As someone who has read, researched, and written various articles on career advice, I’ve noticed that there is a common lingo that many career advice blogs and websites share. It’s the same lingo you see in corporate management books, the same stuff you hear on TV shows in which talking heads give their own advice to would-be job-seekers. “Personal branding” is one such example of the business nomenclature, and if you really want a job, you better learn to understand and interpret these buzzwords.
At the same time, however, “personal branding” has always struck me as a somewhat vulgar way of describe a human being. Aren’t brands what we affix to objects in grocery store aisles? Aren’t brands for marking cows by searing of their flesh with a molten-hot piece of metal? All I can say is ouch. Personal branding is nonetheless a useful strategy, and here are a few ways to employ the term’s more meaningful concepts, chuck the corporate jargon, and avoid the pitfalls.
1. Your brand is all about who you truly are
Personal branding is a metaphor, nothing more, nothing less. You are a human, not a brand. Be yourself.
The term “personal branding” obviously comes from the marketing strategies that companies used to get people to recognize and value their products and services. This product branding is accomplished using various methods, which have become more complex with the rise of the Internet. But translating product branding directly into personal branding that is, taking the metaphor too seriously runs the risk of you thinking you need to completely transform yourself into a self-marketing machine by whatever means possible. Good personal branding always starts with understanding who you truly are and making that known to the right people.
2. Actions speak louder than words
Presentation is important, but there has to be a man behind the microphone. Doing a Wizard of Oz is the wrong way of approaching personal branding.
Actions, as the saying goes, always speak louder than words. You can have the flashiest presentation, but if you don’t have substantive tasks, actions, and projects you have accomplished, then all the self-promotion in the world isn’t going to get you anywhere. I challenge job-seekers to accomplish, in the real world, tangible goals that help other people, before even starting on personal branding.
3. Make it a team effort
Standing out is important, but standing out by promoting and motivating the work of others is even better.
There is a tendency within many who hew to zealously to personal branding strategies to make it all about ME. When you become too motivated by the self-marketing methods that some personal branding strategies promote, you often do so at the expense of becoming really involved with a team effort by trying too hard to outshine others. But, consider this a true leader is someone who can inspire others to believe in themselves, not just the leader. If you want to develop leadership skills and work with a successful team, you will have to put the philosophy of “standing out” to the side.
4. Know your personal brand channels
Online personal branding doesn’t have to be flashy. Don’t participate in certain things unless it’s genuine.
Of course, personal branding online is highly participatory in nature, and keeping up a blog, and a presence through various social networks like Personal Branding Workshops running in the UK and further afield.
Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She enjoys strong coffee, a Russian accent and a well groomed moustache.
Before you jump into the interview, it is crucial that we first take a step backward and try to see the interview purely from the interviewer’s point of view.
What is he looking for? What does he want? What qualities, skills and experience is he looking for?
If you can discover what he really wants – and match those requirements one-by-one, you’ll be amazed at how smooth and successful the interview can be.
KEY REQUIREMENTS:
Ability
Let’s not kid ourselves.
You can know all the tricks of the trade. Be an expert in every aspect of interview psychology. And even have the prettiest, hand-printed resumes – it really won’t make the slightest difference unless you have the actual skills and ability to do the job advertised.
This is any interviewer’s first objective: to ascertain if you have the ability to successfully carry out the functions you will be given if you get the job.
But during the interview, it is not only essential that you inform the interviewer of your qualifications to do the job, but that you can prove it to him there and then.
It is one thing being able to actually do the job – but quite another thing being able to convince the interviewer of this reality in a positive and enthusiastic manner during the brief span of an interview.
In fact, this ability is the key difference that separates the winners from the losers.
Let’s take an example.
Mr. Joe Ordinary is going for an interview for the position of computer programmer. The company is looking for a hardworking computer programmer who will help them develop a new software program.
The interviewer asks Mr. Ordinary, “Can you do the job?”
Joe Ordinary smiles: “Yes I can…….. It should be good……very interesting….looking forward to it……”
Now notice the difference when Mr. Joe Winner is asked the same question.
He knows he must not only tell his interviewer that he can do the job but prove it in such a way that the interviewer will not believe him but be excited by his potential.
But how?
The secret is, in fact very simple: for every skill you list, always recall an incident in which you successfully used that skill.
Paint a picture in words for the interviewers so that they can actually see you using this skill in their mind’s eye.
Before we get back to our computer programmer, let me give you this example:
Anne Malone desperately wanted the job of manager at her local florist shop. During the interview, the owner said she was looking for someone who was hardworking and very ambitious to look after and build up the business.
Most applicants would have said, “Yes, I’m determined and will definitely strive to increase your turnover and profits. Yes I can do it…..definitely.”
Anne, however not only made a similar statement, but she backed it up with a real-life practical example.
She brought her statement to life.
She recalled her part-time summer job in a florist shop when she was a student. She told the story of how when she started the job, she noticed that the shop looked ‘run-down – that it lacked ‘sparkle’ and a sense of ‘freshness’
So she told the interviewer how she went to the shop’s owner and how she managed to get her to agree that when she worked in the shop over the weekend, she would get an extra commission for all the extra customers she could attract to the shop.
So the following weekend Anne used her own money and managed to persuade her family and friends to help her re-paint and re-fashion the shop and deliver a single fresh free flower to every house in the surrounding area. And the shop’s sales blossomed.
Can you now see the difference between just saying to an interviewer ” I can do the job” to actually bringing such a statement to life.
And that’s how Mr. Joe Winner answers his questions. When he is asked can he do the job -he not only confirms his ability but he backs it up with personal examples of how, for example he programmed similar software for other High-Tec companies. In fact for every skill he lists he backs it up with personal examples. He paints vivid word pictures.
Yes, this seem simple.
Yet in the thousands and thousands of interviews, I have sat through the vast majority of people will simply answer such questions with a bland ..”Yes, I’m confident I can do the job… and leave it at that hoping the interviewer will be happy with that.
He may be happy but will he be impressed? After the interview will you stand out from the other candidates?
Remember: every time you detail a specific skill that you can contribute to the business don’t just make a bland statement, “I can do this and I can do that” – always back it up with personal real-life examples. Paint a picture of yourself putting these skills into practical and profitable use so that the interviewer can see this picture in his/her mind.
And, of course, always bring with you any documentation (neatly assembled in a smart folder) that will add weight and substance to your claims. Extra references, awards or prizes, for example you may have won or articles and reports that you may have written that stand out.
Proving that you can do the job is the essential first step of the interview and the interviewer’s first and main concern. Before he proceeds to the next stage of the interview, he will want to be sure in his own mind you are capable of doing the job. It is your job to convince him.
Suitability
The interview proceeds.
The tone has changed. It has become more open, more relaxed. The original awkwardness you felt is beginning to dissipate. The interviewer is now happy that you at least have the necessary ability to carry out the basic requirements of the job. Now he’ll want to know more about you. After all, he and his fellow colleagues may be spending a lot of their lives working with you.
So he will now try to find out if you are personally suitable for the job. He’ll start to focus on trying to ascertain what type of person you are.
To do this, most interviewers will try to see how you measure up under the following headings.
Desire / energy: Do you seem energetic? A person who gets up and does things with enthusiasm. Do you seem the type of person who wants to get ahead – who’ll make a real difference?
Confidence / determination: Do you seem a relaxed, friendly yet confident person? Someone who’ll be able to get on with others? Also someone who’ll stick to a task until it is done.
Independent. What the interviewer is looking for here is someone who can be a team player and follow the directions of his supervisor but yet still have the maturity to be able to work unsupervised and direct and motivate herself. The employer is looking to see if you have this balance.
Motivation: Are you the type of person who wants to do well. To get ahead. To impress with your professionalism. To innovate. To build.
Power of communication: Have you the ability to mix and get on with people by communicating clearly and effectively. Will you be able to take extra responsibility in the future and be able to lead and motivate people through effective communication skills?
Likeability: Do you seem a friendly, OK person. This does not mean that you have to be perfect or the most popular person around. They just want to know if you are a friendly and easy person to get along with. Someone who will add to their existing team and not disrupt it.
How Professional Are You?
A new stage of the interview now starts to emerge.
The interviewer has now got to know you even more. There is a definite softening in the atmosphere.
An embryonic personal relationship seems to be developing between you and your fellow interviewers and you notice most of your pre-interview tension seems to have gone. You begin to allow yourself to relax a bit more.
The interviewer, too seems ‘more human’. At this stage, he is convinced you have the skills to do the job; he likes you; he feels you are personally suitable and he finds it easy to communicate with you.
In his own mind, he is now beginning to see you not as an interviewee but as a potential employee.
For the interviewer, this is an important turning point. And he’ll now want to take an even closer look at you from a professional business point of view.
He’ll want to make sure that you’ll be an asset to the firm, that you’ll act in a professional manner and be loyal, reliable and trustworthy and be committed to the company.
As you speak and answer his questions, he’ll now be trying to evaluate you under the following main headings.
Reliability: Do you seem honest, reliable. Someone who will do an honest day’s work? Someone who is straightforward and has enough respect and pride in themselves to always want to do a good job.
Honesty: Do you seem an honest, trustworthy person? Someone whom they can have full confidence in? Someone they could leave the keys to lock up at the end of the day?
Dedication? Do you seem hardworking and dedicated? Someone who starts a project and finishes it? A starter and a finisher? Someone who does not look for excuses to cover up failings and moans about everything?
Communication: As discussed earlier under personal suitability, are you the type of person who can get on with and communicate with all levels of the company from the tea lady to the M.D.?
Commitment: The interviewer is trying to judge if you got the job would you commit yourself fully to it?
For example, what would you say if you were going for the job as a middle- manager and the interviewer asked you: “As an employee, would you clean the floors?” What the interviewer really wants to find out here is how committed you would be to the team – how willing you would be to roll up your sleeves and do whatever is necessary to help your team get the job done.
Don’t only answer yes, but make sure you also give a personal example of a similar situation where you helped out to back up your answer.
The Last Check?
Let’s see how the interviewer’s thought processes are operating now.
He’s happy you can do the job and that you are personally suitable. He’s also confident that you’ll get on with most of the staff and that you have all the necessary professional commercial qualities that he requires from his employees.
You almost have the job!
The interviewer is now beginning to visualize you as a future colleague. Someone who he will be working with and someone he will possibly be responsible for managing.
Manageability
All during the interview, this question will be at the back of the interviewer’s mind. How manageable will you be? The last thing a manager wants is an employee who he thinks might cause trouble in the future and cause him sleepless nights!
And so a lot of his questions will be aimed at helping him come to a considered judgment on your ability not only to work alone unsupervised but also on your ability to work with others. He will also want to judge your ability to take direction and criticism not only when it is honestly given but also when you may be treated unfairly.
The interviewer/manager knows that a lot of the time, in the real business world things go wrong, people make mistakes, deadlines and commitments are broken and tempers are ignited. The interviewer wants to consider how you might react to such circumstances?
So be aware of these questions when they arise and the real motivation behind them. Also when you sense such questions are being asked treat it as a positive sign that the interviewer is seriously considering you for the position.
Last thoughts
What we have presented here is only a very general outline of the interviewer’s possible thought processes as the interview progresses.
Each interview is unique and it’s structure and tempo will change and adopt to accommodate the different personalities involved.
However, it is very helpful to be aware of the key stages of your interview and to have a deepening understanding of what your interviewer is really looking for when he asks you certain questions.
For a book with professional answers to all those difficult job interview questions together with interactive mock interviews and IQ tests, check out the Ultimate Interview Guide now.
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In an economy that is being called the worst since the Great Depression, I have changed my job.
Twice.
I felt like I woke up each day to put my life on hold while accepting a bribe to stare blankly at a computer or to do work at the whim of a supervisor. Holding back my passion and enthusiasm, I lasted a year and a half in my first post-college job, and six months at the second. Intuition told me that I wouldn’t make it to my six-month anniversary in the another desk job, so I finally chose to follow the whispers of longing in my heart. I have become almost more familiar with the fear of change as well as the terror of having no idea what lies ahead than I am with a steady paycheck.
Speaking from experience, if you want to leave a job you hate I suggest you make a game plan and write it down.
Now throw the plan away.
In the short term it may not be possible to make a career change, and there are a number of ways that you can start enjoying yourself more at work while you plan for the inevitable job and/or career change. I highly recommend the blog post, “12 Kickass Ways To Love Your Job and Your Life”, written by social entrepreneur, Arvind Devalia, which offers solutions and provides perspective to bring more joy to your current situation.
Or to at least make the misery not quite so bad.
For regardless of how much you read, plan and consult, happiness is not likely to align with your chronological, biological, professional, and societal agendas. It might not align with your fiscal agenda either, but by the time you are happy you may find the other agendas less pressing. There is overwhelming scientific and anecdotal evidence that fame and fortune contribute to happiness only to a point.
Your salary affords you your basic needs, and that last promotion bought you your dream house, but thanks to the Law of Diminishing Returns, your quality of life increases per dollar earned at a steadily decreasing rate. Eventually, even as you earn more and more money, your happiness stops increasing at all. You apply yourself more and become more disciplined; I just need to earn a little bit more to buy x and y, and THEN I’ll be fulfilled, you say. But at this zero-happiness-increase point you still feel something is missing because the new purchases only fill the void momentarily.
As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being. – Carl Jung
The truth is, something is missing. The billions and trillions of dollars in the worldwere unsuccessful in bringing satiety, even temporarily, to the enormous emptiness that lies inside you. It is okay to choose to be distracted from the emptiness for the rest of your life by shiny new gadgets surrounding us, for in the face of familiarity and knowing, daunting is the darkness and turmoil of not knowing what lies ahead and relying solely on the enormous space within you.
But I am here to tell you, do not fear the emptiness. This is were the first inklings of true success start to grow, for creation is only formed out of this rich, dark emptiness. The blog Zen Habits writes about The No. 1 Habit of Highly Creative People by questioning known creatives about the habits that they consider important to their creativity.
The habit that stood out the most was the need for solitude. Creativity needs to have space to flourish where there is no threat of cell phones, traffic lights, or holiday sales to momentarily distract. Chock full of mental calculations and physical reactions, a logical plan keeps the mind in charge, but the unknown- having no plan at all- forces the mind to let go; emotions rise in a space where there is no logical analysis to quench them, where a passionate fire awaits to spark the genius.
The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves. – Carl Jung
In my last job, I experienced overwhelming feelings of frustration and betrayal; fear and anger grew as I felt the time for change grow nearer. It took me long months of staying indoors and avoiding the mirror before I learned to appreciate my anger instead of to suppress it. And then, armed with my passion but faced with an unknown future, I felt lost. I am still learning to embrace feeling blind and lost. In my efforts to overcome the feelings of failure and fear, I can see that I’ve been trying to force the creative Me out in the same manner that I would pop a zit.
Jill Yotz is a freelance writer and entrepreneur, based out of Seattle with a degree in Economics from the University of Washington. She focuses on how creativity and entrepreneurship work together to build networks and develop lasting and meaningful business ideas. Learn more about the intersections of creativity and entrepreneurship on her blog,
On a trip to the mall, I saw two young ladies who obviously had coordinated their wardrobes that morning. That fact was rather apparent due to their blindingly white knee-high leather boots and matching white leather purses. They did make a bit of a statement there. It got me thinking about personal branding, job hunting,…
Sure you worked 15 years in shipping or marketing but this doesn’t mean anything to a manager in a foreign country looking for a new team member. Clearly state your transferable skills in your resume. Remember that years of experience back home often equates to ‘zero experience in the local market.’
Unless you have years of local market experience you will need to clearly show which skills will make you successful in your new career. These success skills are your bright spots. Make sure they shine in your resume.
2. Demonstrate your value
The best way to show your worth to an expat firm is to focus on your achievements. Nothing speaks better than what you did well in the past. Remember your achievements need to answer three main points:
• What was done?
• For whom?
• What was the result? (Figures speak better than words, use % or $)
Make a list of your achievements, use them as a guide, they will help you define a credible expat career objective and also script the conversation during your interview.
3. Find mentors
Find someone you trust in your community and ask him or her for a referral to a person who works in a field you are interested in. The key word is trust. You want to build a tribe based on trust.
Mentors will give you advice and what the main challenges are in their field. Always make sure you ask for referrals to other members of your mentor’s tribe. Do not be a user. Make sure you keep in touch with your mentors when you have landed your dream expat career.
4. Learn about the new home
When I first arrived in Dubai in 1999 nobody back home had heard of it. Later, many multinationals setup their MENA (Middle East and North Africa) offices there and expat professionals make up 80% of the population. As the expat population grew so did the ‘incidents’ with the local population, due to a lack of cultural knowledge. From losing your job to ending up in jail, cultural awareness can be vital to thriving in your new home.
5. Develop a strong personal brand
Now that you have a good idea of your value, the cultural context and what the main challenges are in the field you chose, make sure you position yourself for career success. Developing a strong personal brand will enhance your chances to be noticed or recognized for your unique attributes and achievements.
6. Blog
doubt in your life. Acquire skills to live with that little voice which wakes you up at 3am wondering if you will get a promotion/job abroad. The best tool to deal with doubt comes from judging situations and finding opportunities when they arise. Become a great decision maker rather than a planner.
8. Learn the language
Once you have set your sights on a specific country, start learning the language. You do not have to be fluent but being able to shop at the local store and get directions, are a must. You will be overwhelmed during the first weeks of your arrival, learning the local language as well as local customs and cultural dos and don’ts will go a long way in decreasing this stress.
9. Prepare your exit
Earlier I told you not to plan your career but this is one thing you know will happen. You will leave your current job and move to another one. Sooner or later you will have to do it if you want your career to grow. Please tell me you don’t still believe you can climb the career ladder in the same firm for the next 30 years? Ah! Good.
Do not wait to be frustrated, fed up and angry with your current boss or job to do this. Prepare a professional letter to your boss, meet and explain why you are leaving. Stay courteous until the end of your notice period.
10. Choose wisely
Just because the posting is in a foreign country it does not mean the rules go out the window. A lot of times these days we are pressured to find a perfect career, defined as the job you would do even if you didn’t get paid. This is insane.
Looking for an expat career with this mindset means you will look for a long time. It is totally impossible to simply do ‘what you love’. Rather focus on doing what you are. Do something that caters to your bright spots.
