Threshold Consulting: It's Your Life, Own It!

Same As It Ever Was…

This is another in a series of monthly advice posts made in association with the Career Collective, a group of professionals who collaborate to provide guidance for job seekers and careerists. The questions this month, in honor of April Fool’s Day, are: How are you fooling yourself about your career/job search? What can you do about it? "How to avoid being tricked by common job search blunders?" 

April Fool’s Day. Job Search. It’s easy to see how the idea of fooling one’s self comes with so many of life’s big change efforts. So, I decided to research April Fool’s Day and found that at least part of the tradition involves sending someone on a fool's errand. According to Wikipedia, this is “a task that cannot be accomplished because of fate or because it is a joke. It comes mainly in two varieties: trying to find something that does not exist, or trying to accomplish an impossible task.”

So, it seems this is almost exactly fitting for job search! Or, at least the traditional approach as many people implement it. You know: resume, cover letter, business cards, networking events for job seekers, and inviting anybody and everybody to connect on LinkedIn. Actually, it’s not that any of these elements taken alone or together is foolish. No. Mostly, it’s putting them in service of the desperate quest of landing, once and for all, in the promised land of a steady paycheck, benefits, and a daily structure that allows you to blend in.

Frankly, even when you do manage to find a job, you still face a world in such flux that it would be delusional to think it’ll last. In 1994, William Bridges wrote about the end of the job. A few years later, Dan Pink wrote about the rise of Free Agent Nation. Perhaps they were just a bit ahead of their time, as “the job” seems to have done quite well for itself, over the years. Of course, we’ve also seen lots of dislocation in that time, as we’ve witnessed the world becoming flat, with jobs disaggregated, digitized, and off-shored.

Just recently, an Expert Blog post in Fast Company, highlighted “The Downfall of the Institution and the Rise of the Personal Brand.” Starting with the impact of social media, authors Nick Nanton & JW Dicks clearly point to the power you now have in your fingertips to drive “buzz about you [that] in turn raises your profile and credibility,” so you’re no longer “an employee with limited options.” Instead you become a “free agent operating no differently than the sports stars who are able to offer their skill to the highest bidder.”

Their powerful conclusion is this:

“Now, in the new ‘Branded Economy,’ you are all allowed to play the role you want in building your brand and building your value. If you don’t take control, you will risk becoming irrelevant and relegated to the position of a cog in someone else’s wheel.”

Clearly, it’s time to venture out. If you haven’t gained personal clarity about the value you bring, get started. If you aren’t exactly a digital native, time to become a digital immigrant and find your way to a presence in the new world of the social web. As long as you stay tied to the concept of traditional job search in order to find a regular job, you are fooling yourself.

When I think of self-delusion, it prompts a chain of thought starting with lyrics from the Talking Heads’ classic song, Once in a Lifetime. I literally think: “same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was…only its not!” And because it’s not, you need to get a clue from one more line from that song and ask yourself, “How Do I Work This?”

Cross-posted at William Arruda's Personal Branding Blog.

 

Were You Always Like That?

Call it an elevator pitch. Call it a self-introduction. Describing ourselves is one of the most challenging things we are called upon to do.  Some people stumble through. Some people say way too much. Some people wrap themselves in buzzwords related to their area of expertise. Fact is, most folks simply aren’t comfortable talking about themselves, whether in live situations, on paper, or in online profiles. 

Yet, in today’s ever more connected and competitive world, crafting a self-introduction has never been more important. Not only does it relate your expertise and convey your unique promise of value, but it's also key to inviting and encouraging people to connect with you.

At recent career transition strategy session, I asked attendees to introduce themselves, and include one key piece of information they believed a decision maker should know about them. What I didn’t tell them was that I’d be asking why they shared what they did! Frankly, I was as surprised as they to see what happened! Nearly everyone shared information in a relatively bland and safe way, many wrapping their message in some form of corporate speak. Yet, in every case we discovered that by digging a little deeper, people had exciting, even compelling reasons for what they shared.

In one case, a young project manager said he works hard to exceed expectations, leading me to think, “Yeah, you and everybody else!” But I didn’t say that. Instead, I asked, “Were you always like that? Give me an example from high school” In response, proudly told us how he had competed with several of his scouting friends to become an Eagle Scout, earning the distinction at 15 (about two years ahead of the usual age). As he told us, his energy increased leading to a noticeably enhanced emotional connection! In the following “ah ha” moment, he realized he could craft a new introduction to convey that he is, and has always been a high achiever, using his Eagle Scout achievement as well as work examples.

Frankly, part of my motivation doing for doing this exercise came from reading Be Sharp: Tell Me About Yourself in Great Introductions and Professional Bios, by Paula Asinof and Mina Brown. In discussing how to craft a powerful self-introduction, the authors point to three core elements:

1. The Essence Factor: A short professional description that best captures the scope of your experience.

2. The Guru Factor: A statement of any special expertise you bring.

3. The Star Factor: A statement of attributes and/or abilities that set you apart and cause others to admire you.

Putting these elements into your communications about yourself makes you memorable, clear, specific and compelling.  Even more, your ability to relate your story with energy establishes an emotional bridge that makes it easier for people to connect with you.

Cross-posted at William Arruda's Personal Branding Blog.

The Public Life of Your Personal Brand

Most people would readily agree they have a personal life, but few would describe themselves as having a “public life.” Sure, we have our work life and our home life. Yet, we don’t usually think about having a “public” dimension to our lives. Politicians and celebrities have public lives. We do not. We are apt to believe our careers are part of a daily blur of activities and don’t really stand out.

Yet, to a large degree, professional success has always been driven by the positive regard of others. It shapes our reputation. And although we might not consciously make the connection, reputation exists by virtue of a public life. Sure, many of us have tended to be conscious of making the right “career moves.” Still, we’ve not usually thought of proactively managing our success in a “public life” context. The advent, and virtual explosion of social media, has changed that. Forever. 

Today, if you want to be successful, you need to respond to the incessant demand to have a public life, especially as defined by the strength of your web presence. In fact, with 79% of US hiring managers and recruiters reviewing online information about job applicants, it means if you are not digitally visible, you don’t exist. So, the link between career success and showing up online is becoming stronger. 

Fortunately, people are recognizing the need to anchor their careers (and lives) on the web. Just witness the explosive growth of professional networking site, LinkedIn, which has grown to over 50 million business users worldwide. Further evidence of the explosive growth of social media is reflected in Facebook’s average daily growth of 600 thousand new users, and Twitter’s 1,382% year-over-year growth rate as of February 2010.

Of course, today, web presence requires more than the static or passive web page. Sure, you’ll need to post profiles in online communities you join; and ideally, these will capture you in terms of unique attributes, motivated skills, and even proof of performance to demonstrate your value. But that’s just for starters. Especially since your personal brand truly comes alive in the way you engage others – both online and in face-to-face situations. So, you also need to think about your brand as conversation and not as pre-scripted messages! 

Fortunately, the key to managing your public life is relatively simple. First, you need to show up in a way that is authentic; in other words, be yourself.  Second, you need to take a genuine interest in others. After all, that’s what drives conversation! Yet, while the formula is simple, it helps to find and integrate the good advice and perspectives or others. And while there is lots of advice out there, I think you’d do well to take a look a terrific Chris Brogan post, Be Sexier in Person. It’s a great read, with great comments, and lessons you can apply across your entire public life! 

Cross-posted at William Arruda's Personal Branding Blog.