BRAND YOU: DREAM, PLAN, ACHIEVEKnowing & Promoting Your Strengths

In a Competitive Job Market

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//www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdLIerfXuZ4

C DR. DIANA MARTINELLI APRIL 2013

WHAT’S A BRAND? The values and qualities a product – or person – is known

for.

You’re competing with all of the other graduates in your field How are you different? i.e. What makes you, YOU?

Quantitative online survey of 2,500 U.S. adults to identify the nation’s “top brands”

Operationalized “top brand” through an index

C DR. DIANA MARTINELLI APRIL 2013

12 ATTRIBUTES OF CORPORATE“TOP BRANDS”

Is honest & trustworthy Exhibits ethical leadership Maintains high standards of quality Invests in innovative ideas & research Upholds transparent communication practices Invests in its customers Dedicated to making communities a better place Positively impacts the everyday lives of its customers Makes a positive contribution to society Understands & addresses my unique needs Cares about issues that matter to me Wants to make a difference in the world

C DR. DIANA MARTINELLI APRIL 2013

DESIRABLE PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES Humbly confident

This is key! Generous in praise Appreciative of others’ time & counsel Willingness to assist & give back Ability to add value across situations Positive, can-do attitude

See challenges as opportunities to grow Care in one’s personal appearance Responsible, conscientious, dedicated, hard-working

C DR. DIANA MARTINELLI APRIL 2013

YOUR BRAND CHARACTERISTICS Look at slide 3

List the top 5 values important to YOU; these become part of your brand.

Look at slides 3 & 4 List the top 5 attributes a close friend, relative or colleague would

use to describe you.

Think of these characteristics as being part of your personal word cloud… But is this how you’re defining & representing yourself? Look at the key words on your resume, CV, Facebook page, LinkedIn

page, Twitter description, Pinterest description, web page …

C DR. DIANA MARTINELLI APRIL 2013

YOUR ELEVATOR SPEECHaka Introduction or Infomercial… 30- to 60-second core message that describes your personal

value statement & brand differentiators / USPs (i.e. what’s special about YOU!)

A statement you can use to summarize your background , interests and desires when the opportunity presents itself (e.g. “What do you do?”) Conference Career Fair Reception Lecture Interview intro Voice mail message Any networking opportunity …

C DR. DIANA MARTINELLI APRIL 2013

YOUR CORE BRAND MESSAGE Take a moment to outline your core brand message

(30 seconds = ~ 65 words; one minute = ~ 130) Example:

My name’s Jake LaRue. I’m graduating in May with a master’s degree in horticulture from WVU, and I’m really passionate about finding optimal food production techniques to help address poverty. I had the opportunity to contribute to some exciting research in this field during an internship last summer. . . .

I’d love to talk with you [someone in your company] to learn more about your work and how I might better prepare myself for a position like yours. I believe my education, strong work ethic, & leadership experience have given me a strong foundation, but I know there’s always more to learn…. Is there someone you recommend I contact?

C DR. DIANA MARTINELLI APRIL 2013

IMPORTANT FACTORS Rewrite your speech to sharpen its focus. Make it sincere and provide a glimpse into your

personality. (Don’t deliver a “canned” statement.) Speak confidently and enthusiastically (but don’t

rush through it). Practice your speech until you’re comfortable with it

from beginning to end. Maintain eye contact with your listener. Prepare / be ready to deliver different versions for

different situations / audiences.

C DR. DIANA MARTINELLI APRIL 2013

YOUR PROFESSIONAL GOALS

Think about and write down 2 to 3 short-range (3- to 5-year) professional goals.

Think about and write down 2 to 3 long-range (10- to 15-year) professional goals and aspirations.

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VISUALIZE THE JOB YOU DESIRE Where is it?

What kinds of work will you do?

How will it feel to have this job?

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START PREPARING NOW Who do you need to follow (Twitter), read

(blogs), monitor (websites), join (professional organizations), contact (networking) right now to learn more about this type of job or field?

Who do you know that’s in that line of work? Conduct research to find 5 people who are in this

business / line of work. Google them; review their LinkedIn profiles; what

are their backgrounds? Do they tweet? Blog? Is there a listed degree of separation / common connections between you and them?

C DR. DIANA MARTINELLI APRIL 2013

NETWORKING CHANNELS School-related

Professors, classmates, advisors, mentors Organizations

Professional, civic, social, collegiate … Work-related

Past employers, colleagues Online

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter … Personal

Family, friends, acquaintances Receptions, parties, events, lectures

Proactively take initiative to introduce yourself & meet others

More than 70% of jobs obtained are the result of a personal connection.

C DR. DIANA MARTINELLI APRIL 2013

NEXT STEPSTake a piece of paper and write a pledge to yourself:

I will take the following 3 steps this week toward building a positive professional brand:

For example, you might pledge to:1) revise my social network site profiles and update their content to better reflect my personal brand 2) research 5 people who are doing work that I would like to do 3) actively seek out at least 1 networking opportunity each week this month & hone & practice my elevator speech

Sign & date the paper

Revisit it and develop a new pledge of positive action steps every week or two

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