SELLING YOURSELF

ARE YOU A BRAND?

When we think of brands, what comes to mind?

Are the Kardashians a brand?  You think of them in a certain way and they are distinctive.

Is Donald Trump a brand?   As an up and coming young real estate developer and entrepreneur, President Trump was branding himself even before the term “personal brand” was coined.

WHAT IS A BRAND?

• How you are viewed by others
• What qualities and attributes do they associate with you
• What kind of emotional connection or reaction do they have when they see you, your name, or your image
• What are their expectations about you

WHEN YOU THINK OF MCDONALD’S, WHAT COMES TO MIND?

• Inexpensive food
• Fast
• Predictable
• Easy to Find
•  Clean

Its typical fare is flavorful with all of its salt, sugar, oils and fats that humans naturally crave.  Customers know exactly kind of experience that they will get.

WHAT ABOUT TIFFANY & CO.?

• Expensive
• High quality
• Distinctive
• Authentic

It makes you feel a certain way knowing that the ring you are wearing is from Tiffany.

YOU ARE SELLING YOURSELF EVERYDAY

• When you ask for something, you are trying to persuade
• When you ask someone to do something, you are trying to persuade
• When you ask someone not to do something, you are trying to persuade
• When you try to get someone to like you, you are trying to persuade
• When you try to get someone to buy something, you are trying to persuade
• When you ask someone to vote for you, you are trying to persuade

We sell every day, all day.

HIRE ME

*Looking for a job is selling yourself*

How do you differentiate yourself from other applicants?  You don’t necessarily have to be the best, but distinctive.  You want to stand out.  When all is said and done, an employer is buying you and your bundle of attributes.

EMPLOYERS LOOK AT YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

Employers evaluate you by your personal brand and then make a decision about you.

IT IS NOT ABOUT WHAT THE EMPLOYER CAN DO FOR YOU

• What do you bring to the employer’s table?
• How do you add value?
• Are you a team player?
• Are you conscientious?
• Are you punctual?
• Are you a hard worker?
• Do you follow through?
• Are you helpful?
• Do you have a good attitude?

Let me repeat it another way: When looking for a job, it is about what you can do for the employer.  Please remember that the prospective employer does not “owe” you a job nor do you “deserve” a particular job.  A job is first and foremost an economic relationship and transaction.  The employer seeks the benefit of your services while you seek the benefit of compensation.

The Employer is not going to pay you for nothing or for little in return. The Employer seeks value.  The initial assessment of  your value is in your brand.

A RESUME IS AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR YOUR BRAND

Your resume is your mini billboard.  It is to tell the employer customer who you are and what you have to offer and why the employer should buy your services.

EMPLOYERS WILL USUALLY SEE YOUR RESUME BEFORE THEY SEE YOU

• Resume is the first impression you make and may be your only opportunity
• Resume is gatekeeper for first interviews
• Resume counts a lot
• Must get resume right

SHOULD TELL A STORY

• Deep bucket of experience or expertise: For example – computer networks
• A Leader: For example – you held officer positions, led teams, executed initiatives, solved major problems, generated creative ideas, or organized events
• A service oriented person: For example  –  raised funds for charity, tutored kids or mentored individuals

Everyone has a story.

You want yours to be  readily understandable and compelling.

ELEMENTS OF A RESUME

• Concise, not wordy
• Major accomplishments (not a ribbon in second grade for having the neatest desk)
• Use examples: “I supervised the acquisition and installation of a  new computer network for my company.”
• Use active voice: “I prepared corporate tax returns” and not “the corporate tax returns were prepared by me.”

TAILOR RESUME TO EMPLOYER

• A resume to be a managing director at a management consultant firm is going to look a lot different than a resume to be a CFO for a technology firm
• One size does not fit all

Think  carefully about who your employer audience is and what they want to know.  Your having a boxed paragraph detailing your direct, relevant experience for the particular job is extremely effective.

CAVEATS

1. Triple check for typos, misspellings, punctuation and grammar; better yet, have another person copyedit your resume
2. Formatting should be readable and neat
3. Use good paper if mailed or hand delivered; it’s called bond paper  (not copy paper); using bond paper is more elegant than copy paper and a sign of respect
4. No smudges, smears or fingerprints
5. If emailing resume, convert it to a PDF
6. Use month/year for start and end dates for previous jobs: May/2016 to June/2017
7. Always send cover letter with resume briefly highlighting why you want and are qualified for the job
8. No photo
9. Use key words in your resume that are obvious criteria in the job description so that your resume gets past automated screening

In sum, work to develop a brand and capsulize it in your resume.

 

Copyright © 2019 by G. A. Finch, All rights reserved.