In previous articles I discussed how the dynamics of our economic system presents enormous challenges in coping with change as we move forward professionally. At the same time I pointed out some simple steps job changers can take to begin coping with change, and I noted that we all possess significant capabilities that are transferable. However, I was focusing on those whose job situation made some sort of change imperative, and those whose personal situation dictated career change as an important option for consideration.

I have suggested the notion idea we are all independent contractors. We must adopt a dynamic and active career planning process, keeping resumes up to date, continuing to network and keeping current with your company and industry. I acknowledge this approach is somewhat defensive. But, I am certain, from all that I hear from clients, human resource professionals, recruiters and my colleagues, that change that borders on continuous turmoil in our work lives will be the norm well into the future.

It is both unproductive and dangerous to live in a constant fear of losing your job. Whatever we do must be approached with hope and confidence. Optimism is critical. However, it is always advisable to consider alternative just in case. That is why we buy insurance. In fact, my belief in the importance of a continuous focus on career planning, even when things are going well, is a kind of insurance.

Therefore, taking a hard look at a career change, even when things are going well, should be on the table.

It is easy to lose sight of some important factors about change. Each of us looks at our own lives through our own eyes with our own reality. It is very difficult to acknowledge other realities, influenced by forces well beyond our control. Perhaps if circumstances were different, each of us would be in a different place, have a different career, and pursue different goals. In other words, if the reality of our circumstance were different, we would also be different.

It is important to remember that we do have a lot of control over our own reality, even as we are buffeted by external events. We can’t control those events, but we can respond, if we have the will. More importantly, in a dynamic environment such as ours, many of us must.

The fact is new opportunities constantly emerge. To take advantage of these new opportunities we have to create a mindset that encompasses a new reality, with openness and flexibility. That is, we need to think about and consider and be open to possibilities that would be rejected in another era.

Many who have changed do so successfully, with new economic opportunities, new commitment and enthusiasm, or even just a more acceptable lifestyle. In some cases additional training was necessary to complete the transition. But experience is very applicable and readily transferable in a myriad of endeavors. An extraordinary amount of technical, organizational, planning, finance, management and other experience is readily transferable.

More importantly career change does not have to be a downsizing of our lives. On the contrary, employers are highly receptive to new thinking from people whose experience in other fields can add value. Organizations benefit from the new perspectives, new skills and the breadth of experience that industry changers bring to a new position. In fact, some studies suggest that a significant number of job changers actually move into totally new industries when they change jobs. Whatever the number, it is more common than readily recognized and changing careers or developing a succession plan over a lifetime must be an important component of the career mix. A career change has led many to new and fulfilling professional lives, a wonderful breath of fresh air.

It is critical to objectively assess your job and career situation. The near term situation may be fine. Nevertheless, career planning should include a hard look at a potential career change.

A total skills inventory of self assessment is a good first step. It is important to understand what you have to offer, not only work experience, but any relevant experience outside of work such as leadership posts in local organizations, responsibility for funds, organizing and planning activities and any other relevant activities.

Match those skills with interests and values and how those values and how working style can fit an industry or job. Then start looking around. Be open to new possibilities, and make the career change option a permanent part of your career and succession planning.

Judit Price 

I do not know, nor am I going to speculate whether or not we are about to enter a recession. Certainly, recent employment data is not encouraging. However, I am sure that we are entering a time that is especially uncertain. Therefore, I wanted to know what employment experts thought about how employees might deal with the uncertain times, and what recommendations we should make. The good news is the professional community generally agrees on some fundamentals and I would like to share them with you.

The second lesson is to make sure you practice self-control. In uncertain times the normal pressures of business increases because of that uncertainty (or fear). Often, relationships can become strained, teamwork can suffer and there is a strong temptation to lose control. Unfortunately, office politics can intrude and those wounded will not forget. As a result, a very good resume could be seriously compromised during reference checking. A trail of bruised feelings is not what a job seeker should leave behind.

However, little is more uncertain that what action a company will take in difficult times. I have clients whose previous employers were steadfast in protecting employees as long as they could. Others viewed downsizing as normal and had no trouble moving people out. Most companies are probably somewhere in between, but one way to find out is ask older employees what actions the company took in the past. When a trusted long term employee gives advice on what has happened in the past, listen to them. The individual may not be a star, but the fact is people remember and can provide some useful insight..

One factor which enjoys unanimous support relates to the importance of carrying yourself with respect and acting as though all is well. Maintain at least an outward display of commitment and energy. Projecting professionalism and self-esteem in hard times can gain respect, and even enhance your reputation. But, act like a reject and you will be a reject.

In the event of a downsizing, this advice is even more critical. I well understand the challenges of a disappearing lifestyle and work style. Any employee or job hunter who is not carefully monitoring their personal and professional styles, especially in tough times, can find that options for survival or other opportunities can narrow.

Do not panic. My colleagues and I know that many mistakes result from decisions born of panic. These range from college graduates who turned down an offer from a small company because he wanted a large one to senior managers who went to informal start-ups because they felt threatened in their current job. The common thread is they knew they were making the wrong decision but were driven by panic.

The fact is a layoff is not the worst thing that can happen. Being on a payroll is not the sole objective for most people. A worse problem is dramatically increasing your work hours and job responsibilities (with no salary increase) just to find that the company is closing or was sold. Making sacrifices to help the organization is commendable and if collectively carried out, might make a difference. But no employee, no matter how dedicated or reliable can make up for the mistakes of the senior managers who placed the organization in jeopardy in the first place. Employee efforts to save the company generally cannot be done and trying and failing is painful.

In previous articles I have discussed the basics: updated resumes, refurbished networks, etc. And, I understand that transitions are neither simple or painless, and predicting the future is impossible. But, when faced with potential for turbulence, each of us can objectively size up the situation, develop a strategy and be prepared to face whatever the future brings.

I have an aversion to procrastination. So when I speak with clients who need a change and should at least take a hard look at their job situation, but don’t, I get frustrated. I truly believe that we live in a marvelous area with an extremely talented work force and an industrial, service, and non-profit community that present enormous opportunity for creativity and growth. At the same time I see too many clients who do not appreciate how much they can truly offer, discount their own value and believe that hanging on to what they have is their only option.

Consequently, as the old year draws to a close and the New Year begins, it is definitely time to take stock. I recommend that people make an honest evaluation of their career or job situation and take action to either confirm their strategy or begin moving toward something better. The point is stop procrastinating and start dealing with your concerns.

The best way to begin is by expanding your network, meeting new people and having an honest discussion about your situation and what others see. I cannot understate how effective fresh new opinions and situations can focus perspectives in new and interesting ways. The fact is people who may not be job hunting are not out of touch. They can share a different realty, point out options that may have been overlooked and challenge old assumptions.

Many people underestimate their ability to change. Immersion into substantive research as well as meeting new people widens contacts, increases job market reach and provides a pathway to rethink old strategies and assumptions. Being isolated or restricting your self to the same basic set of perceptions about the job market can be a killer. Remember, we make all our assumptions from the information we get and those assumptions frequently dictate outcomes.

It is very important to develop a sense of urgency although being motivated does not necessarily translate into immediate success. But, beginning the research phase is essential. Visible action can help your overall situation. Motivation is infectious. Pursuing your goals with vigor and determination alone can generate a mood of hope that change is possible. However, when the effort is clearly not there, it is obvious and often depressing for you as well as those around you.

Procrastination can result in lost opportunities and very slow progress should never be confused with planning. Some people are deliberate, approaching a job search much as they would a work project. Careful planning, seeking resources, research and other steps may be normal and natural compared to people who have a more immediate and aggressive approach. As long as reasonable deadlines are created and met there is no procrastination.

The issue of motivation is very serious. Some allow others to control the search. Waiting for others to act, rather than take charge of your own strategy and driving forward is very poor. Others do not have the motivation. Only you can sell yourself. Only you have the information and background and motivation to communicate your professional, organizational and personal qualifications. No matter how well meaning others may be, they do not have the self-interest you have.

Once a direction is determined, it is essential to remain focused and not get sidetracked. A common mistake is to consider options that sound good but do not offer the opportunities that play to your strengths. There are times when a complete career change is viable. However, too many consider a career change, when a new job, the application of your skills to a related industry, or just a new boss is a better solution.

I do encourage career change, but only when it makes sense. As I have noted in the past career change is a big step. It is more appropriate for people who have been in the same work environment for many years and understand that their career focus is now different and their values have changed. For most people, the best utilization of their skills and experience is within their current work situation or in a similar work environment in which they can apply the same set of skills.

Finally, resist the trap of rest and relaxation, learn from rejection and do not let messages about keeping resumes on file raise false hopes. Now is the time to begin addressing career or job concerns by setting goals and deadlines and sticking to them.

The primary principle is to think of yourself as a brand, and separate yourself in ways that stand out from the competition.

There are two societal trends that drive the idea of creating a personal brand

1. The new world of work – In the past work included loyalty and reliance on a stable work force. Today the drivers are competition, globalization, internet. Companies value innovation and innovation comes from creativity. This creativity comes from each of us contributing our unique gifts, the value of strengths

2. Economics – Today’s worker wants to be recognized for uniqueness. Faith Popcorn, a futurist, says that we are not happy to conform. We want to show our individuality and crave recognition for our unique value.

The intersection of these two societal trend is personal branding. Personal branding is permission to be yourself. From this point forward, use what makes you valuable, unique and outstanding to reach success

Personal Branding follows thee steps;

1. Step 1 is to extract and uncover what makes you unique and relevant to the company or your target audience.

2. Step 2 is the express stage. Here you communicate your message, to create visibility for success.

3. Step 3 is the exude stage. This helps to show that everything relates to a brand environment and sends the same brand message to everyone and everywhere.

Look at your goals – goals must be SMART: specific, manageable, achievable, realistic and timely. Goals are in the extraction phase, because it gives your brand a direction. You need to know where you are going.

In branding, consider yourself (your attributes), your competition, and your target audience.

Goals require knowing yourself and understanding what you want to achieve.

Test your goals by writing them down. Set your goals high and read, review and revise your goals periodically. Break milestones into tasks and put the tasks into a do list.

Your Vision and Purpose are also in the extract phase. It helps you unearth who you are and helps you understand yourself.

Vision is how you see the world, the vision of your world, what you want to contribute. Think about a world problem, what frustrates you or what you think about, what motivates you?

Purpose is more tangible. Now examine what you can do to actually turn your vision to reality. Listen to what other people, who touched you, say about how you contributed to their lives.

Values are your guiding principals. Violating them causes anger. If our vision and purpose is congruent with values, we are energized.

Passion is very important. If we can connect to a passion of what we want to do we are much more content with our lives.

Vision and Purpose provides the big picture. When you connect these with your values and passion you will be successful.

Even though personal brand is all about what is unique about you, it is also in the hearts and minds of others in the way that they perceive you, what they think of you. We all have positive and negative brand attributes which can be determined through those that know you.

Next we have to examine the target audience;

Look at demography; age, ethnicity, location etc.

Then look at the psychographics to help determine how you can reach them. For example, what professional organization do they attend? Where do they go on vacation? Where they shop? What Internet site they use. The challenge is to define the target audience as narrow as possible to find a niche.

Think about organization, location, industry, department, and who are the influencers within any organization.

You need to know about the competition

How is the competition different from you and is it similar? You need to differentiate yourself from the competition. Unearth your value by asking yourself what do you sell? Describe your differentiators. If a differentiator is not unique it is a commodity that competes on price. You do not want to compete on price, you want to charge a premium for what you offer.

THE EXTRACT PHASE

Identify all the strengths that support your goals.

Identify all your weaknesses that prevent you from your attaining goals.

Look at all the opportunities, many of which have not been previously considered and how you can create opportunities to leverage your strengths.

Examine what are the things that get in the way and prevent you from achieving your goals. Identify all the threats, some of which might be out of your control.

An example of a personal brand statements;

Sitting at the intersection of technology and business I use my passion for communication to help IT professionals in Fortune 100 companies express themselves in ways that are understood by business people.

Sample Attributes to use to develop brand statements

Enthusiastic, international, supportive, positive

I use my 20 years of branding expertise, my passion for human potential and my global prospect to inspire entrepreneurs and executives around the world to build winning personal brands so they can succeed by being themselves.

Ask yourself if your personal brand statement is relevant to your target audience, is it intriguing, is it interesting, is it easy to say, is it understandable? No jargon, no abbreviations. Is it consistent and constant and differentiate you from everyone else. You constantly have to refine it and change it over time?

Express Phase

How you communicate your brand and how to create visibility and get the message out. You will have to develop a communication wheel.

Consistency: you are always the same and Constancy: you are always visible to your target audience. Clarity: it has to be clear and easy to understand. Communication wheel is different for everyone.

You need to use the same messages throughout all your communication no matter what vehicle you use.

Your communication vehicles include: newsletters, articles, speaking engagements, blogs, a website, and volunteer work.

You can save time and use consistent messages over and over again. You need to ensure that all your communication has credibility and visibility. The target audience needs to see you and you need to get their attention. solicit testimonials from clients, former bosses, customers, colleagues.

After you develop your communications targets develop a media plan. Look at each communication channel and do your research. If you write an article do not just write it for one newspaper send it to other editors. If you speak to a group, find out what other groups are there who are interested in similar topics.

Awareness; you want to be relevant, and want to create an emotional connection. Become visible through a websearch, google, referral, articles, announcements, organizations meetings etc. Always build in a call to action to every communication materials.

Move from awareness to consideration. Strive for credibility, clarity, understanding, proof in the consideration phase. You want to give details and proof. Then you want to move to trial, you want to provide a good experience and validate everything you communicated to them. Trial: Give them options if you want to do this or if you want to do that? Confirm that you are the right service.

You need to have an online identity, either through a website, blog, newsletter, email campaign, signature line, newsgroups, e-lists, downloadable tips, ebooks, webinars, teleseminars, business networking groups.

THE EXUDE PHASE;

When we set the gem in the setting, this is your brand environment. Your style and how you look reinforces your brand, appearance is your surroundings, your vocabulary, your colors, your font and your professional network is all part of your brand environment. Everything that surrounds you is your brand environment. Make sure it is congruent and consistent with your message. Is it consistent with your brand? It will help you build your brand message

What is your brand identity system?

Your brand environment is made up of your identity system, your surroundings, your appearance, your professional network and it all transmits a message

You need to have brand identity system that reinforces your brand attributes, create recognition, supports consistency, and helps you stand out.

Use it everywhere: stationary, website, logo, voicemail, newsletter, portfolio, blog, email signature, thank you, business card

Your brand identity is your visual vocabulary, it supports recognition, helps you to stand out.

Professional networks extend your brand. All winning brands are connected to a group of resources for mutual benefit. #1 rule is to give to everyone and everywhere, Networking can be focused and can be serendipity.g

Build your network; speak to group, use blogs, elists, newsgroups organization, better to be a lead in one or two organization than to belong to 10 and go once a year.

Ask how you can help them ? Connect your network with others, share articles, invite them, send them a note, congratulate them, give them a free coaching or resources or some giveaway, share articles, send them a link, online network, ecadamy, linkedin , ryze. Go for quality and not quantity. Stay the same and give the same message. Build partnership, collaboration builds creativity.

Branding is not a one time event, winning brands are built over time, requires , focus, patience, feedback from others and it evolves. All brands have to be authentic, it has to be you.

 

 

 

 

The most challenging clients with whom I meet are those who have been released for cause, for some reason that is not related to downsizing or restructuring. These are clients that tend to be angry and bitter and view their termination as being without justice or valid reason. My belief is that as a career counselor I am presented with both an ethical quandary and an extremely difficult task in developing a strategy that is truly helpful.

The reasons people are let go are both simple and complex. Occasionally the reasons are quite simple, a gross violation of policies, some sort of fraudulent or inappropriate conduct, or an overt act deemed not in the interests of the firm. However, most are not so simple and a large percentage of those who are terminated often have spent many fruitful years with the employer. Even with those whose tenure with an employer is short, one to two years, find that the real explanation for termination can be complex.

When an employee is dismissed, the reasons given for the termination are couched in ways that protect the company. Reasons such as “poor fit”, “change in strategy”, “new skills requirements” and other reasons simply provide a platform to get the employee out the door, but provide little real information as to the real reasons.

However, it is not so simple. No matter how complex the reasons for termination, in most cases the employee has been given ample warning through some sort of process that is both formal and informal. Termination is extremely difficult for most managers, who are generally reluctant to terminate. In addition, the law requires that employee terminations are for just cause and most companies, if not all, are careful to document the reasons for termination.

Here is where it becomes difficult for the counselor. It would not be an exaggeration to say that virtually every client who has been terminated is in some state of denial as to the causes. And I do acknowledge that there are cases in which a weak or unethical manager might have reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of an employee’s performance. However, in many cases, the employee really does deserve some or all of the blame.

Consequently, in order to truly help the client, it is absolutely essential to explore the reasons for termination. In the clear light of day people can see and understand their own culpability. This recognition can be an enlightenment that can be very helpful as they approach the next phase of their career. Unfortunately, most people are very reluctant to discuss this.

So here I am left with a dilemma. On the one hand I know that I can help the client develop the tools and the job search and career search strategies that will get them on a good path. On the other hand I can sense that there are gaps that require discussion, exploration and resolution. If I can communicate effectively the urgency and get the client to open up, I provide better services and the client has a stronger platform from which to launch their next career move. But it is not easy.

Human nature, being what it is, generates this tendency toward denial. And nothing is more potent than to accept the notion that we are culpable for what we do. While we recognize that we are not perfect and we do make mistakes, applying that idea to a job layoff is extremely difficult.

I am very sympathetic to this, because people may then have the tendency to view themselves as failures with all the negative consequences that implies. Of course it is not true they are failures. People do make mistakes, they sometimes do not listen, think they have the right answers and occasionally create discord and are totally oblivious to the dangers. However, making a mistake, even serious mistakes that result in termination does not imply failure. It only implies human failings, of which we all are subject.

The ethical quandary revolves around how hard I push to get to the heart of the matter. If people do not wish to discuss it, I still want to add value to their counseling experience and help them get on the right track with the tools and strategies to help them move forward.

Consequently, what I try to do, as delicately and as diplomatically as I can, try to open the subject to a wider discussion on why a person is terminated, and what lessons can be learned to help in the next phase of the career. I don’t always succeed.

If you do not know what you want from your life and work you will feel life is not fair. And this is especially true if you are looking for a job in a new country. Here the help of professionals comes. I knew about employment psychological assessments but I thought that I did not need it as I knew about myself better than any on else. But why was I so frustrated with my life and work?

I’ve found careercampaign.com on the Internet and decided to try it. Judit Price spent a lot of time with me. From her “Personality-interest- aptitude- fit analysis - strengths behavior” I found much new interesting information about myself. It was my starting point. Four years passed. I have stable job (as well as a stable mortgage to pay each month) but most important I have tools to be flexible with jobs that can come and go in our time of everyday changes. THANK YOU careercampaign.com

Roz Novikova

More about Career Assessment

We can help you determine your unique abilities and interests that are critical in determining the right job, career or school. Are you really an entrepreneur instead of an actuary? A nurse instead of an engineer? Is there a lawyer, teacher, computer analyst or laboratory researcher trying to emerge? These career assessment tools can be particularly effective when trying to determine the best career path.

Below are a series of well established and highly regarded tools to help determine your interests, abilities and values, important criteria in determining the best career fit.

Career Instrument

Tests For:

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator	MBTI	personality
John Holland Self-Directed Search	SDS	interest
Career Aptitude Placement Survey	CAPS	aptitude
Harrington-O’Shea Career Decision Making System	CDM	career survey
Campbell Interest and Skills Survey	CISS	interests and skills
Job/Person/Environment Match	JPEM	fit analysis
>Career Orientation Inventory		values
Interest/Determination Assessment	IDEAS	strengths
Behavior Style	DISC	behavior

The results of all these tests, combined with specialized writing exercises, are part of a comprehensive program of counseling and testing to help determine your strengths, preferences, likes and dislikes.

We design individually customized packages of these services for people faced with career transition, tailored especially for their individual needs.

Judit Price, career coach with Berke and Price career consulting firm, says honesty is the best policy.

We’ve all experienced awkward moments at work, along with that feeling of alarm you get the moment you realize you just said or did something you can’t take back and that you know will elicit a reaction from fellow workers.

You swear you’ll never show your face around the office again. But time heals all wounds, even those caused by extreme humiliation.

How the situation is handled can influence its potential notoriety around the office. A faux pas managed with composure and wit won’t have the legs of one that is met with extreme shock and unrelenting uneasiness. As painful as it may seem at the time, you actually can learn a lot from your bloopers, once the redness drains from your cheeks.

Here are a few common work-related predicaments and suggestions on how to handle them.

1. You’re delivering a presentation and notice a glaring misspelling up on the screen for all to see.

What can you do? Come clean and confess.
Judit Price, career coach with Berke and Price career consulting firm, says honesty is the best policy. “Confess and admit you’ve made a mistake,” she says. “Don’t try to talk about it too much, you may end up putting your foot in your mouth.” Do your best to correct the blunder and then move on.

2. You’re in a meeting with the president of the company and other high ranking executives. You and everyone around you are distracted by the guttural bellows of hunger emanating from your stomach.

What can you do? Apply humor.
Nothing diffuses a tense or embarrassing situation like a little chuckle. Price advises saying something like, “I guess after this meeting I’ll have to run to the cafeteria and have lunch.”

3. You meant to forward the raunchy e-mail to your friend. You didn’t realize your co-worker was accidentally added to the distribution list.

What can you do? Assign blame.
You could always blame it on technical difficulties. “It happened to me,” Price admits. “I forwarded information to a client, but didn’t realize it was customized and included another client’s name.” However, no matter what caused the slip-up, you should immediately confess (see No.1) and apologize for the mishap. And hopefully you’ve learned not to e-mail any message or picture that you wouldn’t want to be seen by all.

4. Your boss overhears you making disparaging remarks about him to a co-worker in the lunchroom.

What can you do? Apologize and start a dialogue.
Regardless if what you said about your boss is true, you must take the high road and own up to your behavior and then apologize for him finding out that way. This situation, however, could signal a chance to have an open discussion about why you find it difficult to work with him. It may end on a positive note if you are able to air your grievances in the proper forum.

5. You ended a three-way conference call and, after assuming the third party has hung up, you begin dishing with the remaining caller… only the call was never really terminated and the third party hears everything you say.

What can you do? Try to make amends.
With any luck, you realize the person is still on the line before you tear into them too much. But all you can do is stand by your remarks, but redeliver them with a softer touch. For instance, while you might have said: “Wasn’t her idea the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard?” You can soften it with: ” was thinking we should revisit your marketing idea because I really don’t think it’s going to work.”

By Kate Lorenz
CareerBuilder.com
Editor

We added a new feature to our website http://careercampaign.com to share articles and news with our users…..

It is no secret that job volatility for managers poses some special challenges in these days of globalization. The specific skills of the job all too frequently call for new kinds of cultural awareness and sensitivity, enhanced strategic thinking, responsiveness to a less forgiving marketplace, the complexities of investing wisely and some very difficult decisions regarding staffing.

So the questions is how to cope and prosper in a brave new world where employment volatility requires a continual retelling of your story in order to position yourself for the next organization. A number of employment and career management experts are applying a marketing concept to a new application called personal branding. The concept of personal branding is to distill personal and professional characteristics into the most important attributes that truly describes the value a candidate offers. They then create a set of messages that clearly articulates these attributes and market them as the essence of your professional persona.

For many years some senior managers have been successfully marketing themselves as turnaround artists and startup experts, defining themselves with a brand that creates a strong perception of expertise and accomplishment. What is new is the idea that these principles can be applied to a wider range of attributes that define the very special value a candidate offers. And, this can be applied across a very broad management spectrum to create perceptions of well-defined expertise and accomplishment.

For managers, personal branding plays the same role as branding products. Strengths, skills, values and passions are identified specific to the individual, clarified with a set of clear messages and communicated in ways that identify these personal and professional differences - this unique sense of value - to separate the manager from the competition.

The process of building a personal brand is not complicated, but is complex, because individuals are complex. Objectivity is difficult and because we all tend to be quite subjective about ourselves, there are a number of criteria that may not be, but should be considered. Thoughtful managers would generally seek some help to provide both objectivity and completeness. It includes:

Goal Setting - substantial self-exploration and analysis; taking an honest look at the shape of both personal and professional life over time. Actually documenting goals, real goals, provide a focus for a reality check. That reality check enables you to really consider what the goals entail, examine if they are achievable, and most importantly, ask if this is what you really want.

Vision and Purpose - examines external possibilities with a clear vision, and exploring the role you play, your internal purpose in realizing that vision, can be challenging. We are generally preoccupied with daily matters. Nevertheless, a thoughtful look at the bigger picture, clearly documented, must precede a clear description of your personal brand.

Values and Passions - recognize this category as a key component in a personal brand. For example, serial entrepreneurs create new businesses, bring them to a certain level and then move on. Why, because their values and passions revolve around creating the startup, despite the risks, rather than building on one success. Likewise, those values and passions that drive each of us individually must also be clearly defined, for that is what drives us toward our goals.

Personal Attributes - represent what the world perceives, the visible component of your brand. Your own perceptions of attributes are important. However, perceptions by others, friends, family, co-workers, vendors and any others within your community provide vital information in determining your brand.

Target Audience, Peers and Competition - means carefully choosing and then cultivating the right audiences. This focus is essential to success. Examining the target audience, plus peers and competitors will help clarify and further define those all important differentiators, as well as enable a clear definition of those potential audiences most receptive to your brand offerings.

What you offer - those unique or special qualities, must encompass the offerings you present to your target audience that set expectations that measure your results. In addition those offerings should define a special value that encompass your skills.

Strengths and Weaknesses - supplement goals, target audience and offerings and provide a close examination of strengths and weaknesses as a reality check. Strengths include the abilities, attributes and credentials that set you apart. Weaknesses highlight areas to improve to successfully reach the goals, or may be weaknesses that require modification of the goals.

Strong brands are clear about who they are and are not, communicate a consistency in terms of value and are visible to the targeted communities. Developing a brand statement is very important. On the surface, it is similar to the 2 minutes pitch or the elevator speech to which we are accustomed. However, the primary difference between the brand statement and a position statement is the total infusion of the above characteristics that create a brand. The brand statement is an authentic presentation of who you are. It defines a special added value unique to the individual.

By JUDIT PRICE
Sun Correspondent
Lowell Sun

 

by STACY CARTIER
Staff writer
adapted from Chelmsford Independent

How did you find your job? Did you have a divine calling? Did you choose your career because that’s what one of your parents did? Did you pick it because you thought that’s where the money would be? Or, are you still looking for the right niche?

Aside from the “divine calling” scenario, too many people pick a career for the wrong reasons. Those mistakes can be costly, both in terms of money wasted on the wrong college major, time wasted changing careers, or putting off other life experiences like marriage or parenthood.

I began my own career as a teacher in Hungary and then moved to the United States 30 years ago. I went back to school and changed careers, and have worked specifically in career counseling with young people and adults for the past 20 years, 12 years in my own private practice. My decision to become a career counselor was driven by seeing people who had degrees from wonderful schools but were very unhappy and unfulfilled in their jobs. My heart broke for them, because they went through all those years of training and spent thousands and thousands of dollars on their education. After all that, they were questioning why they were doing what they were doing. I then realized that there is a tremendous need for students to get good career counseling at a young age, and I don’t think that middle school is too early to start.

The statistics support that theory. Fifty percent of students drop out of college and many take up to 10 years to finish their education. Many people end up changing careers seven-to-nine times in their lifetime.

While many schools have excellent guidance departments, more often than not, guidance counselors do not have the time nor the financial resources to provide the kind of one-on-one help that many students need to choose the right career path. Even guidance counselors in private schools are often overburdened or don’t have the proper background.

What is the cost of this type of service, when privately sought? In general, it is less than the cost of an SAT prep course. While SAT courses have become accepted practice, early career counseling is even more important. Sending a child to college can be a $50,000 to $150,000 investment. That’s a lot of money to spend on someone who is not sure of what college to attend, what major to seek as a course of study, and what career to pursue. And college may not be the right choice for everyone. About 80 percent of jobs don’t require a four-year degree, although they do require some specialized post-secondary training. I help students make that decision and then guide them to the right type of school. I advise students to DO what they ARE. See what’s out there and find the job that fits them. Since most jobs in the 21st century will require a high degree of technical expertise and training, it is vital to ensure that time and funds are judiciously spent. The SAT is only one day out of a student’s life, while his or her whole life could be ruined by ignoring the need for career counseling.

Judit Price has a master’s degree in counseling and is a certified guidance counselor and career coach. She focuses on educational and career counseling and provides services that help students and parents make more informed decisions. She also works with local community colleges; conducts workshops on interviewing skills, career development and life-goal planning; and tutors teachers and guidance counselors

For further Information email: jprice@careercampaign.com or call: 1-800-965-0482 or 978-256-0482