Redefining Your Professional Brand

Redefining Your Professional Brand

As I mentioned previously, I have been doing a series of workshops for ProMatch – a wonderful organization that helps people out of work re-define themselves and find their next job.

In a few weeks I will be conducting another workshop for them, this one helping people define and refine their brand.  In my opinion, your brand is far more than your elevator pitch. 

It includes:

·       Knowing your strengths, skills, accomplishments, interests and where they meet with the current job market;

·       Understanding where you position yourself, horizontally and vertically;

·       How to articulate all of that in an interesting and cogent manner;

·       Your resume, cover letter, business cards, and other marketing materials, and

·       Most of all:  Your image – how you sound, look, dress and behave.

It’s hard when you are out of work to think about yourself positively.  I hope to re-energize and remind the participants in this workshop how fabulous they really are. 

I am so tired of hearing poorly trained career counselors dumb everyone down.

Image - Image - Image

Image – Image – Image

Several of us had a conversation the other day about trying to help two people change their public images.  The other people in the conversation were well-intended friends of the man and woman needing (desperately needing) help.  My friends were trying out all kinds of indirect methods for approaching these people.  They were afraid to deal with the topic directly.

Since part of my consulting practice is to help those seeking professional growth, to look at their image and to make suggestions for improvement (I’ve even been known to go shopping with clients) I said, you need to be direct but use a warm and friendly manner. If you  tell these people that it would enhance their public image if they made slight changes in their grooming and manner of dress, they might be hurt for a second or two, but if they like you they will recognize that you are trying to help them and will be responsive to your help.

“Oh, we don’t want to hurt their feelings” was the surprised reply.  But, having worked with people for over thirty years, I know that if you are trusted and liked, you can be direct and honest.  It might hurt for a second, but is far less painful than being caught in levels of subterfuge. 

The moral of the story:  People are a lot stronger emotionally than we give them credit for – honesty with kindness – usually works well.