career guide - Don Huse's Blog

Some basics for building your online brand

 If you have not discovered the Job Search Strategy Guide ebook, you can find it here. Below is an excerpt from the fourth section:

Build Your Online Brand 

One of the most important weapons in your career management arsenal is your online presence. If you are a serious candidate for a position it is very likely that at some point an Internet search will be done to discover what can be learned about you. To see what others will find, “google” yourself. Enter your name in quotations for a more efficient search, and there you will see what recruiters, hiring professionals, and potential customers will find when conducting a search about you. If you are like most people, there will either be bits and pieces of information, or nothing at all. Here is your opportunity to tell your story and communicate your brand.

LinkedIn.com is a great place to start your online branding and networking. The professional summary is an important branding element. Your career coach can help you develop your message and fine-tune your summary prior to posting. Your LinkedIn profile will optimize your visibility on search engines and will likely be the highest-ranked item on the search results page. An additional benefit is the ability to build your network on the LinkedIn site. You will watch your exposure grow exponentially through your added contacts, bringing you closer to hiring managers in companies of potential interest. Also, members of your network have the ability to write endorsements, so the searcher sees not only your professional profile, but also recommendations that others have made about you.

If you have a more common name like John Smith, it will be challenging to differentiate yourself from all the other John Smiths out there. Experiment with using various forms of your name to see where you have the least competition. Try using your full first name, your middle initial, or full middle name. The point is that when a hiring manager, HR professional, or recruiter searches for you online, you want to be found. You will be lost among millions of results in a search for “John Smith” (unless you happen to be the founder of Jamestown), whereas a search for “Jonathan Reginald Smith” currently yields only one result. Once you have decided what form of your name you are going to use, be sure to use the same format on your resume for consistency.

Zoominfo.com, a data aggregator, is another effective tool for gaining additional exposure. At Zoominfo you may find a profile created for you from miscellaneous information already found online, i.e. association websites, articles you have written or that mention you. You will want to claim any existing profile and add your professional summary and other historical data. If you do not find an existing profile you can build one from scratch.

VisualCV.com is an exciting tool that offers the opportunity to create your own website using resume content, charts, graphs, video and other information. It is a powerful application but requires creativity and planning to take full advantage of the resources offered. You can start by importing information from your LinkedIn profile and build from there.

A strong online presence gives you a significant competitive advantage. These steps will help you communicate your value to people who are inquiring about you.

Making a mess of a career transition

In the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of the Harvard Business Review there is an excellent article by Boris Groysberg and Robin Abrahams titled Five Ways to Bungle a Job Change. The authors warn about these five common mistakes.

1. Not doing enough research. Failing to understand the job-market realities of their industry or function, the potential employers financial stability and market position, the cultural fit, and the degree to which the job title and description accurately reflect the role make the success of any move a role of the dice.
2. Leaving for money. Often the lure of higher compensation results in overlooking information that might reveal the potential for success and satisfaction in the new position.
3. Going "from" rather than "to." Making a move to escape an unhappy situation rarely results in a good career decision. It is important to be genuinely excited about the well researched opportunity you are moving to.
4. Overestimating yourself. I have referred to this before. Concerning this tendency, Groysberg and Abrahams report, "Their excessively optimistic view of themselves leads them to underestimate how long a job search will take and what the switching costs will be. Such job seekers also overestimate the salary they can command and their capacity to deal with the challenges of new position."
5. Thinking short term. The spirit of the age is to seek immediate gratification. Failing to, as Stephen Covey taught us, "begin with the end in mind" can have significant and often lifelong consequences.

You can find the HBR article here.

Marketing yourself

 If you have not discovered the Job Search Strategy Guide ebook, you can find it here. Below is an excerpt from the third section:

Design Your Personal Marketing Materials 

Using an approach that utilizes a marketing concept works well when developing information that is sent to prospective employers, or in sharing information about yourself. In developing your materials, present those key skills and accomplishments that best represent the value you bring to a company. Use strong words such as “directed”, “implemented”, “created”, and “developed” when identifying these strengths. Statements should be made in the third person, such as: “Directed the development of a corporate strategic plan during a crucial acquisition …” When developing a resume, use relevant buzz words to describe yourself, particularly when responding to an ad. Identify key words used in the posting and incorporate those words as related to your experience. Resumes should include your key strengths, quantifiable accomplishments, and a chronological history including key job responsibilities. Include education and certifications as they apply to the job and company.

Who are you?

 If you have not discovered the Job Search Strategy Guide ebook, you can find it here. Below is an excerpt from the second section:

Create Your Personal Commercial 

Once you identify the skills and expertise you have to offer, you must then be able to articulate them. You have less than a minute to make a first impression. This includes not only how you look, but also the words you use to describe yourself. This statement should not be more than 60 to 90 seconds. It answers the question: “Tell me a little bit about yourself.” In addition to providing your key areas of expertise, you must communicate what value you bring to that company. Once you develop a brief commercial template, it can be tailored to the needs of specific companies as needed. This can be used in: (1) a social networking function, (2) a meeting with an executive/key company employee, or (3) during an interview.

In developing your personal commercial, consider:

• Who are you?
• Why would the company “buy” you (your value)?
• What skills can you provide?
• What are your relevant key accomplishments?

"If it seems too good to be true . . . ."

That's right. It probably is. Current economic conditions have lead to a proliferation of job search scams. Clever con artists, pretending to offer you a job, will take your private information and sometimes involve you in their illegal activities such as money laundering.

Venturion encourages those in career transition to read the following:

• Six signs it's a job scam - CNN.com can be found here.
• Avoiding Online Job Scams | Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, found here.