October 1st, 2008
Don’t Hide Behind Your Computer
I am doing an increasing amount of private consulting with mid and senior career job-changers — or career transitioners as we are now calling them. Both individually, as well as in seminars that I conduct, we approach the challenge of personal branding as it relates to the job search — and nowhere is branding more critically important.
How will you position yourself relative to the invisible others trying to best you? How will you frame your expertise and skills? What words will you use to communicate your unique value to potential employers? These are the kinds of questions we answer, before re-shaping a resume and writing the all important Narrative Biography, the 2 paragraph, third person description of yourself and your value that I constantly evangelize about.
In Sunday’s New York Times, an article about job hunting called, “Job Hunting Is, and Isn’t, What It Used to Be.” Nothing really new here–yes, we are all more vulnerable, thanks to social networking and the open kimono that it forces upon us. But many, many more of us spend all of our job searching time hiding behind the computer, using amorphous job sites to send resumes and cover letters to faceless recipients. No wonder it is such a frustrating process. The take-away is that nothing replaces the face-to-face of meeting real people in real time, and making the human connections necessary to firmly establish your personal brand. Says writer Alina Tugend:
“So, I guess the lesson is that job hunting has been transformed to some extent. You can do a lot more of it at home in your pajamas. But some things never change. When push comes to shove, you still have to put on a suit and go out and meet people.”
You betcha!
