General Careers Articles

Article / Updated 11-28-2022

Fear of failure is probably the second biggest cause of failure. The first is fear of the unknown — just watch any horror movie. The easiest way to overcome these fears is to take action. Don't succumb to the common affliction of paralysis by analysis. Simply forge ahead with your plans. If you don't like that approach, following, are several techniques you can use to reduce and perhaps even eliminate the fear that's weighing you down. Fear isn't necessarily bad. It can motivate you to achieve even higher levels of success, if you handle it properly. Let fear motivate you, not defeat you. Researching the viability of an idea or opportunity You may be able to ease into a risky venture through research and planning. If you're afraid of implementing a new plan because of the risks you think are involved or the amount of time, effort, and money it may require, research in books, the Internet, and periodicals. The mere act of taking the initiative to do some research can give you the momentum you need to actually launch your new idea. Don't get in the rut of thinking that research is an end in itself. You eventually have to make a decision and then take action. You won't hit anything if you don't pull the trigger. Following the footprints Success leaves huge footprints that are pretty tough to miss. As you perform your initial research, keep an eye peeled for footprints along the same path you want to take and discuss your ideas with trustworthy colleagues and friends. Many times, simply talking about an idea generates enough buzz to drive the people you really need to talk to directly to your door. After you identify those who've succeeded before you, contact them to discuss your ideas. The most highly successful people are usually the most generous with their time and expertise. After all, that's probably how they became highly successful. Setting achievable milestones When you have a vision that seems overwhelming and perhaps grandiose in the eyes of some, break it down into more manageable units. Then, identify one task and get started. Getting started is often the hardest part. Each little success can spur you on to the next project, and your momentum can carry you somewhere you've never imagined, so just get started and find out the rest later. Focusing on the present When it comes to implementing a new strategy or technology that can boost business, don't let concerns about the future or about costs paralyze you. Jot down a list of tasks you must accomplish to achieve your goal and then run through the list, tackling one task after another. Eventually, you'll discover that you've run out of tasks and have achieved your goal.

Article / Updated 08-16-2022

Why not infuse your portfolio with your personal brand? A portfolio is a collection of documents that validate your accomplishments and professional achievements when you go on a job interview (or when you meet with a new client). This tool helps you remember all that you have done in your past to build your personal brand. Portfolios provide evidence of your credibility. Having possession of your documents not only provides proof of your work to use as a marketing tool but gives you the confidence to speak to your brand. Your portfolio may be compiled in a section of your file cabinet, scanned into an electronic file on your computer, or put into a file box. These days, portfolios are often saved to online repositories — such as Espressowork.com and, for creative work, Behance.net — that provide electronic access to all these documents. Follow the steps at Wikihow to create your own portfolio. But even as society moves away from paper and toward the computing cloud, it’s a good idea to create a portfolio binder that contains paper copies of documents that demonstrate who you are. Sharing such a binder with a prospective employer or new client is an impressive way to highlight and prove that you have done what you have said you could do on your resume. This printed portfolio is especially helpful for people who need to show writing samples or visual representation of their work. Credit: Courtesy of Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI Here are some things to include in your portfolio: Your branded resume Your branded biography Letters of recommendation, at least one or two of which are current Sample projects Articles that you have written Past business cards Academic degrees Certifications and licenses Employee reviews A list of key successes from your work A list of awards you have received Volunteer service documents A list of professional contributions, such as committees you have chaired or evidence of how you have contributed to your profession Thank-you notes you have received Social networking site profiles Print copies of multimedia presentations you have created

Article / Updated 08-10-2022

Your unique promise of value and your personal brand statement are closely linked; the statement is an expression of the promise. Both of them focus on what your target audience expects from you; they create an expectation of what you can deliver. These pieces of your personal brand profile are probably the most important (no pressure!), so you want to take your time and get them right before you start to communicate with your target audience. Identifying your unique promise of value Your unique promise of value is a promise that you make to your target market that your brand will fulfill. It’s the personal aspect of your brand that is aligned with your mission and values. Your promise of value is the essence of what you have to offer and guides you in how you live your personal brand. It clarifies and communicates what makes you special — what makes you different from other people. Crafting this promise requires understanding your values, interests, strengths, and personal qualities and using them to distinguish yourself. Lida Citroën, in her book Reputation 360 (Palisades Publishing), offers this advice when crafting your brand promise: Your brand promise should look something like this: “In order to be known for (your desired brand qualities), I will hold myself out to others in this way: (your behavior, actions, attitude); and I will demonstrate authenticity in this way: (how you will let people see you as real, genuine). I will know my brand promise is working when I see this: (benefits, goals you hope to achieve).” You must be able to live up to your promise of value. You’re always better off under-promising and over-delivering to those you serve. Your brand promise is what you want to be known for. It can be the promise of value of who you are today or it can be written as who you aspire to become. Here’s an example of a unique promise of value: I am known for my creativity, enthusiasm, and intelligence by serving each client with respect, giving them individual attention, and treating them with unconditional positive regard. I am an expert in my field and use my knowledge to help my clients and students excel. My clients appreciate my solid, grounded approach during times of transition and trust my guidance through the process. Move from your promise to your personal brand statement After you’re satisfied with what you’ve developed as your unique promise of value, you can turn your attention to writing the all-important personal brand statement. When you work on your own statement, keep in mind the central themes that emerge and think about your attributes. Then, envision your best self! To begin your thought process on what your brand might include, answer the following questions: What three or four keywords describe your essential qualities quickly and clearly? What is your essence factor, the core of who you are? “I know I am in my element when __________.” What is your authority factor, the knowledge that you hold and skills that you possess? “People recognize my expertise in _________.” What is your superstar factor, the qualities that set you apart? (This factor is how you get things done or what you’re known for.) “People comment on my ability to ___________.” Pepper your statement with “wow” words When writing your personal brand statement, you want to use words that best describe what you offer. The words you use should highlight your emotional attributes and motivate you so that you can deliver that brand to your target audience. Then, to communicate the action in your message, add key verbs like the ones listed here. Accomplish Analyze Articulate Budget Calculate Capitalize Classify Close Collaborate Communicate Conceptualize Conclude Decrease Demonstrate Distribute Educate Empower Engineer Enhance Examine Exceed Generate Identify Influence Integrate Listen Manufacture Mastermind Maximize Navigate Network Organize Pilot Pioneer Prospect Rebuild Redesign Reengineer Rehabilitate Simplify Slash Sold Strategize Supervise Systematize Teach Transition Upgrade Drafting your statement To give you a sense of what a personal brand statement could look like, here are examples: I am passionate about the development of people and am able to lighten the mood with my humor. I enjoy bringing that competitive spirit to solving my clients’ key advertising problems. The continuous challenge to learn fuels my love of accumulating knowledge. Driven by the energy of connections to others, I apply my solid intelligence as the interpreter of complex issues to create practical solutions while bringing a sense of fun into every situation. Grounded in my core beliefs, I identify the patterns and am able to look strategically into the future with a global perspective. Analyzing the DNA blueprint for my clients, I act as the bond between science and business to find opportunities by joining people and businesses through unique value-added insights. Acting as the conductor to the orchestra of people that I lead, I bring the pieces together to close I am the visionary sales leader of the South American practice. my customers count on me to navigate the complexities of multinational business. I am admired for not only how I lead my high-growth business but also for my work in the community in creating pathways out of poverty for those that I serve. My own statement reads this way: I bring creativity and enthusiasm into the lives of professionals using my expertise in career development and personal branding with an intelligent, customized approach. Gather keywords to use as a starting point for writing your statement, and then let it simmer until you know how you want to express yourself.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-08-2022

The secret is out: Working from home can be a sustainable, successful option for professionals in today’s global economy. As you jump into working from home, be sure to follow a few pieces of important advice, as well as some virtual meeting etiquette.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-07-2022

Wouldn’t it be nice to boost your productivity and performance at work without having to put in extra hours or break your back in the meantime? Being effective at what you do takes a little bit of planning, some basic tools, and a lot of positivity.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-25-2022

Whether you want to know how to succeed in life or how to succeed in business, you need to create habits for success. Success, or excellence, is always created by establishing positive, repetitive habits. Unfortunately, almost anything we do repeatedly can lose its luster, passion, and energy. Without doing something repeatedly, you won’t establish it as a habit. When you focus on repeating the actions that lead to success, you create habits. So, repeating and success are like peas and carrots: They go together.

Article / Updated 03-07-2022

Women want to be given the same opportunities to succeed as men, but often they want to succeed in a different way. The generalization goes that women (more than men) tend to embrace the desire to want to live more authentically, and that translates into being more of who they are in the workplace. Be your authentic self Personal branding is about living your authentic self and building on natural talents and strengths. In general, some of the following characteristics may be more true for women as a group than for their male counterparts: Collaborators Connectors Socially oriented Focused on community Natural multitaskers Awareness of visual identity Strong verbal communicators Empathetic and intuitive Engaged in stories Builders of deeper relationships When a woman works on her personal brand, she needs to let go of the fear that these characteristics are bad things in the workplace (especially if she’s in a male-dominated work environment). Often, male coworkers don’t see these qualities as intellectual or as worthwhile as the characteristics of individuality, facts, and logic. These are the complex subtleties that women face every day in the workplace. As you refine your brand, you continually need to be true to yourself and to know how to play the game in your particular workplace. In rapidly changing work environments, the rules aren’t as clear for women about how to be who you are, what you should wear, and what qualities are acceptable. Building a female personal brand means focusing on your best self within the variables that you can control and not being afraid to be seen for your uniqueness. Be confident in what you know The story goes that there was a dinner with a group of partners in a professional services firm. The event was equally comprised of men and women. One of the men at the table was a senior leader in the firm. There was a lot of talking, laughing, and sharing of stories. One of the women was telling a work story when the male senior leader said, “Do you know what is wrong with women?” The table gasped and all turned to him. He continued with, “You are at least as smart as the men in the workplace, and probably smarter, but you wait until you know how to do something at least 80 percent before you say, ‘I can do that.’ Most men will say we can do something when we know it 25 percent. We are confident enough to know we will figure it out. If you want to get ahead in business, have the confidence to say that you know how to do something much sooner.”

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-03-2022

Making the most of your time at work means learning to make productive decisions quickly and asking effective time-saving questions at meetings. Save time on the road by keeping a list of your important travel details with you so you can get to them easily. Before you call it a day at work, take a few steps to prepare for tomorrow so you can start your day off on the right foot.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-25-2022

Personal branding is a marketing strategy focused on your most important product: you. Developing a personal brand requires figuring out who you really are (your skills, values, passions, and personality), who you want to serve (your target market or audience), and how you differ from the competition (your unique niche). A successful brand creates a consistent, targeted impression that helps you achieve your personal and professional goals. It also allows you to live authentically because a great brand is always honest; you can’t fake your way into a successful brand.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-25-2022

Choosing your career can be daunting, not to mention the training for it, landing a good job, and succeeding in your career. That’s darn hard and, okay, even overwhelming. This cheat sheet can make it easier.