Executive Career Insights

Red Cars, The Secret To Your Career Success?

I remember when I was shopping for my first car...my heart was set on a silver VW beetle with a sunroof, automatic and fully loaded. As I spent several weeks, car shopping, it seemed like everywhere I looked, there were silver VW beetles on the road...it was like they were following me. If you have ever shopped for a new car, especially a red car or anything major ticket item you really wanted, you can relate to what I am talking about.

So what does buying a new car have to do with your executive career? Well, pay close attention to the pattern I was pointing out, when my mind was really focused on buying a new car, more importantly, when I was crystal clear about the goal/end result/desired product, it seemed to manifest everywhere I looked. Of course, the number of silver VW beetles did not multiply overnight, nor do red cars magically take over the roads because you are looking to buy one - however, because your mind is focused on red cars (your goals), you are more intuned with them and open to the potential possibilities...consequently, the opportunities come in your focus more directly.

Alright - enough talk about cars. So I challenge you today - what are you focused on in your career right now?

-- have you given up on ever having a successful career?

-- are you still focused on your long-term career goals despite the economic downturn?

-- are you taking advantage of ALL options to enhance learning opportunities to enhance your career growth?

-- are you comitted to being a valuable contributor despite what appears to be a lack of internal opportunities?

Are you seeing "red-cars" success or are you simply re-playing visions of career failure over and over again? Remember that more often than not, what you "see" is what you will get.

Time to think outside of the box - break up the routine in your career, by accepting a lateral move to be in a different environment, taking on new responsibilities (provided you are not already stretched thin) to diversify your skills, offer to mentor a younger employee to improve your leadership/people development skills...you get my point right?

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Do You Look Like Your Personal Brand?

Exude - to project or display conspicuously or abundantly; radiate

One of my dear friends and a member of my mastermind group, Candy always talks about physically representing your brand and doing it justice regardless of where you go...to church, the supermarket, to hang out with friends or even to the doctor's office. 

Do you think it seems  a little over the top to keep going the extra mile everytime even when "no-one" is looking?

Well, consider this, you are in a job search or thinking about exploring a new career in marketing, you run into an old colleague, Jennifer  who has not seen you in in a decade - you have hit the jackpot because she works as a Chief Marketing Officer at one of your top target companies. Fantastic right? Here is a prime opportunity to secure an informational interview, get referrals or more importantly get a job offer...so back to your personal brand, when Jennifer looks at you what does she see?

• do you look like a marketing executive - even if you are not dressed in a suit?
• do you carry yourself in a manner that portrays the marketing executive you strive to be
• can she look at her an easily picture you being part of the executive team at her company?
• do you have an air of confidence not arrogance that would compell her to talk with you further?
• basically, does your image stand up to your promise of value?

Bottom line, beyond having an authentic, consistent brand, your brand needs to be so strong that it exudes...if you have been following me awhile, you know I practice what I preach. Yes, I have turned around and walked back into the house, if my outfit didn't come together or the color of my purse clashed with my shoes. Why...because if I struck up a conversation with someone on the supermarket checkout line and ended up saying I am an executive career coach, I better look the part of she/he would not be convinced:)

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Career Brand Identity Theft - Who Are You Really Fooling?

About two weeks ago, I was contacted by a potential candidate who recognized the shortcomings of her existing executive resume and wanted to improve brand and career marketing strategies. After a very engaging and insightful conversation, she wanted to learn more about my services and related costs...because we had discussed several things, I offered to provide a detailed breakdown in an email and we hung up on a very positive note.

Pretty confident that she would be ready to move forward, I was a little puzzled when I didn't hear back from her immediately, but decided to follow up as promised. I went into my email inbox, found her last message to me as I wanted to have her resume in front of me as I talked to her again - it was at that point that I noticed she had a unique email signature with hyperlinks to  social media profiles and an online resume.

Well, I clicked on the link to her online resume and was absolutely stunned with what I saw - at first I thought I must have hit the wrong link or pulled up the wrong email. What lay before my eyes was a complete transformation of her executive resume including a graph, quantifiable achievements and a branding statement. Wow - when did this happen? I mean, I spoke to her on Thursday evening and she re-uploaded a new resume by Saturday afternoon. At first, I assumed that she just went with another resume writer, but the level of detail and content in her new resume let me know that it could not have happened overnight.

As I kept reading it through, the format, layout and graphics started to ring a bell with me - you guessed it - she went to my website (and the website of another colleague) and basically copied content, language and phrases she thought worked well with her background. Completely disgusted and disappointed in her lack of integrity, I continued to comb through her other profiles, well that's where "transformation" fell short. She had done a good job of creating this fantastic resume, however, because it was not her brand or her genuine writing style, the rest of her online marketing messages were poorly portrayed and out of line.

What am I saying here? Like the prints at the tip of our fingers only belong to us, so are our personal brands. Just because another executive may have a similar career background and even comparable achievements to your, his/her personal brand is just that - PERSONAL - unique to that individual and no-one else.  Don't be a copycat, discover your own brand...of course, if you are really clueless about how to start, please give me a call, I would love to help you.

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Double Brand or Double Confusion?

As the summer is finally losing it steam and giving way to the fall, I have been diligent about getting organized, clearing out clutter and practicing my version of feng shui:)

In my zest for de-cluttering, I have been getting rid of excessive paperwork that seems to cling to me like glue - that's when I came across not one, but two business cards from someone I met recently at a networking event.

She was purposeful about distributing two different business cards with different companies, different services and different brands to every person at the event. As I reviewed her information again, I thought about how confusing her marketing message was - did she want me to remember Barbara, the real estate agent or Barbara the financial planner. In the end, I determined that neither brand was impressive and discarded both of her business cards. It is very easy to be lulled into thinking that you can maximize your networking results by promoting every service you have to offer - wrong strategy!

So what does this have to do with your executive career brand? Well, before you attend any networking event, you should plan ahead of time what outcome you want - are you looking for new referrals, trying to schedule informational interviews, looking to make face time with key industry leaders or simply get your name known among decision makers and recruiters? Determine the best strategy to make those connections and work it consistently - don't be surprised to find that you may be collecting more business cards than you are distributing - the secret is in how many cards you get rather than handing out 500 cards in one week.

My main message for this post - determine how you want to be perceived, build a clear, consistent brand and make sure that your behavior and other marketing materials support that image, time and time again.

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Is Your Online Brand Effectively Selling You?

I am so excited to announce that I completed the Online ID Strategist certification program through Reach Communications. It was a very interesting and in-depth learning course about online identification and brand management strategies - tools and techniques for executives, careerists and entreprenuers.

You should know by now whenever you are seeking a new job, new consulting gig or even a new contract, potential employers and recruiters will do a Google search on your name BEFORE they call you...yes, this occurs more than 85% of the time. Based on the information that they find, they would have already formed an opinion about you - good or bad - by the time they meet you or have a conversation on the phone.

My question to you today is...if they "Googled" your name what will they find? Well, here are some things you DON'T want them to find:

1. An outdated or sparse LinkedIn profile
2. A link to an unflattering picture of you at a social event or party
3. Tons of links to other people with the same name like yours (but none of referring to you!)
4. An announcement about your new position from ten years ago
5. Links to incomplete social media and social networking profiles
6. Offensive comments made by you on highly controversial blogs
7. Newspaper or magazine articles that describe and portray you in a negative light
8. Absolutely no information or data about you - you don't exist!

As technology continues to define and re-define how we live work and play, think of your Google results as the new millenium resume. If you are not online, get started today.

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Don't Let Your Career Confusion Distort Your Brand

I had the opportunity in the past year to meet and build a relationship with a very talented executive in the consulting field. His marketing materials, blog and website are always well-written and speak directly to his target audience.

Sounds like everything in order, right? Well, in the short time that I have known him, he has shifted focus, client specialty and target market three times - so three times, the websites, marketing materials and communication messages have been extremely different. Everytime I have gotten comfortable with his brand, a few months would pass and it was changed again. See the problem, now?

I know many senior executives who get uncomfortable with the concept of streamlined, branded career marketing strategies and consequently change their "brand" and career communications to suit every job opportunity. It is never a good idea to launch an aggressive job search when you are still trying to figure out your career goals and ideal jobs. I frequently get into a tug-and-war (smile) with clients who want to jump into resume writing with no clear direction of where they want to end up.

Broad, non-specific, generic career brands and non-focused resumes don't increase your chances of more job opportunities, they make you look inconsistent, unsure of yourself and lost. So do yourself a favor, get focused and get clear before you start marketing yourself for a new job.

If you know me, you know I never leave you empty handed:

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Isn't It Time To Turn Your Career Lights Back On?

We are all familiar with electrical blackouts, well, recently, I experienced what you may call a "technology" blackout. For nine long, consecutive days, I was trapped in a time warp with no home-based telephone service and no Internet service. Pretty scary these days, right?

I did my best to stay level-headed as I ran from local libraries to Wifi locations just download my emails and stay connected to the outside world. I swear that the angels were singing and the birds were chirping when the technician showed up and with the click of a mouse, I was connected to the outside world again. Whew! I never want to experience that nightmare again.

No experience is without a great lesson, so my technology blackout got me thinking about how many talented executives are walking around in your own "career blackouts". Due to fear, disappointment or lack of motivation, you have decided to stay in the same place and afraid to move on because you cannot see what is down the road.

Furthermore, you have completely lost touch with old co-workers, you avoid interacting with your peers and 2011 has found you isolated, dissatisfied with your career and completely out of touch.

Well, if any of this sounds like your situation, the new year is always a great opportunity to step out of darkness and have the courage to turn the lights back on. Don't get bogged down with determining the right resume format or creating a profile on every website you can find - instead, start with some deep self-analysis, tap into old, forgotten career dreams and build your bridge to career success, one step at a time.

I can help you get started with five new career management strategies that would benefit you for years to come:

1) Get SMART career plan

True professional success and career mastery don't just happen or fall into place because of good luck - it takes careful planning, diligence and commitment to become a well respected, trusted authority in your industry and profession.

-- Determine where you want to be in the next 12 - 36 months

-- Conduct a gap analysis to identify what you need in terms of education, experience and advanced training/education that will take you to the next level -- Seek out mentors, key industry players and other successful professionals you admire and start connecting with them and building solid relationships.

-- Write down your career aspirations on paper to make them real and personal to you; partner with a career coach to help keep you motivated and on track.

2) Get visible, get found, get active with your personal brand

Your career success is directly tied to your ability to stand out from your peers and colleagues. There are several things that you do better than anyone else and you have to be able to communicate that to employers and recruiters.

Your career/personal brand should clearly reflect and promote your areas of expertise and your unique promise of value.

-- Develop a plan for own personal brand identity system that includes both online and offline strategies.

-- Create and keep an updated LinkedIn profile and make sure it includes recommendations from previous employers and colleagues.

-- Get creative and bring your personal brand and career reputation to life with a VisualCV.

-- Compile a brief Google profile so that you are easily found when interested employers and recruiters want to learn more about you.

-- Join and actively participate in company blogs, industry forum and professional online discussion - it is an excellent way to promote your knowledge and establish yourself as a thought leader.

3) Get insightful and know your value in a nutshell

Your perceived value ROI to companies is directly related the type of salary you can command in your industry and the leverage you have in terms of raises, promotions and bonuses.

However, if you don't know and understand your true value, you cannot wait for someone else to figure it out for you.

-- Be proactive in chronicling your career achievements every six to twelve months.

-- Consider your direct impact and contributions to your company in terms of revenue growth, cost savings, image reputation, customer attraction, market expansion, technology integration and much more.

-- Focus on quantifying your achievements as dollars, cents and percentages really create a compelling story.

-- Keep your resume updated and don't wait until there is a crisis to have a portfolio of career marketing documents handy.

4) Get in the mix and get back to networking

No matter how good you are, success in today's corporate and work environment is a lot easier when you have a vibrant, active and growing professional and personal network.

-- Volunteer for internal and external company events and take advantage of opportunities to represent the company at conferences, forums and trade shows. 

-- Join two or three professional and industry organizations that you can participate in on a regular basis.

-- Think outside the box and seek out new relationships and partnerships with clients, vendors and strategic partners.

5) Get a forward-thinking attitude and stay ahead of the curve

I distinctly remember working with a client several years ago who was laid off from an industry that got through a complete transformation due to technology innovation. She was at a loss when determining her next career move because she had not done anything in 20 years to stay competitive, marketable or employable in her field.

-- Pay attention to evolving trends in your industry and identify the major skills and/or new technologies that are important.

-- Use annual association conferences and local business events as opportunities for informal education.

-- Research and register for appropriate e-courses, training programs and professional certification classes that would directly benefit your career.

Career Planning - The Bridge Between You and Career Success

I have always taken to heart this saying "when you fail to prepare, then prepare to fail". No matter how hard we try with any other approach, true personal and professional success only follows careful planning and hard work.

How many of you are guilty of working hard in a career that just happened?

Imagine for a second how much more rewarding your professional life could be if you took the time to plan your career and orchestrate the steps needed to get to your dream job.

A successful plan will challenge you to look into the future, define your career objectives, identify competency gaps and research the resources you need to move forward.

So here are five simple strategies to help you pull together an effective career plan:

A) Where do you want to be in five years?

When you picture yourself five years from now, what does your career look like? Try to be as detailed as possible - carefully describe your position, your annual salary, really experience your daily tasks and zero in on what parts of the job you love and what value are you bringing to your employer.

You have to walk into the future space and work on bringing it back into reality

B) Where are you now and are you in the right place ?

Now that you have an idea of the great future career that is waiting on you, closely examine where you are now. Are you on track for steady career progression? Will your current job adequately prepare and equip you for long-term career success and career happiness?

If your ultimate goal is to become the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of a private firm then limiting your career experiences to a database administrator for 10+ years is not a good strategy

C) What new skills/strengths do you need for success?

Knowing where you are heading, now do an honest assessment of the key leadership skills, core competencies and job-related strengths needed for your "dream" job. Will you need to complete a new degree, do you need to expand your professional certifications, what skills/qualifications will be most important and relevant?

Don't wait until you are ready to make a move and then find out that you are not fully qualified, start preparing for your dream career today.

D) What is your personal brand and professional reputation?

By now, you should know that your internal and external perceptions play a critical role in your career advancement. What are you most frequently known for among your colleagues? What adjectives and personality traits are usually associated with you? Why do others want you on their team?

Knowing your personal brand and differentiating traits will be very instrumental in your career marketing strategies - remember, you want to build a strong reputation and attract a following now.

E) What resources or contacts do you need to build your career bridge?

No matter how hard working and dedicated you are, career success does not and will not happen in a vacuum. You will need the support of mentors, professional contacts, personal referrals, networking groups, industry associations and much more.

Recognize that reaching your career goal will take time, commitment, money, information, technology and other people - learn what you need to effectively succeed.

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If You Want A New Job, Learn To Love Marketing

I recently worked with a highly experienced professional who was having a tough time with the concept of marketing himself. After our initial strategy session, I dilgently created an attention-getting, achievement-packed career biography only to hear the comment, "I don't like this - I mean, this a career marketing document."

Imagine how amused I was to hear that comment - why, yes, it is a career marketing document because whether you are launching a job search or looking to advance in your current company, you have to embrace the concept of self-marketing.

Being modest, holding back your strengths and being uncomfortable with sharing your value to employers and recruiters gets you nowhere.

Try this exercise:

1) Take a close look at your existing resume - are you telling the readers about what you do OR are you promoting your value proposition, emphasizing your strengths and supporting your marketing message with concrete career accomplishments?

2) Say your elevator pitch out loud - does it simply convey your name, where you have worked and the type of positions you want OR does it grab the listener's attention with a unique value of promise and give some insight to your brand reputation?

3) Review your LinkedIn profile - is it a rehash of your professional resume and reads like a collection of job descriptions OR is it a SEO-optimized, branded career summary that captures the attention of recruiters and employers in a few minutes?

4) Examine your job search strategies - are super-committed to the online boards and job sites OR are you proactively building new relationships wih key contacts and attending strategic events to interface directly with decision makers and industry influencers?

5) Rate your recent interview performance - are you spending most of your time "telling" the interview about your responsbilities OR are you supporting your candidacy with real-life examples of company contributions through a Challenge-Action-Results format?

Like it or not, if you want to succeed in your industry, be selected for high-profile projects in your company, get hand-picked for unique initiatives ahead of your colleagues, it is ALL about marketing.

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7 Ways To Rev Up Your Personal Brand

You cannot live or breathe today without hearing about personal branding. By now, you should understand that identifying your own unique personal brand is very critical for personal, business and career success.

After all, who wants to blend in with everyone else? Without a standout, memorable personal brand where would successful people like Martha Stewart, Michael Jordan, Madonna, Prince and Donald Trump be?

Well, let's assume that you have done the hard work, soul-searching and in-depth analysis required to identify your personal brand, now how do you make it a part of your everyday life?

Here are 7 ways that you can successfully exude and promote your personal brand so that it becomes natural perception of who you are - both to yourself and to others who encounter you.

1) Develop and master a unique subject matter – focus on area that you want to learn more about, one that is close to your heart and something that drives your passion. Aim to be that "go-to" person on the topic or area of specialty.

2) Write about it – why keep your expertise and area of knowledge to yourself? Identify online channels and print publications to share your knowledge wealth with others.

3) Take it to the road – partner with professional, social, association and other membership-based groups to offer lectures, seminars and speciatly classes.

4) Create a following – want to consistently share your thoughts with others? Establish your own blog, set up a Twitter account that links to you blog and talk/write to your heart's content.

5) Design a customized email signature – allow others to quickly learn more about you and your value proposition through a distinctive email signature. Don't be afraid to be creative and add your photo, personal brand statement, links to your social profiles, blog and website and your own signature colors and/or symbols.

6) Use personalized note cards/business – maintain a consistent theme with colors, brand attributes and messaging with all your stationery and accessories. Don't forget nice pens that carry your brand message.

7) Prepare a 30-second pitch that sells you – put together a personal introduction that is memorable and compelling - you want to make it easy for people to remember you. Use this pitch in networking events, group presentations, and even social events.

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