Transcript Branding - bsuir.by

Effective Personal Branding and Skills
& Competencies Required to be
Successful in One's Professional Career
Jonathan H. Westover, Ph.D.
Visiting Fulbright Scholar
Belarusian State University
School of Business and Management of Technology MBA Program
Assistant Professor of Management, Woodbury School of Business
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
About Me: about.me/jonathan.h.westover
Presentation Overview
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What skills and competencies do you need?
What is personal branding?
Branding yourself
Why branding today?
Getting started: 7 steps for building a brand
Branding yourself through your online presence
Top 10 Qualities Employers Seek
in Job Candidates
Project Management
Competencies
Project Management Skills
Top 16 Competencies
8 Core Beliefs of Extraordinary
Bosses
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Business is an ecosystem, not a battlefield.
A company is a community, not a machine.
Management is service, not control.
My employees are my peers, not my children.
Motivation comes from vision, not from fear.
Change equals growth, not pain.
Technology offers empowerment, not
automation.
8. Work should be fun, not mere toil.
Source: http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/8-core-beliefs-of-extraordinary-bosses.html
What Do These Things Have
In Common?
• The golden arches, the Nike swoosh, and
an apple icon?
• These are all examples of brands of McDonalds,
Nike and Apple computers
People Can Brand Themselves Too
• Branding is not just for products anymore…
• Use branding concepts for yourself.
• In this program you will learn how to establish a
career brand for yourself.
Branding Yourself
• Helps to define who you are/what you are about
(or why an employer should hire you)
• Branding yourself is a way of associating great value
with a product (the product being you)
• Branding yourself is not about getting an employer to
choose you over your competition.
• It is about getting the employer to see you as the only
solution to their problem
Why Branding Today?
1. Trust is essential in the corporate world
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People want to do business with and hire or promote
people they know and feel good about
2. There has been change in what a traditional
career path looks like
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People today change careers an average of 8 times
during their lives
Branding can be consistent throughout the changes
(ex. Hard work and creativity can flow through to
different occupations)
3. There is also a change in the way people
communicate
– Electronic communication doesn’t allow personality to
show
(compared to face-to-face communication)
– Your first interview might be over the phone or your first
communication with a potential employer could be over
e-mail.
– This type of communication could make it difficult to
express yourself.
4. Branding makes you more memorable in the
midst of the different type of
communication.
• If you can get an employer to associate positive traits
with your application or communication, you will likely rise
to the top of the applicant pool.
Getting Started:
7 Steps to Building your Personal Brand
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7.
Self-reflection
Continuous Learning
Prepare marketing strategy
Build relationships
Prepare marketing pieces
Develop your pitch
Follow up
Step 1: Self-reflection
• Before you start, you need to know what you’re
beginning with.
• Self-reflection will help you identify the tools you have
and the areas you need to improve.
• Identify and list past accomplishments and
achievements – create a master list of all the good
things you’ve done.
– This may include employment, internships, volunteer
opportunities, leadership positions, civic involvement, or courses
taken.
– Don’t sell yourself short, spend some time reflecting on all the
activities, and achievements you’ve taken part in
– Continue adding to the list each time you have a new experience
• Identify areas in need of further development
– Once you’ve created your list of
accomplishments, you can look for areas in
which you’re lacking experience
• Plan and focus on gaining new experiences
• This can come from many different sources: internships,
volunteering, workshops, etc.
• Next, identify what makes your product unique or
different
– What’s your best asset? What are you noteworthy for? What do
you contribute that you are most proud of?
• Ask your parents, friends, etc. to find an answer to that
question
– Once you uncover your ‘edge’ make sure you write it out and
play it up as often as possible
Step 2: Continuous Learning
• It is imperative that you regularly benchmark
your skills against others and develop a plan to
keep your skills on the cutting edge
• Continuous learning is essential to build your
brand.
– Add a Degree (majors/minors) or certificate
– Attend conferences and workshops
– Spend time spent with a mentor
Step 3: Prepare Marketing Strategy
•Mission statements are the backbone of a company
•By creating a personal mission statement, you will
have direction for where you want your brand to go.
•Mission statements are short, descriptive statements
of the common objective and focus of the
organization.
•Keep your mission statement to no more than two or
three sentences, or about 30 words.
• Mission Statements
– End your statement with qualifying words and
phrases to describe your mission.
– Example: “My personal career mission is to inspire
and equip students to reach their maximum
potential."
• "My personal career mission is . . . "
• Following are some examples:
– "My personal career mission is to become a world-class aeronautical
engineer in the commercial aviation industry."
– "My personal career mission is to gain experience in the public
accounting field toward earning my CPA designation."
– "My personal career mission is to master the leading software
development tools and gain greater understanding of e-business
application development."
• Mission Statements
– Your personal mission statement should be tightly
focused toward the first three to five years of your
career.
– You can give specifics about the job type and/or
industry, as appropriate.
– This personal career mission statement will form the
foundation of your career focus.
– A mental concept of your personal career mission
statement is not enough. You should write it down
and put it where you can see it every day.
• Create a personal vision statement:
– Your vision statement takes your mission statement
a bit further by mentioning HOW you will complete
what you intend to
(as stated in your mission)
– Make sure you mention specific tactics you will
practice or methods you will use.
• Create a personal marketing plan
• Be visible to enhance your profile
– Volunteer
– Be involved
– Talk about your mission and your edge/talents/etc.
• Everything you do and choose not to do, can
communicate the value of your brand
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E-mails you send
How you conduct yourself in meetings
Words you say
How you dress
Conversations you have
Etc.
Step 4: Build Relationships
• network is defined as:
group of people who
exchange information, contacts, and experience for professional
or social purposes. (The Oxford Dictionary)
• Networking tips:
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Word of mouth is powerful; what are people saying about you?
Keep in good contact with your network
Always make sure your network knows of any recent successes
Don’t forget about potential networking circles: friends, faculty,
programs you are a part of, family, organizations
– Search out new professional associations or online communities to
add to your network
– Find opportunities to weave your personal mission/vision
statements into conversation with your network
Step 5: Prepare Marketing Pieces
• Your promotional pieces should include:
– Cover Letter
– Resume
– Personal References
• Consider how you will incorporate your mission/vision
into your promotional pieces
• Consider how you will distribute these pieces
– Job search engines
– Distribute to family and friends
– Directly apply to an organization
Step 6: Develop your pitch
• A formal interview is your opportunity to pitch
your personal brand:
– Tips:
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Practice makes perfect (take advantage of the Mock Interview program)
Dress appropriately and professionally
Prepare (research the company and reflect on your skills and abilities)
Don’t be too modest (you’re selling your product and you don’t want to
sell yourself short)
• Consider how you will incorporate your personal mission/vision
statements into the conversation
• Your ‘pitch’ can also occur in informal settings
– Conversations, e-mails, presentations, etc.
Step 7: Follow up
• Good follow-up communication will assist in
creating a positive association with your brand
– Return employers’ calls immediately
(establishes trust)
– Respond to all requests (shows responsibility)
– Write a thank you note after interview (associates
courtesy with your work)
– Write acceptance/decline letter upon accepting a job
– Keep in touch with your network
Professional Web Space
LinkedIn
Visualize.me
About.me Webpage
Personal YouTube Channel
Klout
Peer Index
Twitter
QUESTIONS?
Jonathan H. Westover, Ph.D.
Visiting Fulbright Scholar
Belarusian State University
School of Business and Management of Technology MBA Program
Assistant Professor of Management, Woodbury School of Business
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
About Me: about.me/jonathan.h.westover