Building Your Career BrandA BUSINESS PLAN FOR MARKETING YOU

PRESENTED BY: GINA M. TILLIS-NASH

Mission StatementENHANCING YOUR REPUTATION AS A WORKER COMBINED WITH A PROMISE OF YOUR POTENTIAL AND IMPACT ON FUTURE EMPLOYERS.

What is branding?• Best defined as a

promise of the value of the product

• Combination of tangible and intangible characteristics that make a “brand” unique

• Developing an image with results to match

Marketing• Why buy one product

over another?

• Why hire one job-seeker over another?

• More specifically the power of branding.

Self-branding• Who you are

• How you are great

• Why you should be sought out

What goes into a brand?• Name • Reputation • Quality • Performance • Appearance • Promise of value

Strategic Marketing Plan

Where have I been? Where am I now?Where will I be if I do nothing?

Strategic Marketing Plan, cont.

• Where do I want my career to go?

• How do I get to where I want to go?

• How do I convert my plan into action steps?

• How do I alter my plan if I am not getting success?

Networking to the Next LevelSuccess can spring not just from

who you know but from who knows you.

– Be known for your expertise– Be visible in professional, volunteer, and civic

associations– Speak in public– Offer services to universities & colleges– Write articles– Serve on advisory boards

Build Relationships• Word-of-mouth… what people say about

you• Network of contacts– Friends– Colleagues– Customers– Clients– Former bosses

• “Market” your skill set, education, and accomplishments

Me, Inc.• “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 the CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc.”

• “You're not defined by your job title and you're not confined by your job description.”

Foundation of your career brand• Track your past accomplishments• Gain strategically important new

experiences– Ask for new, challenging assignments– Freelancing, consulting, or volunteering

(e.g. Federal Executive Board)• Focus on what you want your brand

to stand for… develop a strategy for gaining experience in areas of your brand in which you are weak

Education• What is the minimum amount of

education necessary?• To excel, do you need additional

education, training, or certification?• Seek out a mentor (someone highly

respected in your filed and who has branded himself/herself well) and ask for advice

Promote yourself• If no one knows about your “brand”, how can you

expect them to seek out your “product”• Who has more reasons to promote your brand?• Fine line between bragging and promoting• Career portfolio

– Resume– Mission statement– Detailed accomplishment list– Samples of work– Articles and working papers– Awards and honors– Etc.

Googling• What is your on-line presence?• What does it say about your brand?

Competition• Apply key marketing

principles and concepts to better position yourself on the job market, whether you are looking for a new job with a new company or a promotion within your current company.

• Outline your company’s competitive advantage.

4 P’s -- Marketing Mix • Product -- YOU, including your brand

positioning statement • Promotion -- job-search

communications, including cover letters, resumes, interviewing

• Price -- what you are worth, including salary and benefits

• Place -- job-search strategy and network of contacts

Can you reinvent your brand?• Career change• Attitude change• Behavior change• Appearance change

A reinvented brand…

ValuJet Flight 592

Positioning statement• A statement that separates and differentiates a

product from all competing products in such a way that it becomes the top choice of consumers.

• Should identify the one or two things that make the job-seeker unique and valuable to the employer. – What is it that makes you different? – What qualities or characteristics make you distinctive? – What have you accomplished? – What is your most noteworthy personal trait? – What benefits (problems solved) do you offer?

Promoting your brand

Use persuasive communications

• Cover letters• Resumes• Elevator Speeches• Interviewing• Career Portfolio

Maximize Distribution Strategies• Networking• Job Posting/Recruitment• Job-hunting on the Web• Career Fairs/Job Expos• Career Services Office• Cold Contacts• Alumni

3 A’s of successful brands

• Authentic Image• Advantage• Awareness

3 A’s

Visual Branding

• Actions• Attitude• Attire – look the part

Verbal branding• Sound bites

– dub yourself “Mr. FedEx” because you always deliver projects on time!

– "the career cartographer" who helps others chart the right course that will make smooth sailing in their work lives.

– "the change commando" who draws from a decorated military career to drive change that delivers off-the-chart results.

• Success stories

Positioning your brand– beST– firST– moST

• Are you the best at creating product marketing strategies, are you the first one to have mastered how to conduct electronic meetings for your work team, are you the most accomplished, award-winning sales professional in your company/industry?

Be a St

Brands gone BAD!!!• Breach of trust• Dishonesty• Broken promises

Goals and Objectives• List five-year goals• State specific, measurable objectives for

achieving your five-year goals.– List market-share objectives.– List revenue/profitability objectives.

Career Branding Tools• LikedIn profile – professional networking

site• Personal Website – could hurt you• Professional Blog• Social networking profiles – e.g. Facebook

and a professional career-specific site

Further Reading• Arruda, William (2007). "You Are a Brand". Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand. J. Wiley. ISBN 0470128186.

http://www.amazon.com/Career-Distinction-Stand-Building-Brand/dp/0470128186/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259592566&sr=8-1. 

• Schawbel, Dan (2009). "The Brand Called You". Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success. Kaplan Publishing. ISBN 1427798206. http://personalbrandingbook.com. 

• George Cheney, and Craig Carroll (1997). "The Person as Object in Discourses in and Around Organizations". Communication Research 24 (6): 593–630. doi:10.1177/0093650297024006002. http://crx.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/24/6/593. 

• Lair, Daniel J.; Sullivan, Katie; Cheney, George (2005). "Marketization and the Recasting of the Professional Self". Management Communication Quarterly 18 (3): 307–343. http://mcq.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/18/3/307. 

• Levine, Michael (2003). "The Celebrity brand". branded World: Adventures in Public Relations and the Creation of Superbrands. John Wiley & Sons Inc.. ISBN 0471263664. 

• Bence, Brenda (2008). How YOU Are Like Shampoo. Las Vegas, Nev.: Global Insight Communications. ISBN 978-0-9799010-2-7. http://www.globalinsightcommunications.com/books.htm. 

• Perez Ortega, Andres. Marca Personal. ISBN 9788473565578. http://www.marcapropia.net/libro.htm. • Zara, Olivier (2009). Reussir sa carrière grace au Personal Branding. Eyrolles. ISBN 9782212543186.

http://www.reputation.axiopole.info/2009/03/05/reussir-sa-carriere-grace-au-personal-branding/. • Monarth, Harrison (2009). Executive Presence: The Art of Commanding Respect Like a CEO. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 

9780071632874. http://www.executivepresencebook.com. • Klewes, Joachim and Wreschniok, Robert (2010). Building and Maintaining Trust in the 21st Century. ISBN 

978-3-642-01629-5. http://www.springer.com/business/business+for+professionals/book/978-3-642-01629-5. • Nance Rosen Blog: http://www.nancerosenblog.com/2010/01/09/3rs/• Peters, Tom (August 1997). "The brand Called You". Fast Company (Mansueto Ventures LLC.) (10): pp. 83.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/10/brandyou.html. • Ries, Al; Trout, Jack (1981). Positioning: The Battle for your Mind. McGraw-Hill.

http://books.google.fr/books?id=3hjG01OzMGYC. • Scott Sherman , Jeffrey (2009). Creating a Truly Unique Money Making Asset the Art of Personal Branding• Wright, Colin (2009) (free electronic viewing and download). Personal Branding: the least you should know.

http://exilelifestyle.com/design/free-personal-branding-ebook/.

THANK YOUComments or feedback:

Gina Tillis-NashGina.Tillis.Nash@noaa.gov

Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center

Based on the Quintessential Career Website’sCareer Branding Tutorialhttp://quintcareers.com