies and careerists in Japan and adapting it for the Japanese culture. In a culture where fitting-in is the norm, his mission is to pioneer a ‘cultural shift’ by helping Japanese to stand out in a global environment. His background spans over 21 years in intercultural consulting, international outreach, and global communication coaching.

PKOM / Shutterstock.com

I am not a fan of online job applications, having met many a job seeker who spent months applying for dozens (or even hundreds) of jobs without success. If you are seeking help to improve your online applications, there are lots of articles posted on the web that will provide you ideas. This article is different from them in that it is focused on helping you get better results with your resume by improving its readability for human beings.

Before we discuss resume improvements, it is important that you choose the basic format of your resume. Three common formats are the reverse chronological, functional, and combined. Because the last two options are not generally popular and represent less than 20% of all resumes, it will be most useful to focus on the first one.

The reverse chronological format is the most popular style, not only with job seekers but also with recruiters and resume reviewers. Recruiters and resume reviewers prefer this format because it is familiar to them and it quickly provides them the information they want. The typical sequence of sections is:

• Name and Contact Information
• Summary or Profile
• Reverse Chronological Work Experience
• Education

Once you have created a basic resume of this type, you can make it more appealing to those who read it by applying any of the following five tips taken from my career book Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!):

“1. If you have a particularly noteworthy education, consider moving it ahead of your Professional Experience. This could be accomplished by either noting your most relevant education in a bulleted area preceding your Professional Experience or by moving the entire Education section there.

2. If you know precisely what you want, include a clear and concise Objective such as “Chief Financial Officer” or “VP – Marketing.” While many will argue against this as being too restrictive (I’ve heard this objection over and over again), leaving your desired role to the imagination of the résumé reader is usually riskier.

3. If you want your résumé to be easier to skim or believe most people will not fully read it (which is the norm), consider deleting the Summary/Profile section. This section can be omitted when the reader understands what you want (Objective) and your Professional Experience and Education sections are well matched to present a coherent view of your relevancy. It is particularly unnecessary if you choose to follow item #4 that follows.

4. If you have notable accomplishments in your area of expertise, try replacing the Summary/Profile section with a Summary of Qualifications section. This is a personal favorite that I have found to be highly effective for many.

5. If you are capable in more than one functional area, such as marketing and sales, decide if your goal is a position that includes all your functional capabilities. If you want a VP of Sales and Marketing position, then you need both areas highlighted in your résumé. If you are seeking a position in either sales or marketing, then your presentation will be more effective if you have one résumé with a marketing objective and one with a sales objective.”

With the proper application of these suggestions, your resume can be positively differentiated from your competition and the written presentation of your personal brand will be more appealing to your audience. Give them a try and let me know if you agree.

Author:

Richard Kirby is an executive career consultant, speaker on career strategies, and author of Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!). Richard Kirby’s earlier experience includes managing engineering, human resources, marketing and sales teams for employers that ranged from a Fortune 100 to a VC-funded entrepreneurial startup. For the past 11 years at Executive Impact, Richard has helped hundreds of executives and professionals successfully navigate today’s transformed 21st century job market and achieve better employment for themselves. Richard’s expertise includes career assessments and goal setting, personal marketing/branding, resume enhancement, strategic networking and job interviewing, and “contrarian” job search methodologies. He is a Board Certified Coach (in career coaching) and a Certified Management Consultant (recognized by the ISO).

Basically, social networks and audience channels have different formats and different audience bases, all of which require a unique delivery of content. This means you’ll have to consider all the qualities of each audience. What interests them? How do they interact? Is there only occasional sharing of certain information? Do they prefer visuals? What about the content’s subject material?

Etiquette matters

Never neglect the importance of social etiquette. The last thing your personal branding strategy needs is to drive the audience away from your content by annoying, upsetting, or even confusing them. So always be sure that you know exactly what is expected of your interactions through any marketing channel. After all, you don’t want to find yourself guilty of “spamming” your networks and driving them away.

Introductions first

One of the many things to consider is: Do you need to introduce your post? Yes, in a sense. Most social networks require a proper introduction through which it functions as an enticing device for the audience. It could be a topic, a question you plan to answer, or a general summary. The principle is to use your introduction to develop interest.

Visual boost

Then there is the culmination of so many different techniques and strategies, as we often notice in Facebook sharing. All forms of content can be shared, but not all forms are appreciated by every audience. Even here, there are certain strategies that take precedence over others. Primarily, Facebook users prefer pictures and memes, which simplify a message, but that doesn’t guarantee interaction. There is still the need to experiment with your content to see what works with your audience.

Visuals matter a lot to social. How can you improve your link’s visibility?

Methods would include using tools such as Post Rocket which can turn a regular link into a visual incentive by adding pictures from the site to your link.

Space is limited

Then there’s the need to deliver a fast and simple message that gains the most visibility. For example, Twitter formats require that you deliver your message quick and short, so there isn’t really much time or space to carry on a lengthy conversation. This means you’ll need to be compelling within the first few words. Additionally, incorporating influential techniques, such as hashtags, allow you to connect with other users of common interest. Google+ and Twitter both take advantage of this, just be sure it isn’t the bulk of your shared content.

Link to influence

This brings up the aspect of links. When and where should you link within your post? Using the right content at the right time, such as video or hyperlinks to your blog, will affect how your post appears to the reader. Do they see the link and have to read further to decide what it means to them? Is it merged into the content effectively? Is it hard for them to find?

Remember, context is even more important than content.

Reaching through video is extremely popular on various channels, but only when done properly. Be sure that you make your content as shareable, across all platforms, as possible. Are you using a transcript to clarify your message? Can the content of your video be shared effectively? Is it mobile friendly? There are several qualities needed to help channel the best in your brand.

Not all social networks or media tools will work for you or personally represent your brand in the best light. What networks are off limits for you or do you deem not ones that you would spend your time on?

Author:

Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog, CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks– a word of mouth marketing firm, and a professional speaker and trainer on developing social networks that work. She provides workshops, webinars, seminars and direct services that help create conversation, connection, credibility, community and commerce around your brand. Maria Duron is founder and moderator of #brandchat - a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of branding that is recognized by Mashable as one the 15 Essential Twitter Chats for Social Media Marketers.

Part of personal branding is effectively communicating your brand image to others. You want to be viewed in a certain light by others. So how we promote ourselves without coming across as promoting ourselves?

Forward an Email: Your boss gives you a critical project with an important client and you do a stellar job. You may receive a note/email of thanks from the client. When this happens, forward the email to your boss. The email forward should not have the tone of “Look what I did,” but rather an “I wanted to let you know that I took care of the project and the client is very happy” tone. Now, the boss knows you are a rock-star employee, the client is happy, and your communication about the status of your projects is appropriate.

Client Speaks to Your Boss: Sometimes we help others and they respond by asking, “Is there anything I can do to help you?” From now on, respond: “Why yes, would you mind dropping my boss a quick note about my work?” I recently spoke to a trade group as a favor for an alum of my alma mater. I volunteered to give the presentation (i.e., no speaker fee) so the alum asked if there was anything he could do to help me out. I asked him to consider writing my boss to let him know what I did. The alum and the organizer of the trade meeting were each happy to send an email. My boss shared the two notes, both were very positive, and my boss began to see me in a new light – someone who could be an external face for our office’s outreach efforts.

Periodic Touch-Base Meetings: Do you sit down with your supervisor twice a year for a performance review? Probably. What happens in the six months between reviews – do you have periodic meetings about your projects, work, etc.? For most of us, the answer is no. If your boss is not scheduling time with you to touch base about your work, you need to. Ask for a 20 or 30 minute meeting every month to provide updates and accomplishments. The boss needs to know the impact you are making in the office, the work load you are shouldering, and the results you are delivering.

Let’s say you do have periodic meetings. Do you go into the meetings with an agenda of topics you want to cover? You should. I used to supervise an employee who would bring me a one page summary – what she had accomplished during the past two weeks, what was on her plate for the upcoming two weeks, and her long-term projects. I loved these sheets as it kept me up-to-date on her work. She was showing me her value and helping me see her in a different light – as someone who could handle more high-profile projects than what she currently was being given.

In 2013, be your own brass section and you will be surprised who takes notice!

Author:

Kevin Monahan is the Associate Director of the Notre Dame Career Center. In this role, he leads the center’s employer relations efforts in addition to coaching young professionals in career management and career change capacities. He combines career consulting services with employer outreach to help find opportunities for both constituencies. He is the author of the Career Seeker’s Guide blog.

Sales training changed my shyness into boldness minus the pushiness of it all. So when the pushy telemarketers make the mistake of calling me, I’m aware of the sales game and know how to negotiate a fair conclusion. By sharing the following tips, perhaps together we can change the way this industry operates!

The Script Reader

You must have received calls where the person never offers an opportunity to respond. They are reading a script word for word. Interruption grabs their attention and stops this nonsense. Politely say, “Excuse me, but why do you believe I would be interested?”

Only a personal dialogue will get to the true interest of the potential client while scripts rarely work. By interrupting the caller, you either get someone who will hang up the phone due to their not knowing how to respond, or, you might actually enter into a meaningful conversation.

On occasion, you might actually need the service being sold. By softening the conversation and taking the lead, it’s quite possible to earn a better price than would otherwise have been offered.

Referred Tele-Marketing

The first person reaching you sounds intelligent and you might have a need, so you agree to have their salesperson follow-up with a call. But the salesperson follows up by delivering this nerve-wracking news,

“You need to make a decision by 5:00 p.m. today because that is the latest I can lock this amazing offer in – just for you.”

Make it a habit to get the name, company name and telephone number of the first person from now on for the “just in case” scenario. In this scenario, call that first person back to complain about the aggressiveness of the salesperson. Two steps are thus achieved.

While receiving an apology, you also raise your status to that of equal status with all concerned. Second, they are in a required position to make right on what went wrong. Should you be the least bit interested, you will be provided a better price than the initial offer; at the very least, you are positioned to ask for a better price.

Aggressive Behavior

Take the “Sales Expert” stance by providing insight as to how sales should actually be conducted. Ask that aggressive salesperson:

Did you know people buy from people they know, like and trust?

Ask how they know you and what is their plan for building trust?

Another tactic is to use sales related vocabulary. Salespeople traditionally apply the word “prospect” to those to whom they are trying to sell. A good response is to use that vocabulary by saying,

I’m sorry but I’m not a good prospect for what you are selling. You will do better to find someone else who is.

There is no way the salesperson can argue with that response because it’s the truth, and they will release you from the phone.

Just as we need to find our own well-qualified prospects, perhaps if we train telemarketers properly, we will receive better-qualified calls ourselves. Wouldn’t that be nice?!

My goal is to help others get on the wave of the Smooth Sale!

Author:

Elinor Stutz, CEO of Smooth Sale, (800) 704-1499; was designated as a “Top 25 Sales Influencer for 2012.” Elinor authored the International Best-Selling book, “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results”, Sourcebooks and best selling, “HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews”, Career Press.

When you create your portfolio, it’s important to highlight your accomplishments, work experience, and incorporate your personal brand. If you are looking for ways to impress recruiters and employers with your career portfolio, here are some ways to help it stand out:

1. Have a consistent theme. It’s important to have a professional theme that is consistent throughout your entire portfolio. You can start your theme by designing a logo and choosing a professional color scheme that represents your personality. From your resume and cover letter, to your examples of work; make sure to choose a theme that represents your personal brand throughout your entire portfolio.

2. Highlight accomplishments. When organizing your portfolio, make sure to include your strongest pieces of work. Employers want to see specific accomplishments that relate to their company. Be sure to also include pieces of collateral from special projects and examples of your writing. You can also include explanations with each example of how they contributed to your career success.

3. Include numbers with your results. If you can describe your accomplishments through numbers, it will help employers visualize your ability to guarantee results from your work. For example, if you are in public relations, include the amount of earned media you garnered for your client or the percentages of their social media engagement. This will help employers gain perspective of your job performance.

4. Design an infographic. An infographic can be a creative addition to any portfolio. You can use infographics to display your career as a professional timeline. If you have some background in graphic design, create an infographic to tell your story from the beginning of your career to your current experience. (If you’re not a designer, check out services like Vizify!) When applicable, use statistics and percentages to enhance your accomplishments. This type of visual aid will help recruiters get a better glimpse at your experience and personality.

5. Make your portfolio digital. As technology continues to take over the way we communicate and apply for jobs, it’s crucial for job seekers to provide a digital copy of their portfolio. Even if you aren’t tech-savvy, an online portfolio is simple to create. Whether you create a site with WordPress or publish your portfolio as PDF file, a digital version of your portfolio will make it easier to share.

6. Be social with your portfolio. Once you have a digital copy of your portfolio, share it with your social networks. Many recruiters and employers are finding top talent through platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. If you can link your digital portfolio to different social platforms, recruiters can learn about your experience before the interview.

Remember, your portfolio is an essential tool for your career. It’s a great way to showcase examples of your work experience to employers and recruiters. By creating a portfolio which displays personality, results, and collateral — you will have an excellent marketing tool to help you stand out amongst the competition!

What elements do you think job seekers should include in their portfolio?

Author:

Heather R. Huhman is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder & president of Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for job search and human resources technologies. She is also the instructor of Find Me A Job: How To Score A Job Before Your Friends, author of Lies, Damned Lies & Internships (2011) and #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), and writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets.

You’ve seen MVPs on camera after nearly every winning series say, “It’s the team. It’s the fans. The coach was great. And, the real credit goes to the naysayers who really motivated me! But, me? Aw shucks. No. But, thank you, Mom!”

Is this any way to build your career? Can you be your own talent manager if you won’t acknowledge the talent? Is there really no “I” in team? Can you constantly be looking out for your co-workers, administrative assistant, staff, vendors, and your boss? Can you share all your resources with abandon, including the credit you’ve earned, and still have enough juice to make your way?

Being too trusting or too generous was considered a gender issue at one point in time. For example, Sheryl Sandberg wants women to lean in. My experience is that the gender issue is a bit dated when you look at the behavior of young managers today. After all, the Millennials made sure everyone in class got a valentine, there were enough cupcakes even for the losing team and no one needed a date for prom.

This fear of competition or perhaps appearing to be your own best spokesperson, have led the myth that the “I” word is a bad one. It’s not.

There is a “me” in team, if you work the letters a bit. As a career coach, I recommend you learn to take credit as much as you learn to share it. And, be careful what you give away, because your false sincerity – much less your resentment about the lack of regard or that bonus you thought you deserved – will drive opportunities and people away from you.

A more balanced approach is the only way to keep your career on track, according to Adam Grant, author of Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success. It’s great to be a “giver,” just make sure the recipients of your generosity are giving back in equal measure. They might not give back to you directly – but make sure they are passing on your acts of kindness, generosity and encouragement.

Grant isn’t promoting a me-first, only me, and more about me philosophy. He notes that some of the great givers including philanthropists like Jon Huntsman, Senior and Richard Branson manage their generosity.

So, make a plan to dole out your credit, appreciation and other bounty appropriately. And, make sure your career strategy is like a good financial one: pay yourself first.

Author:

Nance Rosen is the author of Speak Up! & Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen

The networking gurus all agree that when it comes to building meaningful relationships the key to success is being interested in the other person.

From that perspective, having an elevator pitch may sound silly. On the other hand, having good elevator questions you can pull out of your sleeve might be just what you need.

What are some good elevator questions? I would say, it depends. Are you talking to someone in your industry, to a potential client, or to a complete stranger? Where are you – in an actual elevator, on a plane, in the gym, or at a grocery store? Let’s assume you are in a networking event where people expect you to tell them your pitch. What questions you may ask instead?

Here are some tips:

• At the core of the good elevator question lies CURIOSITY. What are you genuinely curious about when it comes to other people?
  I am interested in people stories, where they are coming from and where they are going, so I may ask, “What brought you here?” or “What would you like to get out of this event?”
• You want to ask something that would be easy to answer and that shows your interest in another human being. Think of what you may have in common and ask something related to it.
  For example, if it’s an event for coaches, I may ask,“What do you enjoy most about coaching?”
• Be yourself. If humor is natural to you, try and say something witty. If you are an analytical type, you can comment on something and ask for their opinion. I could ask, “I wonder if there is one thing that all of us have in common in this room; what do you think?”
• Think of what you would want to be asked if you were the other person. Do this exercise next time you bump into someone. What is a question you’d like to be asked?
  One I’m thinking about is, “If you could pick a person from this room to work on something together, who and what would it be?”

After you ask a question, LISTEN. Don’t think of the questions you are going to ask next. Listen for what catches your attention as the person responds. Soak into the answer as well as into the way a person answers and reflect your impression back – for example, “Wow, I would never think of that.” Let it flow and have a conversation that is built on common interest.

The worst-case scenario is that you realize there is no common interest. And that’s also a valid lesson.

You may wonder, “What about me?” The only time to talk about you and to bring up your elevator pitch is when you see that they are curious about you. In that case they start asking you questions and you’ll have an opportunity to respond. But if they are not, there is no point in telling them about your business, ideas, world views, etc. They would probably be thinking, “Why is he telling me this? I really don’t care.” I’m sure you’ve been in their shoes before and know how it feels.

The foundation of networking is CURIOSITY.

So, maybe the best question of all to ask when you don’t know where to begin is “What are you curious about?”

Author:

Henrieta Riesco is a founder of Intentional Career. She is all about meaningful conversation to empower professionals on their career journey. After experiences of being a teacher and a corporate trainer in Slovakia, a customer advocate and a training consultant for 10+ years at Microsoft, she is comfortable with calling herself a Career Coach. You can follow Henrieta via Twitter, or via her blog.

“It’s very hard to be a great CEO,” says Paul Winum, senior partner and global practice leader at RHR International, the executive consulting firm. “Because the job is extremely difficult and complex there are various attributes and dimensions to being great.”

While customers and shareholders are important groups, a CEO has to please – if the employees don’t respect their leader the business will ultimately suffer. But what does it take to be popular among employees and how can HR professionals help foster this? According to career experts, there are five key attributes to keep in mind:

1. Effective Leadership. Personality matters, but even ahead of that a high ranking CEO is one that is an effective leader and is successful at growing the business. After all, no matter how great a CEO is, if the business is hemorrhaging cash and it’s not clear if it will be around for much longer, that CEO is not going to gain the respect of his or her employees. “If they do not make the decisions that will effectively lead the company to be successful, they are not going to be around for very long,” says Winum. “First and foremost people admire and want to work for CEOs that lead winning companies.”

Of the 50 highest rated CEOs on Glassdoor’s recent report, five of them are from companies that are prospering. For instance Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg ranked number one with a 99% approval rating, while SAP co-CEOs Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann were a close second with a 99% rating. Rounding out the top five were Dominic Barton, CEO of McKinsey & Company who garnered a 97% approval rating, Jim Turley, the CEO of Ernst & Young who got a 96% approval rating and John E. Schlifske, CEO of Northwestern Mutual who also came in with a 96% approval rating.

2. Entrepreneurial Spirit. Even if the CEO has been in his or her job for years or is at the helm of a stodgy company, having an entrepreneurial spirit is one characteristic that a great CEO has. “They have to have that burning desire to create and build something,” says Amanda Augustine, the job search expert for TheLadders.“They have to have passion and belief behind what they are doing. I don’t know anyone that can become a CEO if they don’t believe in the mission.” Nothing builds more loyalty in a company than a leader that came from nothing but was able to crawl his or her way up to the top position. For instance, Xerox former Chief Executive Anne Mulcahy was loved by employees and she started out as a salesperson.

3. Invests in Company Culture. Every company’s culture is different, but the one attribute all high ranking CEOs share is a true belief and support of whatever the company culture may be. According to Winum, employees are drawn to companies that have CEOS who understand how important the work culture is and invests in it. “Employees want to work at places where they can grow their skills and flourish in ways other than picking up a pay check,” he says.

4. Confident Yet Down-to-Earth Personality. Some of the best CEOs are ones that don’t put themselves on a pedestal, opting instead to be confident yet accessible. They are typically smart, forceful and confident, but at the same time humble and good listeners, says Russell Reynolds founder, chairman and chief executive of RSR Partners, the executive search firm. “A CEO should be generous and organized,” says Reynolds. “They should have an attitude of serving, not ‘dominating’ by force.” According to Reynolds, a CEO loved by employees is usually highly ethical, discrete, funny and a visionary. “Having a strategic plan out to five years is essential so people know where you are going,” he says.

5. Visible Both Inside & Outside the Company. Prestige is a motivator when people are choosing a job and if the CEO of the company is well known that can be a reason to join a firm or stay at one. “Employees like to read about their CEO and see their CEO talked about in the news and on TV,” says Winum. “It builds a sense of pride if they are identified with someone who is sought after by an external audience.”

Not only should the CEO be visible outside the confines of the office, but according to Winum he or she should also have a presence inside. That doesn’t mean the CEO has to spend hours each week getting to know all the employees, but he or she can boost morale by doing the occasional walk through at the office, applauding employees with handwritten notes or having a town hall meeting every quarter or so. “The really great CEOs that develop stickiness for the workforce have some degree of personal visibility and accessibility,” says Winum. “People like to feel like they know who their CEO is.”

Author:

Donna Fuscaldo is a freelance journalist hailing out of Long Island, New York. Donna writes for numerous online publications including FoxBusiness.com, Bankrate.com, AARP.com, Insurance.com and Houselogic.com. As a personal finance reporter for years, Donna provides invaluable advice on everything from saving money to landing that dream job. She also writes a weekly column for FoxBusiness.com focused on technology for small businesses. Previously, Donna was an equities reporter for Dow Jones Newswires and a special contributor to the Wall Street Journal. Through the Glassdoor Blog, Donna will provide tips on how to find a job and more importantly keep it.

“I’m not a brand, I’m a person!” they demand.

Except you are. As Kyle Lacy and I said in Branding Yourself, “A brand is an emotional response to the image or name of a particular company, product, or person.”

Basically, people have an emotional response to us, our work and our experiences, our relationships with them, and even our face. For good or bad, people like us or don’t like us, based on all of this stuff.

When they think of our name and our face, they have an emotional response.

But Seth Godin made a great statement about branding that may explain why it’s an important term to use:

I believe that “brand” is a stand-in, a euphemism, a shortcut for a whole bunch of expectations, worldview connections, experiences, and promises that a product or service makes, and these allow us to work our way through a world that has thirty thousand brands that we have to make decisions about every day.

In other words, when we use the term “personal brand,” we’re not talking about a corporate reputation, a logo, and a tagline. You can’t/shouldn’t reduce a person to a tagline and logo.

To paraphrase Seth Godin, “personal brand” is a euphemism, a shortcut for expectations people have of us, our network and personal connections, the experiences we offer, the promises we make, our reputation, and our accomplishments.

If we accept that the term “personal brand” is a shortcut word for all of those things, then maybe it becomes a little more acceptable to people.

Because I’m going to get tired of launching into that entire explanation.

Author:

Erik Deckers is the owner of Professional Blog Service, and the co-author of Branding Yourself: How to Use Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself and No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide to Social Media Marketing. His third book, The Owned Media Doctrine, will be available this summer.

Periodically, our director would use these meetings as a forum to berate the entire sales staff for poor performance. While our boss was really only talking to a few individuals, he would make comments like the following to the whole department:

You could be out there selling life insurance or printers, but you have the privilege of working for an NBA team. If you don’t want to be here, we could easily find someone else who would kill to have your job.

While this statement was 100% true, it was a disastrous way to address an entire department, and it was also totally ineffective for two main reasons. First of all, this strategy usually impacted the wrong people. The low performers on the sales staff would usually not even be paying attention. If they were, they probably didn’t care or realize the boss was talking to them in particular.

On the other hand, the people who were usually most impacted by this morale-killing message were the high performers. They (myself included) would be annoyed that the boss was wasting their time with irrelevant threats. In addition, some of the high performers would be fearful that their jobs were somehow at risk. After one of these meetings, one of the people I managed at the time (who was also one of the hardest-working people in the entire company) came in to my office and actually started to cry. He was afraid that he was about to get fired!

The other reason why this “motivational” approach is ineffective is that you will never motivate your employees over the long-term through guilt or fear. “Scare tactics” may work in the short-term, but is that really the type of work environment you want to cultivate?

If you want to motivate your employees over the long-term, never address individual performance in a group setting, and do not use fear or guilt as a tactic.

Author:

Pete Leibman is the Author of “I Got My Dream Job and So Can You” (published by The American Management Association). His work has been featured on Fox, CBS, and CNN, and he has been invited to speak at some of the world’s best colleges including Stanford University and Johns Hopkins University.

Visionary thinkers are unique and, due to their rarity, employers go above and beyond to ensure that these individuals have a happy, fulfilling and lucrative tenure as workers. Among other ways, companies do this by showering them with monetary rewards and frequent promotions.

The Correlation Between Success and Leadership

In all actuality, the success of your career will heavily depend upon your ability to motivate and lead others. Though, to become a leader, we must know what embodies a great motivator and determine where we need to change.

With that being said, here are some traits and beliefs that comprise today’s most visionary thinkers and corporate leaders:

1. Leaders tackle problems before they happen – leaders have an uncanny ability to predict impending hurdles and, instead of brushing problematic issues aside, they attack them head-on.

Sometimes in business it is convenient to only focus on the positives, though when companies do so, they end up blind-sided. If you want to become a leader, it’s imperative that you learn to voice concern where concern is needed and help become part of the solution rather than simply pretending the problem doesn’t exist.

2. Leaders always look for more effective ways to operate – leaders are results oriented. While the average employee is concerned with the amount of work they’ve done, the leader is more focused on the results that those activities have yielded.

Visionary employees think bottom-line and take the activities necessary to make their employer more profitable and, when they put their mind to doing so, the revenue yield is nothing short of impressive.

3. They care about others – leaders know that the only way to win others to their way of thinking is to display a vested interested in their co-workers’ well-being. In business, nothing can be achieved alone and visionary employees get others to see their perspective because they show a vested concern in the other parties being successful.

4. Leaders have a high self-esteem – leaders believe that they deserve what they receive. They can admit when they are wrong, they talk to themselves in a positive manner and are open-minded when it comes to ways to solve the company’s problems and drive further revenue for the organization.

5. Leaders have an uncanny passion for what they do – a leader’s effectiveness at work stems from their passion to always formulate more effective ways to do their job. They love what they do and, if they don’t, they move positions.

Visionary employees will continually make the right moves to ensure that they find themselves in a position that plays to their strengths and allows them the creativity they crave. When this happens, the money comes.

In the End

For many, the thought of transitioning into a leader can be intimidating and often scary. However, for those employees who want a more interesting, higher paying job, it is imperative that the transition be made. Remember, becoming a leader doesn’t happen overnight and it takes practice, but when one does so successfully the rewards are endless.

Author:

Ken Sundheim is the CEO of KAS Placement, a New York City based sales and marketing recruiting firm helping job seekers of all levels connect with some of today’s most innovative companies.

While making a decision based on your gut feeling may seem like a good idea, you need to make sure you have as much pertinent, factual, real-world based information before you make a final decision.

Thinking about attending a conference for the first time, or even the 10th time? It’s not just a matter of how awesome the people are, or the warm fuzzy feeling you get from seeing all your friends again. Did you get a return on the investment? Did you increase sales, or get any money-making opportunities from it? If you did, then go again. If not, stay home and put the money toward something more useful.

Or what about keeping a regular blog? Are you getting sales leads from it? Or selling books? Or increasing web traffic and search engine ranks? Check your Google Analytics score to see if you’re getting the kind of traffic you want, and figure out what you need to do if you want to increase it. If you’re not getting anything, you either need to put more effort into it, or drop it completely.

And how about increasing book sales, white paper downloads, or email newsletter subscriptions from guest blog posts? Worth it or waste of time? Set up a special Bitly link and measure the number of clicks from the Bitly link to your selected pages. While this may not be a completely accurate way of measuring sales (i.e. you don’t know if all the Bitly clicks resulted in sales or subscriptions, or if they were from other sources), you can at least get a pretty good idea of what kind of traffic you’re getting. No clicks means no traffic, which means you need to optimize better or find a different way to promote yourself.

You may even be considering hiring someone into your company. While a good gut feeling is very important in hiring new people — because you want to be able to relate to them easily and comfortably — you still need to know how well they’ll perform. Consider using a personality assessment to see if their personality and style will fit with your organization’s. Work with candidates to see how much value they brought to their previous employer — did they increase revenue or save money? Do they bring new ideas to the table, or do they prefer to only be told what to do, and can’t make a decision on their own? If they produced, and you like them, they’re a good fit. If they didn’t produce, it doesn’t matter how much you like them, they probably won’t produce for you either.

Before you embark on a new venture, or try to give up an old one, make sure you make the decision based on cold, hard facts, not gut feelings. While some people believe that gut feelings are nothing more than our intuition based on our subconscious processing of the facts, you know what works better? Conscious processing of the facts. Make sure you have them on hand before you decide anything.

Even if you do follow your intuition in making new decisions, make sure you can back those decisions up with logic, statistics, and results. This way, you can be sure you’re making the best, most informed decision you can.

Author:

Erik Deckers is the owner of Professional Blog Service, and the co-author of Branding Yourself: How to Use Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself and No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide to Social Media Marketing. His third book, The Owned Media Doctrine, will be available this summer.

The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

1. Smile

People are often so nervous or intimidated that they forget to smile. Remember that you love your company, you are excited by your field and you especially love sharing your passion! Smiling when the host introduces you or thanks you is a must. Not only does it make you relax, but viewers will find you more appealing. Just look natural — no one wants to see a resurrection of the Joker.

- Kim Kaupe, ‘ZinePak

2. Slow Down

The majority of people speak too quickly, even when they are not on TV. When broadcast, it comes across even more. Speak slowly, use pauses for effect and fully pronounce every word in order to make sure your message gets conveyed effectively. Your audience will also perceive you as being more confident.

- Richard Lorenzen, Fifth Avenue Brands

3. Speak Concisely

Nothing is worse than filler words like “uh,” “um,” and “well.” You get the point. Cutting out these extra mumbles will help keep your answers focused and relevant.

- Anson Sowby, Rocket XL

4. Be Yourself

People connect with people, so be your real self. You’re better off showing that you’re vulnerable than coming off as fake. You should also be confident. You are the domain expert. Remember that no one knows more about your product — or whatever you are appearing to speak about — than you, or else they would have invited someone else to appear.

- Lauren Friese, TalentEgg

5. Play the Professor

We always taught our clients to be professorial when they did media interviews. You are there to educate the audience on something new that they are interested in. Like teaching a student, make sure to break it down in a simple way they can understand so they leave with a feeling that they learned something. Just because it makes sense to you doesn’t mean someone else gets it.

- Trace Cohen, Launch.it

6. Practice With an Audience

The best way to combat nervousness is to be prepared. Write a script for yourself; practice what you’re saying and how you say it. Play out how the appearance will go and practice that flow. Practice in front of others. When you arrive for your TV appearance, you will have prepared remarks as a foundation for improvising. You can go with the flow and insert your prepared answers where they fit.

- Kyle Clayton, Jackrabbit Janitorial

7. Be Cautious

Know that the person asking the questions is not your friend. He is in the business of attracting viewers or readers — so the more outrageous, the better. He is looking for a “sound bite.” You want to provide something memorable, but be careful with your answers. Make sure the “sound bite” you leave him with is one that makes you and your company shine.

- Eric Holtzclaw, Laddering Works

8. Work With a Coach

Even experienced speakers work with coaches before big appearances. If you’re talking on TV for the first time, consult with an expert who can help tweak your style to fit the TV format better. As an added benefit, this approach forces you to practice and get feedback. These are both good habits for a speaker to acquire.

- Thursday Bram, Hyper Modern Consulting

9. Focus on One Takeaway

Being on TV is nerve-wracking — more so when you have a lot to say! Try to focus on one simple takeaway that you want to get across. As long as you nail that one point crisply, everything else will be fine.

- Aaron Schwartz, Modify Watches

10. Speak in Sound Bites

TV is a medium that favors short sound bites. Providing commentary that is short and snappy will help you stay within the allotted time of the appearance and will help the audience grasp your expert advice easily.

- Doreen Bloch, Poshly Inc.

11. Relax

To calm your nerves beforehand, remember it’s simply a recorded conversation. You do hundreds of one-on-one talks a year. So don’t freak out about it like you might with your first big speech — a totally unnatural construct for most. Relax, and the cameras will be off before you know it.

- Neil Thanedar, LabDoor

12. Get the Questions First

If you can’t get the questions first for whatever reason, still use your prepared 10- to 15-second statements. When you are asked a question, you don’t want to answer directly because you have something else to say. Rather, acknowledge it and then smoothly transition into what your next point was supposed to be, per your prepared statements. This is better than speaking off the cuff.

- Michael Costigan, Michael Costigan, LLC

My objective in this post is to heighten your awareness that your GenX, GenY, or baby boomer stereotype can affect your career and to motivate you to take positive action to improve your personal brand.

Here’s the good news: Regardless of your generation, you have not been sentenced to a life of conforming to that stereotype. You are a unique individual. You are free to be a non-conformist and shape your personal brand in ways that are more authentic and beneficial to you.

In the 20th century Jurassic Workplace, boomer pack leaders roamed the time-worn paths of Class A office spaces and herded youthful boomers into 8’ x 8’ x 64” cubicles. Within these 64 square foot oases, boomers-in-training found respite from the outside chaos and worked diligently to complete their assigned “work packages”. They gladly traded individualism and innovation for employment security and a sweet suite of benefits. If you are too young to relate to this, see www.dilbert.com.

Now, fast forward to today. Boomer leaders and managers are giving way to GenXers as the remaining boomer managers are increasingly required to manage non-boomers. The old (corporate) world order is being turned on its head as GenY workers flood in. This is feeding the environment I mention in chapter five of Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!):

The obvious mismatched styles of boomers, GenXers, and GenYers continue to create unnecessary frictions and frustrations in the corporate workplace. Boomer managers who fail to connect with GenX and GenY motivations and priorities risk sowing the seeds of discontent every workday. These issues can be resolved, but few employers are committing serious resources toward fixing them.

So, what can you do to leverage the current situation? First, you can choose to become a more effective inter-generational communicator and increase your value to your employers. Second, you can improve your odds of job search success by leveraging the positive aspects of your generational stereotype and defusing any negative aspects.

To become an effective inter-generational communicator, you need to study the styles and motivations of all three generations. You can learn more about the generational differences here … or in my book. For example, a GenX survey highlighted in Sally Hogshead’s highly recommended book Radical Careering found that 81% of respondents preferred an entrepreneurial work environment versus 19% who preferred a more traditionally structured environment. Leveraging GenX preferences can make you a more effective intergenerational co-worker and leader, which will increase your brand value.

Likewise, you can succeed more quickly in your job searches by becoming more aware of the positive and negative characteristics of your generational stereotype. For the boomer interviewee mentioned earlier, they will typically do better in job interviews when they emphasize their strong work ethic and loyalty … while distancing themselves from the expectation that they are stuck in their ways and have outdated knowledge.

By studying your own stereotype and the stereotype of those you encounter on the job and during your job searches, you can create personalized strategies for presenting yourself more positively. You have a great opportunity to enhance your personal brand and advance your career faster/smarter/better while companies continue to struggle with three generations in the workplace. You can become more valuable and reap the rewards. I hope you will.

Author:

Richard Kirby is an executive career consultant, speaker on career strategies, and author of Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!). Richard Kirby’s earlier experience includes managing engineering, human resources, marketing and sales teams for employers that ranged from a Fortune 100 to a VC-funded entrepreneurial startup. For the past 11 years at Executive Impact, Richard has helped hundreds of executives and professionals successfully navigate today’s transformed 21st century job market and achieve better employment for themselves. Richard’s expertise includes career assessments and goal setting, personal marketing/branding, resume enhancement, strategic networking and job interviewing, and “contrarian” job search methodologies. He is a Board Certified Coach (in career coaching) and a Certified Management Consultant (recognized by the ISO).

Although originally published in 1985, Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats continues to play an important role in creative thinking for leading businesses and governments around the world. It remains a frequently-recommended book, a consistent Amazon Top 100 book in the creativity and entrepreneurship categories.

It’s a book with serious implications for all who want to build their personal brand, whether they’re working for others or building their own businesses.

Putting Six Thinking Hats to work building your brand

There are two ways you can put Edward de Bono’s book to work:

• Personal thinking style. You can use the Six Thinking Hats approach as a personal development tool to improve your ability to come up with new ideas and effectively present them during the meeting.
• Developing a leadership role. If your goal is to strengthen your brand as leadership material, consider introducing the Six Thinking Hats process to your coworkers, facilitating meetings and expediting group decision-making.

Edward deBono’s Six Thinking Hats

You’ll probably recognize de Bono’s six basic thinking styles among your coworkers and participants in meetings and problem-solving sessions:

1. White Hat. This type of thinking is neutral and objective, primarily concerned with facts and figures.
2. Red Hat. These individuals are more subjective and engaged; the emotions influence their actions.
3. Black Hat. These are the careful and cautious members of your group. They often play the role of Devil’s Advocate roles.
4. Yellow Hat. These are the optimists in your group, sunny and positive, anticipating successful outcomes.
5. Green Hat. Green is associated with fertility; these individuals frequently originate creative approaches and new ideas.
6. Blue Hat. The blue hat is concerned with control and the big picture, interested in facilitating the thinking process and organizing the contributions of the other hats.

Direction-oriented, not categories

The power of Six Thinking Hats is that it is process-oriented; it’s not just another system to categorize how people think.

Categorizing people by the way they think doesn’t help the search for creative ideas and the search for solutions to pressing problems. This is especially true if the goal is to develop manipulative strategies for persuading different kinds of thinkers to agree with you.

Instead, the thrust of Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats is to help individuals and groups rise above the limitations of their preferred thinking styles, and view problems from multiple perspectives.

In other words, the process encourages individuals and groups to temporarily change their normal thinking styles and view situations from a different perspectives.

Thus, the Six Hats are not strait jackets; instead, they’re the starting points for more efficient ways to approach problems and contribute to group problem solving.

Rethinking your rethinking

For a book that has been an evergreen bestseller for over 30 years, and one that can make a major contribution to strengthening your personal brand as a source of creative ideas and as a facilitator of meetings, Six Thinking Hats is an amazingly easy book to read.

It’s short and to the point; no clutter, no fluff. The chapters are short, ideal for reading at breaks and during commutes or on business trips. The paperback is available for under ten dollars at Amazon.com.

If you’ve read Six Thinking Hats, I’d like to know what you think about it. More important, do you agree this book could help you enhance your personal brand, either as a creative thinking or as a facilitator who brings Six Hats thinking to meetings? Share your comments below, as comments.

Author:

Roger C. Parker, Published & Profitable, is a 40-book author and executive book coach. Contact Roger, when you have a writing question or need help finding your voice as an expert in your field.

Here are five ways to advance your career with your brand:

Go the extra mile. Your work is important. You should always do your job to expect the highest quality results. Managers will be pleased when you do your job well, but you’re not done there. Take the extra step to stand out by volunteering for more responsibilities. Do more than is asked of you, and eventually your managers will realize you can handle that promotion.

Take advantage of networking opportunities. Whether you want to advance in your current company or a different one, networking is key. Look for opportunities to meet people in your ideal work location. Get introduced by your current manager or another mutual connection. Never waste these opportunities. You might not think you need them right now, but the people you meet might come in handy down the line.

Dress to impress. There’s a common saying in the professional world: “Dress for the job you want, not the one you have.” If you want to advance in your career, it’s important to look the part. From your head to your toes, you need to look the part. Always maintain a professional appearance and people will take notice.

Start blogging. Write about your industry. A blog is the perfect outlet to show that you know what’s going on in the world and you can tie it to your career. You can create your own site or write guest posts for someone else. Write about current events, industry trends, or things happening in your own life. Whatever the case, showcase your expertise within your writing.

Maintain your online presence. Like with blogging, your online presence is another opportunity to show that you know what’s going on around you. You can share articles about industry trends, connect with other professionals, and more. Maintaining a professional image online is essential for advancing in your career.

How else can you use your brand to advance your career?

Author:

Heather R. Huhman is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder & president of Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for job search and human resources technologies. She is also the instructor of Find Me A Job: How To Score A Job Before Your Friends, author of Lies, Damned Lies & Internships (2011) and #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), and writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets.

Whether you are an artist or represent a different type of business, the same suggestions apply. Using the above scenario as an example will provide insight as to how to best approach your business development and improve upon your outcome.

Review your bottom line and associated expenses

Roberta denied spending any money on the artwork provided to galleries for showing. But that isn’t true. The kind of art she does requires color printing and high quality paper. We all know color toner and specialty paper add up cost quickly as do picture frames required for each piece of work to be displayed. There is also the gas consideration for getting to the art supply stores and galleries, as well as the time involvement. Much upfront expense is at stake.

Commitment to continued education is a requirement for improvement

One of the biting reasons Roberta was advised to not show her work is because Carla, an artist herself, believes it to not be of quality work. Roberta lacked class instruction that would improve her craft. Drilling down, it’s not just art classes required but also software and photography on which training is required to produce better quality artwork.

Roberta is lazy about her business not wanting to put in the effort required to produce a quality piece of work that will sell. At the end of every gallery show to date, Roberta has had to drive once again to pick up her work and bring it home to store in the garage.

Reflect on steps that will enhance your success

Are you able to relate to any of these scenarios? What do you believe is holding you back? Once you know and acknowledge the answer, you will be able to pursue a corrective course of action. The major two hurdles stopping anyone is the lack of willingness to admit help is needed, and the lack of motivation to try overcome the hurdle(s).

A burning desire to find success must be present in all you do. Otherwise, it will not be worth the time, effort and money involved to pursue the continued path of mediocrity.

Who do you know that will give you honest advice such as Roberta’s friend? Are you able to withstand the critique? This is the most difficult part for most people. And when you recognize what needs to be done, will you be motivated enough to go out to make the difference?

With motivation and the right education, and upon looking back, it will seem as if you were always on the wave of the Smooth Sale!

Author:

Elinor Stutz, CEO of Smooth Sale, (800) 704-1499; was designated as a “Top 25 Sales Influencer for 2012.” Elinor authored the International Best-Selling book, “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results”, Sourcebooks and best selling, “HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews”, Career Press.

There’s some very good news this year for finding a job. “eEmployers expect to hire 13 percent more new college graduates from the Class of 2013 than they did from the Class of 2012”, according to NACE’s Job Outlook 2013 survey.

Companies are not just hiring bodies anymore that seem to fit and might move the needle. They are taking their time to find the very best skilled people with the best personalities for their culture, that also bring intangibles that are needed in today’s corporate culture and business world.

Imperative to your success in finding a job and attracting the companies you want to work for will be doing the research and preparing your resume and yourself for that process.

• What are your core skills, unique qualities and key accomplishments that match the jobs you are applying to?
• Have your resume professionally written.
• Have a professional headshot.

These 5 intangibles can brand you to stand out and be perceived as a premium.

Adaptability

Those that can adapt to personnel, policy and leadership change with a ‘can do’ attitude will be valuable assets to their work teams and workplace.

Works Well With Others

Working together with people of differing generations, cultures and demographics is more and more important as our workplace becomes more culturally diverse. Your ‘human relations’ skills including developing rapport, listening, delegating with respect will be what makes you an important asset to any team.

Shows Initiative

Own your job and step up daily, instead of just showing up, will make you stand out. This is what the awesome program “Undercover Boss is all about. The employees they feature have a strong sense of personal pride and work ethic, regardless of work conditions and their personal lives.

Multi-Tasker

Be willing to do more tasks, jobs and take on more responsibility than ever before. Expect it and get prepared for it.

Ooze Positivity

Nothing is more magnetic and powerful than someone who is a bright spot in everyone’s day with a positive attitude of gratitude and willingness. Leave the personal, heavy stuff at home and come to work ready to greet colleagues and customers and make their day better.

What are the intangibles that you have that can make you stand out?

Author:

Deborah Shane was named a Top 100 Small Business Champion for 2012 and Top 100 Small Business Podcast 2013 by SmallBizTrends.com! She is the Author of Career Transition-make the shift, a personal branding strategist, social media catalyst, writer and speaker. She hosts a weekly blog and a small business radio podcast with over 250k downloads. Deborah’s articles are featured on and regularly quoted in SmallBizTrends.com, Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, PersonalBrandingBlog.com and Monster. Engage with her @DeborahShane and visit her at DeborahShane.com.

One of my favorite things to do whenever I go see a speaker, attend a networking event, or do anything special that has someone notable in attendance, is to be one of the last people who leave. This strategy has paid off for me on many occasions.

The second time I ever hung out Jason Falls, before he became my No Bullshit Social Media co-author was after he spoke at a social media event in Indianapolis. I decided to stick around for a while, and see if I could talk with him. Instead, several of us went to a good dinner that involved wine and gumbo. We got to know each other well enough that I was able to hang out with him further, and develop a relationship that became a book.

The day I wrote this, I got to attend a meet-and-greet with Canadian writer and humorist, Stuart McClean, host of The Vinyl Cafe, because my wife and I were hanging out in the lobby, chatting with his producer after a Vinyl Cafe concert in Indianapolis. It’s the third time I’ve gotten to meet Stuart, having interviewed him twice before, and he remembered who I was. (Which, for a Vinyl Cafe nerd like me, was quite the thrill!)

I’ve met people who have become friends, clients, and valuable referral partners, because I stuck around, chatting with other people who stayed. When I speak, I always stick around until the last person leaves the room, rather than rushing off to go back home or to my hotel room. Those are the people I remember the most, and whose cards are at the top of the pile when it’s time to start sending emails and following Twitter users.

At every event, there are a few people who leave early, for whatever reason. Some people leave so early, you have to wonder why they ever came in the first place. Most people leave as soon as the event is over, ready to go home or to dinner. And few — a very, very few — stick around to see what happens after everything else is done.

This is where the real networking begins. What often happens is that the host, the special guest, and anyone left standing, will have a chance to hang out and get to know each other better. You get to start up new relationships, have a chance to meet some influencers and thought leaders, and meet people who could make a big impact on your professional career.

No, you didn’t get home early. No, you won’t eat dinner until 10:30. Yes, you’re missing your favorite TV show. But these problems are minor. While everyone else is safely tucked away into their home, bellies full, and snuggled up on the couch, you’re sitting in a restaurant booth for three hours, having interesting conversations with some really smart people.

Ninety percent of success may be just showing up, but that’s what 99 percent of the people are doing. It’s the 1 percent, those fortunate few, who get to hang with the people everyone else came to see, and then left when it was all over.

Author:

Erik Deckers is the owner of Professional Blog Service, and the co-author of Branding Yourself: How to Use Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself and No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide to Social Media Marketing. His third book, The Owned Media Doctrine, will be available this summer.

If the answer is “never”, or “not in a while”, and you’re looking for a job, then the time to undertake this important activity is now! You basically need to “mystery shop” your references. Here’s what you’ll need:

An accomplice. You need to enlist the support of someone you can trust. This person is going to be the one you rely on to check your references. You probably couldn’t get away with calling your old boss yourself and disguising your voice. This is what best friends and mothers are there for!

Tough reference questions. Find a friend in HR, or simply do some googling for ideas, but come up with a list of reference questions. And not just the easy ones. You want to see how your reference can handle the heat. What will they say you need to improve on. It’s almost always asked and references typically give an answer on the spectrum between “nothing” to “nothing major”. A good reference taker will probe for a more honest answer.

Notes. Take ample notes regarding your references performance. Try to record as much as possible so that you can refer back to them when deciding what to do next.

Once you’ve checked your own references, you need to consider how they did. Discuss your vetting process with references with which you have a good relationship and coach them to how you want certain questions answered. If you don’t feel comfortable discussing the feedback with your reference, and they didn’t do too well, you should drop them off your reference list.

Yes, in today’s day and age, employers still check references as part of their hiring process. While it’s rare for a reference check to inhibit someone from getting a job, you want to make sure you know what your references are going to say. So check your references!

Author:

Mike Spinale is a corporate Human Resources leader at a healthcare information technology company located outside of Boston, Massachusetts and is an adjunct professor at Southern New Hampshire University. He has over eight years of experience in HR and management including career counseling, recruitment, staffing, employment branding, and talent management. Mike has dedicated his HR career to modern views on the field – HR is not about the personnel files – it’s about bringing on the best talent, ensuring they’re in the right seat, and keeping them motivated and growing in their careers. In addition, Mike is the author of the CareerSpin blog where he offers advice and opinion on job search, personal & employment branding, recruiting, and HR. Mike is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Babson College. He is also a board member of the Metro-North Regional Employment Board, a board which sets workforce development policy for Boston’s Metro-North region, and an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management and the Northeast Human Resources Association.

The 2008/2009 Salary.com job satisfaction survey found that the majority (65%) of ALL American workers admitted to passively or actively looking for a new job. Those who rated themselves as very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their current jobs were as follows: 45% of Baby Boomers, 42% of GenXers, and 35% of GenYers. Some surely felt they were in dead end jobs or working for employers who were struggling. Perhaps some saw little opportunity for personal development or increased income. And many were most definitely concerned about reorganizations, downsizing trends, and other turmoil within their industries.

The economy has improved since the date of this survey, but longitudinal surveys have shown job satisfaction trending downward for the last 20 years. Given the negative factors present in today’s society and workplace, it seems to me that the reported levels of job dissatisfaction are justified.

However, here’s the good news: No matter where your career is currently registering on the Career SuckoMeter, you can most definitely improve your situation greatly. Let’s examine how….

My previous post offered a process to help you determine “what you want to be when you grow up”, so you could better match yourself to professions. That exercise was a great first step toward achieving more career satisfaction. Choosing a profession, as mentioned before, can establish the foundation of your personal brand.

Additionally, it is important to realize that your personal brand is associated with your actual job/title, your employer’s reputation, and the rep of your industry. In this article, I want to encourage you to GO FURTHER and examine additional factors that may be affecting your career happiness – your choice of job, employer, and industry.

As noted in the fourth chapter of my career book Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!):

In prior decades, one of America’s industries might go through significant changes over a period of 3-5 years. Today, we are seeing multiple industries experiencing major changes during such intervals.

Examples of industries that have experienced major global turbulence in the past decade include telecommunications, residential/commercial real estate, music, and publishing. This trend can be anticipated to continue and expand ….

Consider my own career example…

After 25+ years of career growth in telecommunications, the industry tanked during the 2001 recession and my employer cut 40% of the workforce in one day. Being a part of the 40%, I assessed the situation and decided it could be many years before telecommunications would experience a full recovery… if ever. I was faced with the prospect of having greatly reduced career and income opportunities or switching industries. I chose the latter, which led me to the growth industry of career consulting.

I made a change for the better. So can you!

To help you gain clarity regarding the potential benefits of a job, employer, or industry change, I encourage you to create a list as follows:

1. Jot down three things that cause you the most dissatisfaction with your current job.
2. Jot down three things that cause you the most dissatisfaction with your current employer.
3. Jot down three things that cause you the most dissatisfaction with your traditional industry.

Once you have completed your list, ask yourself if the potential benefits of changing one or more of these three factors would be worth the effort. If so, you now have a FOCUS for taking action.

Although career satisfaction is becoming rarer, it is well within your power to make positive changes and improve your individual circumstances. You can control your destiny. Thousands of people are doing this every day. If you are ready for a change, then I encourage you to “just say no” to career dissatisfaction and take decisive action. Now.

Author:

Richard Kirby is an executive career consultant, speaker on career strategies, and author of Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!). Richard Kirby’s earlier experience includes managing engineering, human resources, marketing and sales teams for employers that ranged from a Fortune 100 to a VC-funded entrepreneurial startup. For the past 11 years at Executive Impact, Richard has helped hundreds of executives and professionals successfully navigate today’s transformed 21st century job market and achieve better employment for themselves. Richard’s expertise includes career assessments and goal setting, personal marketing/branding, resume enhancement, strategic networking and job interviewing, and “contrarian” job search methodologies. He is a Board Certified Coach (in career coaching) and a Certified Management Consultant (recognized by the ISO).

The New LinkedIn Contacts App

LinkedIn’s new app, LinkedIn Contacts, is the social company’s latest attempt to make the best of all the issues that networking poses today. The app combines contact information from email accounts such as Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Evernote and even the iPhone address book to give users a wider base of information. The user gets to choose the address books he/she wishes to give the LinkedIn Contacts App access to. This process is based on the works of Connected, a creation that LinkedIn acquired in early 2011.

The LinkedIn Contacts application will enable you to search for your connections across various services, compiling a crisp picture of your relationship history with each person including meetings and past mails. You have the ability to sort your contacts with fully customizable widgets such as ”stay in touch” or ”investors.” Under the tab ‘’To Do,’’ the app highlights all the people you can get in touch with either because they changed jobs pretty recently, it’s their birthday, or simply because they live in an area your itinerary says you’ll soon be visiting. Contacts that are sourced from other services, however, don’t become LinkedIn connections by default. On the LinkedIn website, the To Do prompts sits quietly perched on top of the remodeled ‘Contacts’ tab, and are also sent to you via your daily email.

Relationships and LinkedIn

LinkedIn has grown from feat to feat purely on the basis of word of mouth marketing and the company does not aim to change this business model for its latest endeavor. To this effect, LinkedIn has included a ‘relationship’ module in the app. By collecting information through other sources to enrich the web profiles, the app will keep a tab on your relationship logs with the person whose profile you’re on. You can even leave notes for yourself or set prompts to stay in touch. A great add-on when you’re looking to build your network.

LinkedIn believes that integration with social networks such as Facebook and Twitter is not really necessary as its app offers users everything with a professional perspective in mind. To make it more efficient LinkedIn have launched new features such as notifications, contributed content, and the mention of other users and endorsements. These give users reasons to go to the website or use the app more often than they did before. Word of mouth marketing has increased page views by 67 percent in the last quarter alone according to LinkedIn heads, which suggests that the company’s consumers are indeed happy with the services being offered. And the only way is up with the new app (pun intended).

With this latest venture into the mobile market, LinkedIn will make it even easier for you to stay in touch with your professional connections, while also reaching to more potential customers out there.

Author:

Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog, CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks– a word of mouth marketing firm, and a professional speaker and trainer on developing social networks that work. She provides workshops, webinars, seminars and direct services that help create conversation, connection, credibility, community and commerce around your brand. Maria Duron is founder and moderator of #brandchat - a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of branding that is recognized by Mashable as one the 15 Essential Twitter Chats for Social Media Marketers.