Posts Tagged "Personal Branding"
Oct28

Facebook Is Dead..Now What?

Posted at 6:05 PM • View Comments

Over a year ago, my friend Darren Herman wrote a post about the social networks Facebook and LinkedIn colliding.  I saw this happening on a small scale at the time but not on the major scale it is now.  I now have clients, MBA classmates, colleagues, friends, family, Michael Phelps, dogs, cats, etc. all in one place!  This is NOT why I signed up for Facebook!  I signed up because I wanted to have easier access to my family as well as friends of past and present.  Also, when I was single, I could see if that girl I just met was crazy or not.  Anyway, like Darren, I wanted a place that I could keep in touch with real people or friends that I’ve actually met.

I have another acquaintance Ryan Coleman, a successful entrepreneur, that runs NextForce and argues (in short) that it shouldn’t matter what picture, videos, etc. are on your site because if your culture lines up with a prospective employer’s culture, then it’s all “gravy.”   I agree and disagree with him, and this is where my aggravation with Facebook comes into play.

Gen-Y understands Facebook…the new business networkers (largely Gen-X and beyond) do not understand it beyond having an electronic organizer.  I can tell they don’t get it because they have no picture or one, most likely from their company website, and then there is nothing else on their Facebook page.  People are becoming scared to put things up about themselves.  I have friends looking for jobs that feel the need to take down their walls, delist their relationship status and disassociate themselves with groups their passionate about.  I don’t blame them.  I would do the same…now.

Facebook is about to become LinkedIn Part 2.  It’s going to become a contact tool instead of a place to share things.  Facebook isn’t going to be the only one dying off.  This cycle will repeat until a solution is found.  Maybe an invite-only Ning is the way to go or the ever-elusive ASW.   Maybe Web 3.0 is all about tagging people as entities or degrees of separation.  i.e. Darren Herman (email, facebook, linkedin, mobile, AIM, in-person) or Ryan Coleman (email, facebook, mobile).

Gen-Y is still another 10 years from being the majority in hiring roles.  Until then, I can’t fully buy into Ryan’s way of thinking.

BTW, ONLY add me to Facebook here if you meet any of the following criteria:

1)    I have no idea who you are.
2)    You have 1 or 0 pictures of yourself up.
3)    You are reading my blog for the first time.

Oct9

Down Economies Are Fun!!!

Posted at 1:43 AM • View Comments

I’ve always tried to do things a little different than the person next to me.

This world is so competitive that you have to do things to set yourself apart if you want to get noticed.  While this holds true for careers, it also holds true for life.  Stop watching ticker tapes all day.  Forget that the Dow is plummeting (You do realize it’s only 30 stocks right?).  Forget about what certain candidates have to say about it (You don’t think you’re going to get a real answer until after election day do you?).

It’s easy to go along with the crowd; but it’s harder but more fulfilling to go against the grain.  We’re Gen-Y, and by our nature that’s what we’re about.  Improve your personal brand by being the person that others look to for a light in the darkness.

Here are 5 ways to be part of the solution instead of the problem:

Take a Vacation
Grab a friend so you can spread some joy.  You don’t have to go to a tropical island.  Head down south with a buddy for a powerful SEC football game, hit a local beach or just go visit a friend you haven’t seen for awhile in another town.

Buy Some Stock
Undergraduate finance: buy low, sell high.  Do your part to help with the $700B buyout.  If you have a little extra cash, buy a little extra stock.  All I know is if RIMM drops a bit below $50, I have Chuck all over it!

Break Your Horn
Before you go cranking on your horn because you’re stuck in traffic, sit back and crank up your iPod.  Horns release middle fingers.  Music releases pheromones.

Grab a Drink
Finding friends to grab a drink right now shouldn’t be hard.  However, don’t let the talk steer towards the economy or politics.  Talk sports, sex or TV shows.

Breathe
It’s fall right now, which means it’s beautiful outside.  Find a spot in the park, sit on your balcony or lie down in front of a window with nothing on and take a breath or two or three.  Clear your mind and try to focus on what you have instead of what you don’t.

My point is not that you become this corny person that’s one-step away from working at Disney.  However, enough is going on right now to make everyone think the apocalypse is upon us.  Be a little different.  Try to be the light, and maybe it will be a little contagious.

BTW, hometown (New Orleans) featured in this V-Dub Spot.

Sep30

Good Resumes Lack Objectives!

Posted at 5:20 PM • View Comments

With the job market following suit of the economy, it is hyper-competitive to land a great job.  If you believe that you are the best of the best, then you better have a solid resume that will drive that point home.

I have been working on a project for a client, which required research of thousands (probably hundreds) of resumes.  Now, I truly understand why HR professionals spend less than 10 seconds reading each resume that floats across their desk.   Aside from reading many generic resumes that looked like they came straight from a Microsoft Word template, I noticed that the “objective” part of the resume is the biggest waste of precious space.  The resumes that stood out to me had no objective but instead contained a “personal brand statement.”

The PBS doesn’t have its own section or bold highlight that reads, “Personal Brand Statement.” It is simply the first statement that the reader sees below the header.  The PBS is a quick but powerful definition of who the candidate is.

Why the objective is irrelevant?

1)    If you’re applying for a specific job, then the hiring manager knows what your objective is.
2)    It looks like everyone else in the database.
3)    Each resume gets viewed for 10 to 30 seconds and a generic objective isn’t going to stop anyone in their tracks.

What should be in my “personal brand statement”?

1)    Quantify what you can bring to the table.  Use experience, goals achieved or both…people like numbers because they relate easily.
2)    Once quantified, briefly highlight the steps you made getting to that point.
3)    Immediately below your PBS, list (horizontally) 5 (not 6) or 7 keywords that describe you.

I have been listening to my iPod relentlessly all week to rid the voices in my head that repeat phrases such as, “seeking a mutually beneficial position” and “seeking a rewarding and educational career.”  Blah!!

Aug19

Does TheLadders Stink?

Posted at 2:20 PM • View Comments

I have been using TheLadders for just over six months now to see what the hype was all about.  To be honest, I have been less than thrilled.  I was browsing some of the highlights over at the $100K+ job board SalesLadder.com.  They posted the “Top 100 Recruiter Search Words” used in the past week.  Something that stuck out to me is how general the Top 25 terms (shown below) are.  I thought the purpose of resume filters was for recruiters to filter out resumes they don’t want to be bothered with.  The number one search term is ‘sales.’  Well, anyone that has spent a minute on Monster.com can tell you that would bring up something such as ‘entry-level sports marketing’ or some other turnstile position.  In fact, the top 25 lists pretty vague terms.  The first somewhat specific term I see is #10, ‘business development.’

TheLadders suggestion is to use the terms that describe you perfectly and use them in your resume.  Ok?  Is this what I’m paying for?

I have ‘sales’ all over my resume and so does the freshly minted graduate that was selling raffle tickets to the latest Greek fundraiser this past spring.  Every recruiter I’ve spoken to wants to hear about awards won, unique achievements and/or hard numbers.  I don’t see any of these terms listed in the top 100.    TheLadders big selling point is that it will separate you from all the rest.  I’d like to know what TheLadders does to screen their recruiters.

1 sales
2 CPA
3 Marketing
4 Human Resources
5 software
6 tax
7 controller
8 manufacturing
9 engineer
10 business development
11 finance
12 SAP
13 Java
14 healthcare
15 tax manager
16 Construction
17 software sales
18 project manager
19 product manager
20 operations
21 accountant
22 accounting
23 supply chain
24 recruiter
25 Retail

Jun4

Real Men Suit Up For Success

Posted at 3:35 PM • View Comments

I love the scene below from Boiler Room (viewer discretion advised) in which Ben Affleck delivers his “Act As If…” speech. The point is that if you’re going to sell, then you have to look the part. It doesn’t matter if you’re in sales or not, you need to dress for the position you want because you’re always selling yourself. The position you want may not even be with your current company; but you need to always look good because you never know who is looking at you.

Unlike the boys hustling shares of stock, we’re not all pulling down $25K per month; so lining our closets with the latest trends seen in Men’s Health or Playboy is not an option. Here are 5 ways to cut some corners with suits and still look good:

1) Suits

Buy the inexpensive styles of the suits you saw in the magazines. Jos. A. Bank and Men’s Wearhouse are constantly having sales on decent quality suits. Pick a store and find a dynamic contemporary pattern you feel comfortable with. Dillard’s and Macy’s always have sales too, but getting a good opinion or measurements from a general department store salesman can be hit or miss.

On style, feel free to venture from the typical browns and blacks as just a subtle charcoal pinstripe or a something cooler for the summer months such as a taupe are fetching. Go with the 3-button suits as they are seen as more stylish.

Also, when shopping for a suit, you will need a second set of eyes because the colors will all begin to bleed together. I suggest bringing a girlfriend (platonic or otherwise) or a gay male friend. If you have a friend that still wears Croakies around his sunglasses for any activity aside from boating, do not bring him!

2) Dress Shirts

If you’re on a budget, then your shirts are the most important aspect of your wardrobe. This is where you get a chance to create your own sense of style. This doesn’t mean buying a Polo dress shirt from a department store. It means looking to some high quality designers and custom clothiers. Spend the $125 required on a high quality dress shirt. You need at least three. Find your style with the likes of Thomas Pink, Paul Smith or Ted Baker to name a few. They can be found online or at your local haberdashery. Never doubt the power of a custom shirt. Check out a company such as Tom James that has been manufacturing custom made shirts for years. It’s big boy time, so only get French cuffs. It takes us approximately 45 minutes less than the average woman to get dressed in the morning, take the extra 90 seconds to put cuff links into your shirts.

3) Cuff Links

Again, you have a chance to exhibit your own style without having to dye your hair or install permanentMF Cuff Links ink onto visible areas of your body. For the most part, cuff links can be anything you choose. My only rule of thumb is to make sure the metal (usually gold or silver) matches your belt buckle (and watch if you wear one). I can go into any haberdashery and find hundreds of cuff links that will match my shirts and ties. Unless you are close with your client or work in familiar office space, I would stick with a more conservative design during the day. Night time is the time to break out the spinning roulette wheels.

4) Sport Coats

The sport coat is great because there is almost no wrong answer. They are versatile in that one or two coats can pair with many combinations of dress pants or nice jeans. I wouldn’t go nuts like TNT’s Craig Saeger, but you should definitely feel free to express yourself some here.

5) Rule on Blue

I can’t stress this enough. If you were blue slacks or have a blue suit, you need to wear brown NOT black shoes. Unless you are in the United States Marine Corp, there are no exceptions to this rule. Ok, there really are, but to be safe please use brown. If nothing else, the ladies will definitely notice your dress savvy.

Bottom Line

Perception is reality. Dress how you want to be perceived.

May22

5 Ways to Be Rich and Powerful

Posted at 7:58 PM • View Comments

The perceived recession is over hyped. A recent Business Week article finally proved as much. Regardless of the economy, I maintain the mindset of ABS…not brakes…ABS = Always Be Saving. Our generation isn’t going to collect a dime of social security, so it’s important for us to save now.

George Costanza said very few intelligent things, but he did once say, “Interest…it’s an amazing thing. You can make money without doing anything.” He was half correct because you have to put the pieces in place to work for you. Here are 5 ways to get your money working for you:

1) 401(k) and/or Roth IRA

This is the biggest no brainer in the book especially if your company has a match. It’s tax free money. If your company has a match, then max it out. If your company doesn’t have a 401(k), then open a Roth IRA. I prefer Fidelity and Schwab, but you can use any brokerage service. Each brokerage I mentioned offers a method for incremental contributions just as you’d have with an employer. That way you can open an account with $50 instead of $3,000. The maximum contribution for 2008 is $5,000…try to hit that! You have until tax day 2009 to contribute.

Be a ROCKSTAR! If you can afford it, open a Roth on top of the 401(k).

DON’T TOUCH!! Pull the money out and you’re taxed 30%. However, there are little loop holes. For instance, you can make a withdrawal as a down payment on your first home purchase.

2) Mint.com

I work hard for my cash, and I want to know where it’s going. Throughout college my mom was baffled that I could never fully balance a checkbook. However, I’ve always been able to budget. I’ve used Quicken and Money in the past…never again! Mint is barely a year old. It has won an award, received major funding and is more efficient than those other two. The security is top notch, and the only information they need is your email address. It helps you track expenses, bills, budget, savings opportunities and much more!

3) Payment & Punishment

Once you have Mint setup…use it! Figure out your biggest expenditure, aka weakness, and exploit it. Take whatever you spend there and match it into your own savings. For instance, my weakness is for random runs to the nearest crack house…errrr…espresso distributor; so each month I find out what I spent on it and put that same amount into my money market fund.

So, if you spend $175 a month on Marlboros, then you put $175 into your savings of choice. This practice will have several positive effects on your financial life.

4) High Yield Checking

I only need a physical bank for one thing…ATMs. When I moved to Atlanta, I went with Wachovia because they are everywhere. My paychecks are direct deposits and my bills are paid via online checking.

Schwab now has an award winning checking account the garners interest. I can do everything with them that I do with Wachovia and earn 2% on my cash. In the rare occasion, I need a physical check, they are free. Visa debit card is included. If I need cash, the world is my ATM! They reimburse for ATMs worldwide.

5) AMEX One Card

This is a little known card from American Express. The only AMEX card I see less than this is the elusive black Centurion card. The One card is boring in appearance except as it’s mostly green. Green because it earns you money. AMEX One has replaced my ATM/Debit card. I use this card for all of my purchases.

AMEX opens a savings account for you and matches your spending into your savings account. They start you with $50 after your first purchase. Thereafter, they match 1% of your monthly expenditures directly into the savings account. While your money is sitting, it earns interest (currently 2.75%). It has interest protection for new purchases. Basically, this means that you don’t pay interest on the full balance but only on what was due before the current month. Having said that, I strongly suggest you only using this method if you typically pay your credit card off in full each month. Paying interest defeats the purpose of the savings account.

Bottom Line

Money, Knowledge and Sex are Power…Know where your money is going, use the intelligence to distribute it so you can attain more, this will make you more attractive on several levels and then you’ll have more sex. You are now ALL POWERFUL!!

Photo Courtesy of DeShawn Stevenson ;->

Mar23

Nike SPARQ – My Brand is Better

Posted at 7:17 PM • View Comments

I recently made a post about Nike understanding what athletes are about. The Cinderella commercial I referenced was about doing whatever, whenever to get where you want to go. The newest commercial is about their Nike SPARQ (Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction, Quickness) training program. To most athletes, SPARQ is nothing new. It is a training program used to condition athletes for their particular sport. I’ve seen this training program administered by people such as Velocity from early high school through the professional level. Nike has rebranded this program SPARQ and is showing it the public. Yes, the commercials are very cool. The one most will remember is the long version with Saul Williams singing “List of Demands” in the background.

Nike’s brand is just better. If you’re serious about training, then you will head over to their website. The site doesn’t just show off professional athletes’ ratings. It lists individuals you’ve never heard of playing high school football, soccer, baseball, etc…male and female…can find their training results online comparing it to others around the country. If you played high school anything, think about how valuable that knowledge would’ve been then. The top competitors always assume someone else is trying to work harder than them at any moment, so they push. This site can give you even more “juice” to perform better. To get on this list, look at Nike’s scheduled list of events. All you have to do is find the scheduled events, show up and they will test you. Nike offers training videos to prepare or train on your own. Of course, you can even buy SPARQ branded equipment; but, the real value for Nike is in everything but the merchandise. They’ve created a massive amount of conversation from 90 seconds of commercials and a top-notch user interface

Many would call this viral marketing, but as my friend, Darren Herman, has said, “They are creating a conversation with the consumers.” This is what it takes today to be successful in business. The brand doesn’t control the consumers and the consumers don’t control the brands. If either of these is too off-tilt, something will give. Brand communication today is about emerging media. A main component of all emerging media is ongoing conversation.

“My better is better than your better. Thank you very much for coming.”

My Better is Better Than Your Better

My Better is Better Than Your Better

Mar11

Jordan Clock Tower Commercial – Become Legendary

Posted at 10:22 PM • View Comments

I was a huge Michael Jordan fan when I was young. I used to try, notice the italics, to imitate him as a kid. I watched the training videos, read the Bios and scraped together what I could on the young Internet. Jordan and Nike have always put together wonderful commercials. They have been consistent in understanding the amateur athlete and showing that they understand via their various branding initiatives. Phil Knight started making running shoes on the back of a pickup truck, and then he gave universities (see Oregon) free stuff if they used it in public and somehow he managed to maintain that image with the largest sports clothier in the world.

Commercials like this give me chills…because whether you’re playing now, have played or are going to play…we all compete. Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets make an appearance. Think the NBA loves this guy? Amazing fundamentally, off-the-radar in a star-studded NBA West, in a Cinderella town…potential to be Legendary. Recognize some of the others…Boise State and Appalachian State playing late.

Feb21

Facebook and the CIA Coming to Get Ya!

Posted at 3:08 PM • View Comments

I found this video via Marketing Headhunter. It’s a look at how Facebook and the CIA are connected trying to mine all of our personal data. Yeah, it’s over the top; but it’s still fun and interesting to see…only about 3 minutes so check it out.