Hiding in Plain Sight

This month’s Career Collective is Halloween themed. Topics are:  How to avoid scary career/resume mistakes; or how to ensure your resume/career "costume" fits you / attracts your target audience.  I’ve opted for the scary career mistake category.

Ah Halloween and careers! In thinking about the symbolism connected with the season, I can imagine that there are lots of scary mistakes that run across the full gamut of job search and career management activities. It’s a fertile area for metaphor. Yet for me, I think the scariest mistake is to run your career, including your online presence, as if you were The Invisible Man.

In the classic novella by H.G. Wells, the main character, Griffin, is “…a scientist who theorizes that if a person's refractive index is changed to exactly that of air and his body does not absorb or reflect light, then he will be invisible. He successfully carries out this procedure on himself, but cannot become visible again, becoming mentally unstable as a result.”

Since this was published, we’ve learned it’s actually possible to hide in plain sight. In nature it’s called camouflage, and it allows organisms to blend in with their surroundings. While the survival benefits may work out in the wild, blending in is a huge disadvantage in the world of work. In fact, if you’ve attended to trends in career management, you know the emphasis is on standing out. In today’s competitive world, the thinking goes, you need to discern and leverage your personal brand across a range of media – and especially on line.

Yet, most people don’t do it. Even if they take the step of setting up an online profile, most typically at LinkedIn, they make three critical errors that virtually guarantee they remain undifferentiated, and hidden:

Cut and paste a resume or bio. Sure there are career coaches out there who recommend this, but it’s not the best use of online real estate. It may seem that emphasizing your transferable skills makes sense. It doesn’t. People simply don’t read resumes to understand your skill set, and they won’t read your online profile to evaluate your skills either.

Use a formal third-person voice. Probably an outcome of a resume or bio cut and paste, third-person sets a boundary of formality. A boundary that can block any chance your profile will help people find a reason for wanting to know, like, and trust you.

Emphasize corporate buzzwords. Sure there is a SEO value in having certain words and phrases show up on your profile. Still, it’s kind of like playing the lottery, you may come up in a search; you may not. When you do, however, your buzz-word laden profile can keep you undifferentiated and hidden just as effectively as Nature hides her creatures.

It can be maddening if you’re trying to move your career forward. Yet, unlike our pal Griffin, you can reverse the process. And to do that, start by learning how to stand out by constructing your profile with the following characteristics:     

Write in the first-person to engage others. Writing for the social web means writing in first person; so, you can use personal pronouns (“I,” “me,” and “my”) to convey who you are. Think of establishing your online presence as your way of introducing yourself at an event. You don’t use third person there, don’t do it on the web.

Use plain language.  You may think it’s a sign of professionalism to present your knowledge of industry jargon. It’s not. In fact, it’s a turn off. The mark of a true professional is ability to find simple expressions for complex ideas. As well, if you want to connect with other people, you must first be a person. And talk like a person.

Tell your story like …a story. Just because you are the focus of a written document, doesn’t make that document your story. Telling your story requires marshalling key themes that best represent who you are and why you’re compelling for your audience. It should start with one of your key beliefs or operating principles and tie in the distinct value you provide to others. As well, it should develop your backstory, including the key experiences – even the twists and turns – that made you the professional you are today.

Succeeding your career today is not predicated on your skill sets. By themselves they are simply plug and play elements that can be easily replaced. So, to be successful, you need to be differentiated and visible. So, stop hiding in plain sight. Tell your story.

Cross-posted at William Arruda's Personal Branding Blog

How did members of the Career Collective respond to this question? Follow us on Twitter with our hashtag #careercollective and read these posts:

Where Are the Wild Things, Anyway?, @WorkWithIllness

Is Your Job Search Making You Feel Like a Smashed Pumpkin?, @DebraWheatman

Don’t make these frightful resume mistakes, @LaurieBerenson

How Not to Be a Spooky Job Seeker, @heathermundell

A Tombstone Resume:Eulogizing Your Experience, @GayleHoward

The Top Ten Scary Things Job Seekers Do, @barbarasafani

Oh, Job Search Isn’t Like Trick or Treating?, @careersherpa

A Most Unfortunate Resume Mistake No One Will Tell You, @chandlee

Oh no. Not the phone!, @DawnBugni

Halloween Caution: Job Seeker Horror, @resumeservice

Boo! Are you scaring away opportunities or the competition? @MartinBuckland @EliteResumes

Your Career Brand: A Scary Trick or an Appealing Treat?, @KCCareerCoach

How to avoid mistakes on your resume, @Keppie_Careers

Sc-sc-scary Resume Mistakes, @erinkennedycprw

A Flawed Resume is a Scary Prospect, @KatCareerGal

Job Search Angst: Like Clouds Mounting Before a Storm, @ValueIntoWords

Does Your Career Costume Fit You?, @expatcoachmegan

Comments

[Megan Fitzgerald]

Walter,

If there were two words I'd say every professional should keep in mind - it's differentiation and visibility! SO important in the crowded marketplace where google is the universal reference check.

Thanks for those wise words!

Megan

[Laurie Berenson]

Walter, great points for online profile development. I agree with you on all levels. The one that stands out the most to me is talking in plain language. It runs contrary to what so many job seekers think, but is so true.

[Walter Akana]

Hi Megan! Thanks for your great comment! You’ve definitely underscored keys to successful career management in a crowed, google-oriented marketplace. Yes, differentiation and visibility are key! Actually, I increasingly see the ability to “tell your story” as another key to effective engagement. Doing so sets the groundwork for becoming known, liked, and trusted! Happy Halloween!

[Walter Akana]

Hey Laurie! Thanks for your thoughtful comment! We certainly do agree on a key point. Yes, I know many people don’t see it, but plain language goes along way to making you approachable. Done well, it even demonstrates your expertise without the buzz! Happy Halloween :-)

[Dawn Bugni]

Walter -

Excellent points, all. Telling good stories, engaging the reader, being approachable all help differentiate job seekers in the current employment market.

Somewhere along the line we seem to have forgotten human beings do the hiring. People (just like us) who crave something different and interesting in the sea of "business speak", cookie-cutter documents and profiles.

Remembering to write for the reader is a great way to stand out in a crowd and lose the shroud of invisibility.

Great reminders. Thank you!

[Walter Akana]

Hey Dawn!

Thanks for your comment. I love it! You have nicely captured the key message:

“Somewhere along the line we seem to have forgotten human beings do the hiring. People (just like us) who crave something different and interesting in the sea of "business speak", cookie-cutter documents and profiles.”

It is so easy to obsess about the wrong things! Key words are just one example; yet, as I see it, the key words that *really* matter are the ones shared in relationship building conversations!