Both popular social networking sites designed to connect individuals online, the two represent different types of connections with different goals and objectives. LinkedIn is focused on professional networking, and is currently the highest used tool for professional networking, whereas Facebook is considered more social with a focus on personal use.
The fact is that LinkedIn was designed specifically for the global business community – to enable members to establish networks of people they know and trust professionally. Your LinkedIn page emphasises employment history, education, professional memberships and other associations. So which one should you be using for career development purposes?
Unfortunately, the answer is not straightforward. While LinkedIn definitely remains the global standard for professional networking online, both sites may have a place in your career development process – particularly if you are a consultant, freelancer or run a small business. There are certainly advantages to LinkedIn that could never be as easily achieved with Facebook – the fact that LinkedIn was designed specifically for business networking makes it very easy to connect with past and present colleagues, build relationships with potential partners, find a new job, discover prospective sales leads, influence your customers, and find viable candidates for roles within your organisation. However, Facebook can also provide an ideal way to share content and build your brand, reputation, and community of interested potential customers.
In addition, it’s important to remember the reach of Facebook is far greater with an estimated global active monthly user base of 1.59 billion, compared to LinkedIn’s 100 million. That means Facebook may be more relevant in business than many people believe. Some of the ways you can tap into the professional community on Facebook include:
Establishing a business page to share content and drive traffic to your website or LinkedIn profile (to sell products, educate your target market, or influence buying decisions);
Establishing a Facebook group focused on your business and regularly sharing content;
Participating in existing relevant Facebook groups to connect, discuss, share content, and network with others in order to grow your professional network; and
Using Facebook advertising as a way to reach new customers.
Although some people have debated which one is better, we believe a LinkedIn profile carries more weight professionally than Facebook for the majority of people – however as mentioned above there is certainly a place for Facebook. Your LinkedIn profile content is focused on professional experience and qualifications with a clean, structured and organised presentation and appearance. In many situations, this makes it easier for people to quickly identify whether or not they should be working with you.
If you are seeking a new job, it’s important to make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to scratch – according to LinkedIn, “users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn.” Likewise, if you’re seeking to network with colleagues and potential business partners, LinkedIn is probably your best bet. However, if it is new customers or improved business branding you’re after, then Facebook might be the way to go.
Do you have trouble networking? Are you lacking a good quality online profile to help you find and connect with like-minded industry experts? If you would like assistance writing a professional, keyword optimised LinkedIn profile that highlights your strengths and achievements and sets you apart from your competitors, please see our LinkedIn Profile Writing service.
More than just a bunch of part-time jobs, portfolio careers are becoming more and more common as people seek to improve their work-life balance and increase overall career and job satisfaction. Many people are finding that juggling two, three or even four jobs can be much more fulfilling and rewarding than holding down one traditional full-time role.
Amongst my group of friends and acquaintances, I’ve noticed the rise in people building their career doing a variety of jobs for a range of different clients or companies. While a portfolio career is similar to freelancing, it’s not quite the same. Whereas freelance work revolves around doing the same, or a similar thing for different clients on an ongoing basis, a portfolio career usually involves a mix of longer term part-time roles that might include some freelance or contract work. It can suit many different types of people, for example, those looking for opportunities post-redundancy, people wanting to become self-employed but with some stability from one or two part-time roles, people looking to pursue something creative that may not pay well initially, people transitioning into retirement, or those looking to start an entirely new career.
It can also suit different industries, for example, you could be a Human Resources Manager with a part-time job working for a small business, a casual teaching or lecturing role at University or TAFE, and a writer for an industry publication.
Some of the benefits of having a portfolio career include:
Flexibility – to utilise your unique skills and develop different areas of interest. It might also provide opportunities to explore new avenues far easier than if you are holding down a full time job, as well as being able to pursue self-employment opportunities without the risk of going it alone completely.
Independence – to create your own career on your terms, managing your time with family needs or other personal interests.
Freedom – to pursue your passions and choose to work doing what you want to do, rather than what the job requires.
Variety – and less monotony in your day to day work.
Opportunity – in tight job markets, the availability of full-time jobs might fall in certain sectors, with some companies embracing part-time or contract roles as a viable solution. A multitude of part-time jobs might provide the answer.
So how can you create a portfolio career?
STEP # 1: learn about the pros and cons by talking to others or doing some research. While a portfolio career can sound inviting with all that variety and flexibility, for many people, it may just create more stress as a result of having to manage different roles, time involvements, and income sources.
STEP # 2: understand your financial situation and work out how much money you need to feel secure. Try to give yourself a financial buffer for times when income drops. Remember that part-time workers’ hours can often change with little notice, and if you’re freelancing or consulting you need to be constantly identifying new projects and income sources.
STEP # 3: identify your unique skills and attributes. Ask yourself what you have to offer, how will you deliver it, and who will want it – but more importantly who will pay for it and will you be happy doing it?
STEP # 4: once you’ve embarked on your new career, manage your time effectively to ensure you’re not working harder – just smarter. Juggling multiple jobs can be tricky if you’re not organised, so create efficient systems and rules around time spent on each vocation.
STEP # 5: learn some sales and networking strategies, especially if part of your income needs to come from consulting or freelance opportunities. If you don’t have permanent part-time roles, don’t underestimate the time you need to spend on business development activities which are usually ‘non-earning’.
Most people have different sides to them and a portfolio career could be just the approach you need to ensure you gain more fulfilment and satisfaction from your career, while addressing other areas such as freedom, flexibility and independence.
We believe the answer is definitely YES! Learning how to write an effective speculative job application can certainly pay off – especially if you are seeking to change careers or move up the career ladder. It can demonstrate initiative, keenness and a proactive nature – all great traits for any successful employee.
Speculative job applications are also a great way to put yourself in control of your job application process. We strongly believe if you’re only applying for advertised vacancies, you may be missing out on many other opportunities – as well as making your entire job search process much longer than is necessary.
Sending a speculative job application to a company that is not currently advertising a suitable position can get you and your experience in front of the right person at just the right time, and prevent your application from sitting in the same pile as everyone else’s. But what is the best approach?
Here are our tips for success:
TIP # 1 – Research the company: and how your skills and experience could benefit them. This does take time, but it will pay off. You’ll be able to quickly demonstrate how your background could be of value. In addition, you’ll have a good idea about how good a ‘fit’ you are, which will help you appear more confident if you do achieve that all important one-on-one interview.
TIP # 2 – Strategise: take time to define your offer and why a potential employer might like to meet you. Write down your key skills and strengths and how they fit the company’s goals and objectives. Try to identify benefits or ‘value add’ outcomes that you’ve achieved for other employers and relate that to the company you are approaching.
TIP # 3 – Use Your Networks: you can approach a company cold by sending a letter or email, but a better approach is to leverage your existing network. If you know someone within a company, don’t be afraid to ask them for help in ensuring your application is delivered. Just don’t forget to show your thanks and hopefully repay them with some information or advice in the future.
TIP # 4 – Write: put yourself in the potential employer’s shoes and write based on the ‘what’s in it for me?’ principle. This is an important part of the speculative process because you’re approaching them with no real idea about whether or not there are any relevant current or impending opportunities. Rather than just making statements about who you are or what you offer – provide proof of value or results you’ve achieved in the past. Your speculative application needs to be sufficiently interesting for the potential employer to want to talk to you more. You can only do this by showing them how you’ve achieved certain results or solved specific problems in the past.
Here’s a few tips on how to format your approach:
Use a formal letter writing technique – include your name and address details, the date, address the letter to a specific person (not just a title such as ‘Attention HR Manager’) and include their job title, and the company name and address details. End the letter with ‘Yours sincerely’.
Open with the reason why you are writing to them – mention what interests you. Explain you are seeking a new role and why you have identified the company as a potential employer.
Summarise your experience, skills and areas of expertise including recent achievements or successes (remember the proof mentioned above). Tell the reader why you are interested in exploring employment opportunities with their organisation, what you could bring to the company, and why you feel you’d be a good candidate.
Prompt a call to action by telling the reader how to contact you and what they will achieve if you speak further.
Once you’ve written your speculative application, don’t sit back and wait! Follow up with a phone call a few days later. Even if your letter hasn’t been read, this approach could increase your chance of success. Speculative applications are no longer being seen as presumptuous, in fact many employers love them because they save much time with recruitment! So what are you waiting for?
While Facebook may seem harmless if you don’t post anything untoward yourself, you should definitely be aware of the negatives. A recent study from three US-based universities suggests that your Facebook profile can be a predictor of job performance. In an experiment, three “raters” (one university professor and two students) evaluated the Facebook profiles of 56 students with jobs. After spending just 10 minutes viewing each profile, including photos, wall posts, comments, education and hobbies, the raters answered a series of personality-related questions, such as “Is this person dependable?” and “How emotionally stable is this person?” Six months later, the researchers matched the ratings against employee evaluations from each student and found a strong correlation between job performance and the Facebook scores for traits such as conscientiousness, agreeability and intellectual curiosity.
So what can you do to avoid a down fall? Some simple tips from experts of what not to do include:
Posting inappropriate photos – this goes without saying but these obviously can affect your image at work. Although this isn’t just about wild parties and drunken antics. Think about inappropriate or offensive attire too. Even just posting a seemingly innocent photo in a social situation may not be appropriate for the industry that you work in.
Complaining about your job or work – there’s the famous case last year of a worker who vented about her boss on Facebook and was publically fired by that same boss (via a responding Facebook comment) the very same day. While you might not get fired, negative posts about work can make you appear immature, untrustworthy and simply not committed to the role or the company. Sometimes after a bad day at work you just want to vent – but take a deep breath first and think about whether you’d say the same thing in person – if not, then resist the urge to post.
Divulging conflicting or confidential information – employers will often use Facebook and other forms of social media to ‘confirm’ claims made in your Resume. If they don’t match, watch out – you won’t be called in for an interview. Conflicting details ring alarm bells for most employers and where there are plenty of candidates to choose from – this is a reason to exclude you. Likewise, divulging confidential information about your company that perhaps hasn’t yet been released to the public domain could land you in hot water.
Doing one thing and saying another – again this goes without saying but you’d be surprised at the stories we’ve heard. Take for example, the employee that was supposed to be ‘working from home’ who posted a status update that she was away for a long weekend. Don’t forget that Facebook isn’t a private conversation with an individual or even a group of friends – it’s always open to public scrutiny.
Being controversial – this is a tricky one because obviously you want to be true to yourself, and your opinions and feelings, however posting strong opinions on controversial topics could be seen as negative in the eyes of your employer or colleagues. Facebook can be used to validate your professional persona and/or undermine your credibility so be careful what you say.
If you are a Facebook user, make sure you take some time to understand your security and privacy settings, but don’t use that as a security blanket because it’s not foolproof.
If you would like assistance auditing your online profile – perhaps developing a professional, keyword optimised LinkedIn profile that highlights your strengths and achievements and sets you apart from your competitors, please see our LinkedIn Profile Writing service or check out our Job Search Coaching Service
If you are becoming increasingly fatigued by ordinary life and frustrated that you aren’t getting where you really want to be in your career, life and finances, you are not alone. It’s estimated that around 80% of the population are finding it more and more difficult to gain and maintain clarity and control across all these areas of their lives.
We have written before about career change, work life balance, and choosing a job and career you love. Many of our clients, especially those who take up career counselling services, are not only facing challenges with their work, but are also at some kind of crossroad in their lives. They want to be more fulfilled across all areas – which can include family, health, relationships, finances, social, spiritual, and/or creative aspects in addition to work and career.
At some point in our lives, most of us would like to gain more control over some or all of these areas with many believing that more time is the answer. However, often this just isn’t a viable solution – we all have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and most of us are stretched to our limits as it is. The real reason most of us don’t have control of our life is CLARITY! While most people don’t have enough time to do everything they want to do, they almost always find the time to do the most important things.
Happiness and success in life is very much determined by how well we understand what we truly want. While most of us can define what we don’t want in life (that’s the easy part), few of us know with real clarity what we really do want. Taking responsibility for all areas of our life, work and finances; and working out what our true priorities are isn’t as easy as it sounds. To do this requires taking some time out to ascertain what really is important, ideally with some specific tools and expert guidance.
Here are some tips to get you started:
TIP # 1 Create a bucket list with at least 50 things you would like to do in your lifetime
TIP #2 Identify your top 5 priorities for next year
TIP # 3 Create a personal cash flow to get more financial control
TIP # 4 Focus on your daily priorities – three for work and three for personal time
TIP # 5 Develop the habit of gratitude and take time to appreciate the best three things in your life each day
TIP # 6 Design your perfect ideal week and action a few things from it now
TIP # 7 Make a top five fun list (e.g movies, massage, dinner with friend, comedy show etc.) and make sure you do one every week
TIP # 8 Exercise to energise
TIP # 9 Allocate set times to check your email so you have time to focus on important priorities
TIP # 10 Schedule some fun things in your diary now for the next 12 months
Setting Yourself Up for a Great Year Ahead – over the Christmas/New Year break is a great time to do this with the added benefit that you’ll be reinvigorated with new goals focused specifically on your needs for the start of the new year. Set yourself up to achieve your best year yet with clear strategies to improve your work life balance, maximise your job fulfilment and take control of your personal finances.
While you may have the best intentions to try and gain this clarity, it can be difficult without assistance. Some of us at Katie Roberts recently completed an online self-leadership program which has helped me personally to achieve improved clarity around what’s important, with an added bonus of creating some strategies and steps for my personal and business life. As a result of our success, we would like to encourage you to also complete the course.
If you would like to take more control of your life, work and finances; and feel happier about your future direction, please click here for the Life by Design Self-Leadership online course.
Many people take extended breaks from work these days for a variety of different reasons. Whether you’ve taken time off to start a family, look after an unwell parent, or see the world, returning to work can be exciting but can also often be fraught with anxiety and stress. Whatever your situation, there is sure to be a mix of emotions with the adjustment taking some time to get used to.
The thought of returning to work and the 9 to 5 grind is tough enough without beginning to think about the job search process. Whether you planned your time off or not, there is no ideal approach for everyone. These general tips should help you to think about a personalised approach:
TIP # 1 – Address your barriers – it can be difficult to come across well in an interview if you are worried about returning to work – whether you are thinking about how you will cope with the hours and your young family, the fact that you’ve lost your confidence, or that your skills have become outdated. Whatever it is you are worried about, you need to address it. If you require training or professional help, seek it. Talk to friends or colleagues who have been through a similar situation so negative thoughts can be forgotten prior to any interview.
TIP # 2 – Be honest – we are often asked, “how should I explain the break in my resume?” and our answer is always the same – “be honest without necessarily providing a lot of detail”. If you have an obvious gap in your employment history – you need to explain it. That doesn’t mean creating a job called Domestic Manager and talking up your responsibilities during that time. Running a house and caring for young children is hard, but just say something along the lines of “Parental leave until children reached school age”. Likewise if you travelled, say so, or if you were caring for an ill parent or experienced illness yourself, say so – but briefly. Mention in your cover letter your desire, keenness (and readiness) to get back into your career and focus on the skills and experience you have to offer.
TIP # 3 – Consider a functional resume format – where you focus on skills and achievements rather than a chronological history of specific roles. List skills in detail first, then cumulative career achievements, followed by training, education and professional development, volunteering roles if you’ve held any, and lastly details on the roles you’ve held and dates.
TIP # 4 – Create a volunteer section – make sure to include any volunteer work in your Resume and talk about those roles in the same way you would describe paid employment. This means focusing on achievements – ask yourself how the organisation benefited from your work and include performance metrics if you can. E.g. raising money, organising events, increasing efficiency or effectiveness, or achieving success in other ways. Rather than simply stating you volunteered, talk about what you did and how that contributed to the success of the charity or organisation.
TIP # 5 – Check your image – check your work wardrobe is appropriate for your industry. Find out what is currently acceptable so you don’t feel outdated when going for an interview.
TIP # 6 – Include a customised cover letter – specifically addressing the requirements of the position. Create a strong introduction detailing your qualifications, previous experience and desire to work in the role, with the main part focusing on addressing the specific requirements of the role (what you’ve done/achieved previously); and a convincing closing paragraph summarising your interest in, and relevance for the role. Create a compelling reason for the recruiter to contact you for an interview.
TIP # 7 – Emphasise professional development – think about taking some time to complete some relevant courses that will add to your skills (with currency). Websites such as https://www.mooc-list.com/ offer a variety of free online courses.
TIP # 8 – Stay in touch – lastly and perhaps most importantly, don’t lose touch with your industry/profession or your networks. This means taking an interest and reading/researching on a regular basis to remain updated. Likewise, build and maintain your professional networks by keeping in touch with clients, colleagues and superiors as this can be much harder to achieve down the track. Create a LinkedIn profile, join relevant groups, and commit to staying active. Even allocating one hour a week to this task will ensure you are in a much better position when you do decide to return to work, than if you’d cut yourself off completely.
With the majority of applications now submitted via email or online job application systems, what is the difference between an e-note or email and a traditional cover letter? Many of our clients are confused about whether to include both, and how much detail to include on each. This article explores the two approaches and evaluates the most effective use of each.
When clients ask us whether or not they need to include a separate cover letter when applying for a job via email, our answer is ALWAYS YES. Supplying a customised cover letter to accompany your Resume will give you the best opportunity to highlight your unique skills and successes that make you an ideal candidate for the role. The e-note/email should also be included and used as a way to briefly introduce yourself and your motivations for applying.
From an employer’s perspective, sending a short e-note without a customised accompanying cover letter can give the impression that the candidate is lazy and has opted to take a ‘short-cut’ approach. First impressions count, and in a competitive job market, you need to give the recruiter a reason to call you in for an interview – instead of the next candidate with similar qualifications, background and experience.
For email applications, we suggest attaching a cover letter and resume as separate documents. In the case of online applications, use the same approach where you create a separate customised cover letter targeted towards the role you are going for and upload both the Resume and Cover Letter. If the system allows for only one file – add your cover letter in as Page 1 of your Resume document.
When preparing your cover letter – we are not talking about a standard approach. We advise customising the letter for each role – put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes and think about why you are right for the role, rather than why the role is right for you. Pay attention to all the details in the job ad or position description if you have one. What does the candidate need to achieve in the role, what are the company’s issues, and how can you help solve them? Provide brief details of scenarios where you’ve had similar successes in the past – and always provide proof of the outcomes you achieved. This should all be done succinctly and clearly.
For the e-note, our advice is to keep it very brief and reference the attached Resume and Cover Letter for context and detail. Use it as a way to provide a quick introduction. Don’t leave the subject line blank – use it to clearly reference the job title and specific job number if available. While we recommend keeping the content very brief in the email, we also strongly encourage professionalism and proper writing style. Use some letter writing etiquette – ‘Dear’ and ‘Regards’ will suffice, with your name and full contact details at the bottom. Avoid any abbreviations, ‘text talk’, overly familiar language, and emoticons.
In summary, there aren’t many cases where we would recommend sending only an e-note. Even in job ads that haven’t requested a Cover Letter – we always recommend sending one. Doing so creates a much more concise (targeted) picture of who you are and the value you can bring to the role. Our anecdotal evidence suggests that candidates who include a customised cover letter with their application are more likely to achieve an interview.
In his #1 bestseller, Stephen R. Covey presented a framework for personal effectiveness through his definition of the 7 habits of highly effective people. His premise centred on our character being a collection of our habits, and habits having a powerful role in our lives. But what about habits in the workplace? Most successful people (the ones who get the promotions, raises and opportunities) have common habits that can be mimicked.
So what is it that makes one person more likely to get promoted than another? For some people, it can seem like others get all the opportunities and promotions handed to them on a silver platter. Are they just lucky or were they simply ‘in the right place at the right time?’ We don’t believe so. There are common themes amongst highly successful individuals and how they deal with their day to day working lives. The good news for everyone else is that these habits are things anyone can do. So what are they?
Think About Your Next Move – constantly thinking about the skills you should be developing in order to succeed in your next role is a good start. It doesn’t mean ignoring your current responsibilities, but try to develop new skills and when you do achieve a promotion, see it as a stepping stone to your next career move. Constantly learn – about your company, the industry, and your general area of expertise. Ask questions and participate in formal learning and professional development opportunities by attending seminars, conferences and training. Successful people think about where their career is headed and what they need to do to get there.
Network – get to know your colleagues and superiors – both within and outside of your company and area of expertise. People who get ahead develop and foster networks throughout their careers. This is especially important if you want to achieve promotion within your own company. It’s pretty hard to achieve that if your boss doesn’t know you are or the value that you offer. Successful people aren’t intimidated to speak up in meetings, offer their opinion or contribute to ideas. Even if you don’t have an original idea, there might be an opportunity to support someone else’s idea or point of view, or ask an insightful question. Be careful not to limit your networks to superiors – successful people need a great team of people around them to succeed, so keep this in mind.
Get Stuff Done – understand what’s important and don’t say yes to everything. Ensure you know exactly what you need to be working on to succeed in your role. Understand that everyone works in different ways – figure out how you work best – do you need to get to the office an hour early to clear your inbox, do you need to ask for help, or schedule a day a week with no meetings? Successful people are results focused and productive – they know what needs to they be done and how they can best achieve it.
Be Professional – meet deadlines, answer emails, respond to telephone messages, show up on time to the office and to meetings, don’t participate in office gossip, dress well, and interact with others in a consistent and professional way. Successful people alwaysmaintain a high level of professionalism.
Take Advantage of Opportunities – put yourself out there and regularly volunteer to take on tasks that may not be part of your job description. Offer to lead a project or train a new team member. Successful people offer themselves for other opportunities. Don’t wait to be asked – just pitch in and get it done.
Be Proactive and Strategic – managers think about what needs to be done and make sure it gets done by engaging and supporting a broader team to achieve results. They also don’t (usually) complain about problems or inefficiencies – they identify the issue and suggest solutions. Being a strategic problem solver shows you understand the ‘big picture’ of the business. Successful people act proactively to ensure things get done and they work as part of (or leading) the team to make sure everybody succeeds.
Blow Your Own Trumpet – even if you do an amazing job, you should keep track of your achievements and successes and communicate them to people that matter. Nobody else will do that for you. Focus on results – it’s not just about how busy you are ticking off your day to day to-do list. Keep an ongoing record of achievements, savings, changes, accolades and recommendations so when the time comes you have it at hand.
There may also be politics involved in who gets promoted so understanding these unofficial rules is often crucial to long term success. Learning how power, communication and influence is managed within your company will help you thrive – and while these words can carry negative connotations – it is not necessarily the case.
Are you struggling to achieve the success you know you deserve? Would you like career advice to help maximise your experience and qualifications to give yourself a better chance at your dream job? If so, please see our Career Counselling Services for specific advice on how to get ahead in your career.
Personal branding is a hot topic right now and one that many employees of organisations often think doesn’t apply to them. However, personal branding isn’t just for solopreneurs or business owners. It’s important to be able to quickly, clearly and succinctly articulate who you are and what you have to offer – and that applies to both employees and business owners.
So what is personal branding all about and why is it important? Just like company brands, your personal brand is what sets you apart from others. It’s what makes you slightly different to someone else with a very similar skill set.
Building a recognisable, consistent personal brand will help you achieve your career goals faster – leading to promotions, recognition as an industry expert or spokesperson, and improved professional networks. According to leading American business writer, Tom Peters, “Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”
Whether you want to advance your career, improve your professional relationships, or build your sales pipeline, a clearly defined personal brand can help. So how do you go about building it? Here are five tips to get you started:
1. Understand your offer: personal branding requires an in depth understanding of your strengths, skills, passions, and values and the ability to use that information to stand out from your competitors. To develop yourself as a brand isn’t easy, especially if you’re not a natural marketer. Start by working out what makes you unique then build your story in terms of what you offer. Put together a comprehensive statement about you – this is your brand positioning or message.
2. Create a blog and/or website: this is a great way to share your expertise and initiate two way conversations with your target audience. Registering a website in your name helps you achieve consistency with your brand and contributes to increasing your name’s search engine ranking. Write regular articles to help your target market understand your offer. Reinforce your brand message, highlight what you’re good at and what you’ve achieved for others. The added benefit of online content is that when people like what they read, they will share it with their own networks.
3. Add value: every status update, picture, article and comment you share will contribute to your personal brand so make sure it aligns with your previously defined brand positioning. You can quickly strengthen your brand and help people understand what you offer with content shared via social media, your blog or website; by commenting on other people’s content; answering questions; joining chats; and engaging in LinkedIn and other online groups and forums.
4. Audit your presence: always think of yourself as a brand and maintain consistency with your message throughout all communications – this includes your Resume, social media profiles and other online content. Optimise your online content for search engines and review Facebook and other social accounts to make sure your brand is not being compromised with personal entries.
5. Maintain the rage: once your brand is defined, you need to consistently validate and maintain it. Just as large corporations work hard to maintain their brand image, individuals need to do the same. Every interaction or piece of information shared should reinforce your brand message. Make sure people believe what you’re saying by providing proof, transparency and consistency – don’t try to ‘be all things to all people’.
Whether you’re self-employed or not, defining and promoting a strong personal brand that sets you apart will help raise your profile and make you more marketable. Even if you are not looking for work – it’s a great way to build contacts for future reference, as well as mentoring, partnerships or job opportunities.
This process is ideally an ongoing process right throughout your career. The strategy for achieving a new title or pay rise relies largely on you building a strong case to demonstrate why you deserve it. This case needs proof – which means you need a strategy. The best time to raise the conversation is during a formal one-on-one performance review or during your annual appraisal. However, if your company doesn’t hold regular reviews/appraisals, you should ask for an opportunity to present your case.
Here some simple steps to follow:
Step 1 – Record Your Successes – continually strive for excellence and the achievement of goals in your role; then maintain an ongoing and up to date file of your work achievements. This should include formal performance evaluations, customer thank you or commendation letters and awards, but could also include details of other minor wins along the way. Casual comments from colleagues, superiors and customers could be included, as well as details of new systems or processes you implemented or initiated, and tangible successes and achievements such as productivity improvements, new customer wins, revenue and/or profit gains.
Step 2 – Develop Your Strategy – review your success file before developing a proposal or business case to present to your manager. Your proposal should detail your achievements and showcase skills like leadership, company knowledge, teamwork, and innovation. Research current market trends in terms of salary so you know what a fair reward for your efforts is. It’s also a good idea to practice what you’re actually going to say – write a brief script and always try to quantify your achievements where possible. Don’t be afraid to bring notes to your meeting so you can reference specifics without getting flustered.
Step 3 – Maintain a Professional Approach – have the information on hand in order to answer questions and delve into more detail if you’re asked. Try to relax and present a confident, businesslike approach (preparation will help here). Respond to your manager’s questions and comments in as much detail as necessary. Acknowledge positive feedback and try not to disagree with any negative feedback – instead use this as an opportunity to gain input into what you could have done better. After presenting your facts, ask for your pay rise or promotion outright. State what you feel you deserve based on your achievements and successes.
Step 4 – Accept the Outcome – with a positive attitude regardless of result. If your request is rejected, take the opportunity to ask for feedback on areas that are lacking and specifics on how you can prepare for a possible future pay rise or promotion.
The subjects of promotions and/or pay rises can be difficult for many people to broach, however preparation and a professional approach will ensure the best possible outcome. This shouldn’t be a one off or irregular event though – review your career status and progress against goals on a regular basis and ideally take some time to assess where you’re at and where you’d like to be every 12-18 months.
Would you like help developing a career strategy that puts you on the right trajectory for success? If so, please click here to view our Career Guidance and Coaching Services.
Both popular social networking sites designed to connect individuals online, the two represent different types of connections with different goals and objectives. LinkedIn is focused on professional networking, and is currently the highest used tool for professional networking, whereas Facebook is considered more social with a focus on personal use.