Personal branding, the identification of sellable traits and experience, is core to the individual in job transition success. Effort in the job search needs to be optimized through focus on qualified positions and opportunities of interest. Authors such as Arruda and Dixson in their book Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand, focus on the importance of building personal brand.
Personal Branding, Career Seeker Tool
Building a comprehensive marketing and branding plan, the career seeker identifies meaningful keywords, labels or tags that define the critical characteristics of jobs and goals to be evaluated. Utilize 1 to 2 word labels focused on the career target: mentor, decision maker, facilitator. These keywords need to speak to the essence of the job seeker and the core requirements of the position sought.
Delineate the 3 or 4 brand goals focusing on meaningful objectives for the future role. A tightly written series of goals focuses the job search, narrows target organizations, provides key characteristics and identifies needs the new position should fill.
Building Professional Statement – Personal Brand Positioning
Create tightly written paragraphs focused on deliverable strengths for the new organization based on past success or education.
Elaborate using 3 to 4 action oriented statement sentences expounding on skills and key success characteristics. This paragraph forms the foundation of the job seeker’s marketing tools:
30 second elevator talk
resumes
cover letters
social networking profiles
Develop a success oriented positioning statement focused on key successes, assignments, and knowledge. The position statement must be factual, true, written in clear plain spoken language and expound on critical successes.
Write several fact and data based success stories taking into consideration the situation, scope, prior conditions, action plan, issues addressed, and results. These tightly focused paragraphs provide support to the positioning statement and provide material for custom targeted resumes and cover letters.
Transferable Job Skills – Identify Keywords for Positions Targeted
Research and identify transferable skills possessed by the seeker. Make a list of key skills – as an example:
analyze situations rapidly
decisive
drives out of the box thinking
effective moderator and mediator
enterprising & dynamic
handles rapid change quickly
hands on & shirt sleeve
high energy & enthusiastic
Research and identify key words for positions sought that the career seeker possesses. Make a list for each type of position, for example: ERP SAP system; six sigma certified; registered; masters; board certified.
Identify keywords and transferable skills that form the key content for the job seekers marketing materials. These need to be accurate and truthful representations of the job seekers experience and skills. Targeted cover letters and application specific resumes provide the flexibility to utilize this content.
Job Seekers Target Market – Key Parameters
Identify target markets by geographic parameters such as targeted city, state, region or national depending on job seekers interests. If the job seeker has different target markets dependent on job title identify the geography by job title listed in the individual branding statement. These industries will be essential to on line searches and job notifications for posted positions.
Research types of industries targeted by the seeker providing focus to the job seekers campaign. These industries allow research focused on identified target companies. Dow Jones and other government methodologies, such as SIC Code should be used to facilitate the collection and usefulness of the research.
Determine the parameters of size and culture of the organization. Public or private companies provide different cultures and opportunities depending on the position desired. The size of the organization may be directly related to preference items such as career mobility, cultural diversity, geographic relocation, breadth of responsibility, and building of skill development.
Select optimum organization’s culture regarding the proper employer/employee fit. The culture is often manifested in the management style of the hiring supervisor: participative, collaborative, structured, results oriented, creative, high integrity, or team oriented.
Personal Branding Impact the Job Search Success
Create a personal brand consist with job skills, effective resume writing, and e networking tools. Create accountability in the career search via measuring activity and initiatives against the personal marketing plan.
How to Resign From a Job
It takes an extra large dose of character to stay cool when caught in a sudden shift of employment. Things are more unpredictable than ever and an employee who does resign might need a future contact, a letter of reference, or even the old job. Somebody who threatens to leave, or mentions that he/she is looking for another job is not the same as formally resigning. Having an argument with the boss and yelling I quit could be interpreted as a proper resignation but it isn’t the best thing to do when emotions are running high. This article outlines the right way to leave a job while making a good impression.
Don’t Leave Without Providing Advanced Notice
Never leave a job unannounced, particularly if the next job is going to be in the same kind of industry. Be professional and arrange a face to face meeting with the boss. Write a short and concise resignation letter beforehand, detailing the intention to leave along with a firm date of departure.
It’s not necessary to explain the reason for leaving the company. Don’t vent anger and frustration; instead, thank the employer for any opportunities that were given while with the company. Finally, sign the letter and make a copy for personal records.
Burning Bridges is a Bad Idea
Whether the decision to leave is personal or involuntary because a pink slip was given, it’s important to leave relationships intact. It may feel great to scorch the earth, but leave a bad impression at the old company and there will be a good chance the new one will know about it sooner or later.
The world is a small place and one never knows when an old supervisor or colleague might show up again in another organization because of a merger or some other circumstance. On the last day at the office, it would show class to send an e-mail to everyone saying how enjoyable it was to work with them.
Don’t Brag to Anyone
Leaving a job really is a private matter. Respect the people who are being left behind. Nobody will want to hear about how great the new company is, or how much money the job will pay. Although it would be tempting to share this new excitement, using restraint will ultimately be the sensible course of action.
Say there are better opportunities with the new company. Focus on what has been gained from the old company and use that information wisely. Criticisms of anyone who works there or the company itself can lead to misunderstandings, and that’s the quickest way to burn bridges.
Train a Replacement Before Leaving an Old Job
It’s so easy to mentally check out before physically leaving the office forever. Rather than cruise through the last few weeks, make use of the remaining time by showing the new employee around the office. Introduce him or her to everybody who works there. This will make the transition easier.
Leave written instructions and checklists so that it’s easier for the replacement to know how things work and what needs to be done. It would also be helpful to leave names and numbers if this new person is stuck and needs to ask questions.
Wrap Up All Unfinished Work
Be diligent to the end and resist the urge to slack off. It’s self defeating to take the approach that what is done for the last few days doesn’t matter. If long lunches and coffee breaks were never taken before, don’t start now. It’s always best to stay on an employer’s good side.
Dress up a bit even on the final day of work. Ask for letters of recommendation. It’s better to get them now rather than later. Check with the human resources department to make sure they have up to date address information in order to get any final paychecks and tax forms.
Make a Clean Break from the Company
Save all files and contacts to a disk or send them to a private e-mail account. A departing employee should delete all traces of his/her existence from the servers. It would be foolhardy if somebody were to leave behind traces of a job search and evidence that shows he/she had been making pitches to rival organizations. Make sure to return all company property, including files and information. The company might find out and theft is a criminal offense.
Acting in a professional manner before leaving a job can be challenging for everyone, but it makes sense to do so. Be wary of counteroffers. Employees who accept them will have their dedication questioned, and they don’t stay in the jobs they have for long. Continue to maintain relationships with old workmates. They could come in handy later on.
