rita ogbeama

Personal Branding 2009 style

I love the idea of personal branding and what it can do to help one do within their careers, social and classrooms settings.  Right now, to most of us personal branding is just a word. I believe it is the cure for surviving the downward economy.  There are 3 times more jobseekers than open positions! Predictions suggest that the economy will get a lot worst before there is a turnaround. Some have even suggested that we will hit a double digit unemployment rate this summer. It is apparent that the fewer jobs there are, the more competition there is. From my experience working with Job seekers, it is extremely hard to even get an interview in today’s economy.

Resume after resume are placed in the front of recruiters. Some will make the cut while others will be tossed away.  How do we get into the pile they read? How do we set ourselves apart? Personal Branding is the answer. We are the products that are sold to employers. What makes your product different from someone else?  Knowing the product well along the characteristics of it and how the employer would benefit from it is. If you understand both the product and target well you will be able to sell it with the right mediums.

One of the biggest challenges with creating and maintain a personal brand is managing it over your career.  It is important to be consistent in everything you do. An online presence is required these days.  Remember one bad interaction with someone can lead to negative word-of-mouth potentially further damage to the brand you work so hard to develop and market.

I read an article about how Personal Branding is moving in the classroom. College teachers and career advisers are teaching the importance of Personal Branding and Social media. I am sure this can only get bigger as it the results come in.  

 

Oregon’s unemployment rate is 8.1% while Portland is seeing an employment rate around of 7.3...

What will 09’ bring us is the question on everyone’s mind. Will 09’ be a good year?  Better than 08’? This is what we all hope for right?  Most of us make endless new years resolutions such as losing weight, searching for a new job, stopping bad habits and etc.   

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am not a fan of odd numbered years! 2008 was a very interesting year for me. It was a year full of challenges, personal and professional growth. It was a very important year and one to remember. One can only hope that 2009 will be even better. 

As we all know we are starting 09’ with a downward economy which is something that most of us are not used too. For many of us including myself, this is the first time in this situation. What can we do? I think about this all the time. We can save money and stop spending, we can revise our resumes in case of a layoff, and we can sit around and debate should I retire while some of us are debating about continuing our education. 

You know there is not set procedure of what to do in a downward economy. Each person and each family will be affected in a different way while some will not be affected at all. Now everyone wants to know how they can better market themselves. December's job report is expected to go public at the end of this work week. The prediction is that the country has lost over 2 million jobs and the unemployment rate will rise over 7% currently we are at 6.5. In the Portland metropolitan area we are currently seeing an unemployment rate of 7.3. I would expect Oregon to reach a 8% unemployment rate.

With that said, yes, things will get worst! Is this the end? Probably not… All we can do is try to stay positive because there is no use in being negative. We need to prove our worth to our current employers. Personal Branding doesn’t start once you are job seeking. It is an ongoing process! Demonstrating how your brand is valuable to the company is your key of staying around for years to come. Failing to do so can give the employer reasons to let you go if needed. 

Of course the most important thing in the process of job searching is finding ways to set yourself apart from your competitors regardless of the state of the economy. Right now it is a requirement. Using internet searches as our only method to job searching is not going to make the cut today. The key to successful job searching is networking and practicing follow-up strategies. Staying positive is also extremely important. It is so easy for one to become discouraged in the process of job search especially in a downward economy. The thing to remember is that it is a process which in most cases will be challenging. If we let negativity win and take over it will only set us back from our goals.  

So many things have changed since my last post. 2008 has been a very interesting and motivating year for me and one can only hope for big and better things in 2009. One thing happen this year in a matter of months is the state our economy. This is something my generation has yet to experience.

Many of us don’t understand why and how this happened and don’t realize how things really are. Since this time, I have been on the busy side helping folks reposition themselves in the job market after being laid off.  The decision whether to go back to school or not is the question many people are faced with including myself. The question is whether student loans be a barrier.

There are so many books and articles about self-enhancement in terms of career. There are many different points of views. Which do you go with? On the Internet today you will find a number of articles that offer advice for folks who have lost their jobs due to the state of our economy. On thing you will see that they all say to stay calm and think logically.  Right, this is easier sound then done. I am working with people who have families to support. It is hard to stay calm when you don't know if you support your family.

One thing I will say is that it is important to jump on the job search process. Don't sit around for weeks and then start looking. Be active in your search but you also have to be creative as well. The topically job board search is not going to make the cut these days being that only 15% of available jobs are posted. You need to get in the face of employers and let them know who you are and let them see your personality.

One thing CNN said that I totally agree with is that this is the era of Networking. If you are not comfortable with networking I suggest you practice practice practice…. Employers trust their network not a job board site!

My Degree and the work I do…. Often times I am questioned by friends, family and associates about why I do what I do. I earned a BS in Marketing while earning a certificate in International Business Communication. Many wonder how this is related to Career Development. My belief is that anyone who is truly crafted in Marketing will find a way to incorporate it into any profession.  


Career Development is Marketing but I am assisting with the marketing of one’s self. Huh? One might ask… Well you see when I graduated from the University of Oregon (go ducksJ) I knew I was competing with 500 other graduates from my program. I also knew I was competing with graduates from similar programs all over the country.


This is where Marketing is key! I knew the product I was selling (me), where I was going to sell it (job boards, career fairs, and networking), how to promote the product (resume,  cover letter, thank you letter, blogs, websites), and my price (knowing my worth).  You see the idea is very similar. I help students get to know their product and how to promote it. My Marketing education and experience has provided a foundation to understand the importance of marketing and branding and I am able to help students see this… The certificate I earned in International Business Communication has been a help everywhere I go. Realizing people from different countries do business and communication very differently. It has aided me in assisting students and communicating with business professionals to develop leads…

Learning as a Young Professional…..We have to learn how to get to most of your opportunities, how to show our worth, how to not be being taking advantage of along with many other things…

We have to learn to set our tone and present our brand. If we don't do it the right way we will pay to rebrand ourselves just as a company would with a product. We have all worked with that person who is bossy and rude but she/he is there at the same company year after year and even sometimes promoted. This person seems to get what they wants 99.9% of the time. They may even act a like the big shots in the company and is not afraid to be shot down. They will voice their opinions and concerns at the right and wrong times and is determine to be heard. Think about the total opposite of this person. The employee who is good at what they do but it will take them much longer to get noticed because this person is not as vocal. They do not say much in meetings and accepts every project even the ones that they clearly do not have the time to complete. I am guilty of this too because I have the easy going personality.  

My Mentor gave me some great advice that I would like to share it. In his opinion this person will always finish last and always be unsatisfied if no change is made. Develop thick skin:  The importance of this will be ranked higher depending on your industry. Some industries are classified unquestioned to be cut throat such as mortgage, sports and many sales positions. Those who believe that the corporate work environment is really just a time to bond and make friends are simply naive. The business world thrives on "networks" and not "friendships". Be assertive, take risks and speak up and ask for things. Say what is on your mind. No one will ever know what you are thinking unless you say something.

This is a wonderful question, because it has taken me many years to decipher it myself and probably has a different meaning for everyone.  Organizations are attempting to make work more comfortable; yet, they are creating more confusion in the process.  it is important to assess organizational culture in making this decision.  Some organizations consider khakis business casual, and others do not. 

Regardless, it is never jeans, t-shirts, sandals, tennis shoes, or short skirts.  And always, keep your clothes clean and pressed along with your shoes polished.  Also, solid colors are a safe bet.  Here is a simple list of guidelines for you.  

Women: skirts (knee length or longer), slacks, button down shirts or blouses, sweaters, dressy shoes (not crocs or tennis shoes) with low or flat heels, blazer or vest, makeup to a minimum, and conservative accessories.

Men: slacks, button down shirts, sweaters, tie (if in doubt), business or sport jacket, and dressy shoes along with matching socks (brown or black, not white please).  Is it just me, or does it sound a lot easier for men?!

We all know that everyone has different opinions about resumes in general and what to include on them.  Some will say yes to objectives while others will say no. I am a fan of a nicely written objective statement as an introduction of your goals for employment. I think what gets most is what to include in this 1-3 sentence section right? You don’t have much room to include a lot of detail, but at the same time you need to produce good content.

It is important to strike a balance between being vague and too specific. Try to avoid flowery statement such as “Seeking a position where I can utilize my knowledge and skills.” Everyone is writing the same objective. There is no point of this objective because it can be used with every job you apply to. An objective is tailored to the details of the position and company. The idea is use your value statement here. Why should the employer pick YOU?  What can YOU do for the employer that is different from other job seekers?

Here is a great short example “Management position in abc company where over 10 years of experience as xyz will add value to operations.”

What is great about a nice objective is that if your application happens to get mixed up your objective will tell the employer the position you are applying to! To conclude an objective to be a nice component on a resume but is not requireAd.