Your Personal Brand: A Key Factor in Landing a Great Job

Workface.com is a great new site for extending your personal brand narrative.

Companies use their brands to gain traction in the market place, establish a unique value proposition which resonates positively with consumers, and gain greater market and revenue share.

Yet the vast majority of executive candidates–many of whom have helped extend their companies’ brand build–fail to establish a personal brand to maximize their chances of landing a great job or furthering career success.

Some of us chuckled last fall when a straight-faced Mitt Romney declared that “corporations are people too, my friend.” But truth be told, people who brand themselves as carefully and effectively as the successful companies represented in Mitt’s 401k are the most successful. Without a personal brand establishing one’s unique professional value, a candidate will likely struggle to land that great job or achieve lasting career success.

When most of us think about brands we visualize logos; the ubiquitous Nike “swoosh” or Ford Motor Company’s blue oval convey powerful messages about brand value. And yet, few of us have a personal logo, thus, the idea of the personal brand becomes an abstract notion. Rarely visualized, the personal brand becomes a literary narrative which communicates one’s uniqueness and his or her lasting value to the marketplace.

So, what is your personal brand narrative? Do you even have one?

Whether you are in the middle of a job hunt or not, now is the time to be thinking about you as a top brand. What is it about you–the professional–which makes you versatile, valuable, sorely needed, and unique? An effective brand narrative for you will go a long way towards providing the most appropriate message to your current and future hiring managers.

Prime Real Estate for Brand Awareness: The Résumé

The top of your résumé is where your personal brand narrative needs to be–that is because the top of the résumé is where hiring managers spend the most time. Your personal brand–placed there–captures the attention of attention-depleted hiring managers who will pick up the phone to call you.

Extending Brand Awareness via Social Media

Blogs are where many ambitious candidates build and further their positive brand narratives. Easily set up on free platforms like wordpress.com, a personal blog may be used to highlight your current achievements and other career accomplishments. What is more, your blog content will show up in Google searches, thus, extending your exposure and positive brand story.

And now, through Workface, executive candidates have a great new tool to communicate their value to their future hiring managers…and get those managers to seek them out for phone or face-to-face conversations.

Whether you are an accomplished brand marketer or not, you must craft a compelling personal brand narrative to gain traction in the marketplace. It need not be highfalutin, but your personal brand must be compelling. 

Earth Day 2012: 12 Things The Green Suits, LLC Will Do to Make a Difference

Cross-posted from The Green Suits:

Earth Day is a great time for teachable moments. Here my daughter observes plant and animal life in Virginia's Rappahannock River.

Earth Day 2012 takes place this Sunday, April 22. And there is no better opportunity than this occasion to walk the walk and talk the talk of trailblazing green business careerists–The Green Suits.

Each year at this time, I resolve to further my efforts to give back to the planet and empower people. This year, I resolve to make these 12 things happen:

1. Plant more native seedlings around my property. My species of choice: River Birch and Red Maple. These fast growing trees help prevent soil erosion, offer shade, and provide habitat to perching birds and other critters.
2. Add more flowers. In year’s past, we’ve relied on perennial flowers to attract honeybees to our property. But this year, we’ll attract more of them–plus butterflies and hummingbirds–with a colorful assortment of annuals including Zinnias, Petunias, and Morning Glories. The seedlings have already sprouted.
3. Resist the urge to water the lawn. For five straight years–even through the worst droughts and heatwaves–we have let the lawn turn brown. We’re sure our neighbors don’t like it–actually we know they don’t like it–but we save thousands of gallons of water. And given that we’re in a drought situation every drop counts.
4. Install more LED lighting throughout the house. We have a few LEDs in use, already. They are expensive. But they don’t get hot and they use less energy than compact fluorescent lighting (CFL). Plus, unlike CFLs, LED lights do not contain mercury.
5. Save more paper. Over the past seven years, we have cut back considerably our use of copy paper; in 2005 we used about ten reams of paper per month, but now we’ve cut that to less than one ream per month (and will try to extend that further). We reuse every printed-on-one-side copy sheet for printing draft documents and to use as “scratch paper.” Printing less has saved us money too; on average our toner cartridge costs have dropped from about $80 per month to less than $10.
6. Use less laundry detergent. Six years ago, we stopped washing clothes in warm or hot water as cold water washing does just fine. Now, we’ve cut by as much as half the amount of detergent added to each wash load. And guess what? Despite less detergent used, our clothes still wash clean!
7. Swap our old, inefficient appliances for new EnergyStar-rated models. We had no idea just how much water our old dishwasher used until we replaced it last summer with a brand new EnergyStar-rated model. Incredibly, our dishwater consumption has been cut by more than half.
8. Buy local. Ditch the chains and frequent locally owned restaurants, grocers, and retail stores. Our local establishments know the community. They use their profits to buy local supplies. And they help keep people employed where they live.
9. Encourage skill-based volunteerism. As The Green Suits, we know to use our management skill to help people help themselves. This year, I will urge all of The Green Suits’ clients to find ways to leverage the skills of their staff members to help needy people in their community develop financial literacy, stay gainfully employed, keep a roof over their heads, and other things. We will also help clients to establish “green teams” so that they may launch their first sustainability programs, or make their existing ones bigger and better.
10. Make more noise. We’ve gotten busy with new executive search assignments. But that’s no excuse for not making noise through our own opinion editorials, blog posts, radio interviews, adjunct teaching, speaking engagements, and other opportunities. As The Green Suits, we must make the case every way we can for Triple Bottom Line thinking–to increase profits, but also save the planet and empower people.
11. Drive less. Gas at $4.00 per gallon (locally) is enough of an incentive to drive less. But we’ve worked hard to plan more efficient travel and cut down our gasoline consumption by about 35 percent. And we always make sure that tires are properly inflated, and…
12. Seize teachable moments. Last week my daughter and I explored for plants and animals which live in the nearby Rappahannock River. We found snails and baby leeches living in the riverbed. Then we spied a Bald Eagle that swooped in to grab shad from the river and bring [the prized meal] back to the aerie. The jaw-dropping reaction on my daughter’s face to the Bald Eagle’s swoop-in? PRICELESS!

Do resolve to change the world. Enjoy a great and meaningful Earth Day 2012!

Is the ‘Smart Phone’ the New Office Line?

Cross-posted from The Green Suits:

Are the days of the wired office line numbered?

An interesting thing is happening throughout Corporate America: company employees are ditching their office lines.

What?

No, it’s true. An acquaintance of mine works for a leading brand in the insurance space. Last week, she pulled a shiny new ‘smart phone’ from her pocket. “This is my new office line,” she said.

For this executive, the move to smart phones is a smart corporate move. She continued, “we work in bullpens, and meetings take us from floor to floor, building to building. When I had the [desk] phone, I spent hours returning missed calls.”

“Now,” she says, “my productivity has improved dramatically. Plus, I miss fewer calls.”

Is the 'smart phone' a smart alternative to a wired office phone line? For a company with 50 employees that spends $1200 per line, the cost-savings could actually fund a new hire.

Could this be the new normal?

Companies of all sizes–from the Fortune 500 to the smallest start-ups–are eliminating redundant communications technology because doing so saves a boatload of cash. A small business may cleave $1200 per phone line per year from their operating budgets by ditching wired lines. And, for a company with 50 employees, that’s $60,000 in savings–enough to hire another team member.

Increased productivity is the key benefit. But an executive who spends less time returning phone calls is a happier executive.

Many executive candidates we engage gave up their land lines at home a long time ago; the number listed on their résumés is almost always for a mobile line. So ditching the office phone is no big woop.

Beyond moving to smart phones, experts like my friend Steve Garson at Better Cost Control will help you reduce your company’s energy costs–so you can use the savings to hire even more talent and act more sustainably.

Makes sense, eh?

The Green Suits Featured in Ithaca College’s Sustainability Newsletter

Our thanks to Marian Brown, head of sustainability at Ithaca College, for highlighting our recent on-campus visit in the latest issue of Collective Impacts (the college’s sustainability newsletter).

Read more about our visit, and other sustainability stories, HERE.

Univ. of Mary Washington to Host March 20th ‘Tailoring the Green Suit’ Strategy Session

The University of Mary Washington is located in historic Fredericksburg, Va. On March 20, 2012, the university's career development office will host 'Tailoring the Green Suit: Establishing a Bright Green Career in a Dull Gray Economy'

Happy New Year, everyone! We are pleased to start Twenty-Twelve off with some very exciting news.

On March 20, 2012, we will present our green career strategy session–Tailoring the Green Suit: Establishing a Bright Green Career in a Dull Gray Economy–at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. This session, sponsored by the Office of Career Development, will provide ten key strategies which soon-to-be-grads may employ to achieve immediate and lasting “green” career success.

If you live or work in the vicinity, then we hope to see you at UMW on March 20th. Further event details will follow, soon.

Season’s Greetings from Dan Smolen and The Green Suits

EcoApprentice.com Founder Richard Halpern Interviews TheGreenSuits.com Founder Dan Smolen

Cross-posted from The Green Suits:

Our thanks to Richard Halpern of EcoApprentice.com for the terrific interview experience. Here’s a snippet:

“For most sustainability-minded executives—who have been rendered risk-averse by the current job climate—the idea of creating shift in their current companies truly resonates. I am counseling them to turn their current jobs and companies green before they venture out to apply for and land an obviously green position in another company (such as Director of Sustainability). I think it is easier to turn one’s current job green, because the executive already knows the business culture and is likely aware of what it will take to create positive and lasting change in the company.

Check out EcoApprentice.com and the full interview, HERE.

Greenbiz’s Chrissy Coughlin Posts ‘Dan Smolen and the Art of Getting a Green Job’

Cross-posted from The Green Suits:

Well, today starts of well with a nice post by Greenbiz.com contributor and WSMN’s Nature of Business radio host Chrissy Coughlin.

Chrissy summarizes last week’s radio interview, HERE.

Check it out!

‘Tailoring the Green Suit’ Author on ‘Nature of Business’ Radio Show

Cross-posted from The Green Suits:

Wow…that was fun!

This morning, I was Chrissy Coughlin’s guest on her radio show, Nature of Business. Chrissy broadcasts weekly from WSMN Radio in Nashua, New Hampshire; her show is also podcast on GreenBiz.com.

Chrissy is a great host and well-informed green business expert. In the interview, we covered a lot of interesting topics related to green executive employment. In case you weren’t able to listen live, then please check out the podcast, available 24/7: HERE.

The U.S. Military’s ‘Green’ Frame

Cross-posted from The Green Suits:

Greetings on 11.11.11–Veteran’s Day in the U.S.

U.S. armed forces recognize that "green" saves lives. Will U.S. businesses recognize their own "green" frame? We hope so.

On this day, we honor those who served our country as members of the armed forces.

Public schools are closed. So too are banks and state and federal government offices. Today, wreaths were laid at Arlington National Cemetery and other places to fully recognize the sacrifice so many men and women have given to country.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been very deadly affairs for U.S. troops; in Iraq alone, over 3,000 service men and women running supply convoys to our forward bases have lost their lives to roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

And as a result, the military recognizes that converting these bases to renewable energy (solar, wind, etc.) as quickly as possible will save lives. That’s the U.S. military’s ‘green’ frame.

This is an amazing transformation for an institution that only a few years ago framed greenness as the mindless drivel of so many hedonistic hippies. And yet, now–on 11.11.11–the U.S. Department of Defense demands increased resource sustainability and renewable energy, because they help defend our national security and save lives.

Will American business follow the military in establishing a useful green frame? Many Fortune 500 companies have active and growing sustainability practices, and yet most companies in the U.S.–small enterprises of 50 or few employees–have yet to follow suit. The ones that recognize that “green is good for business” will succeed, whereas, the ones don’t will be left in the dust.

Today, please take a moment to reflect on the sacrifices made by our military. Then, let us encourage our friends in business to recognize that green supports our national defense…and is good for business.