All throughout sixth form, university and my working life, I’ve been given millions of pieces of advice when it comes to writing the perfect CV. A lot of it was contradictory, and sometimes I get confused about what to include and what to leave out.
However, during the recent Retail Appointment Live event, I received some really useful help with my CV, and left me thinking that it’s actually very simple. Here’s some of the advice I picked up from retail recruitment agencies:
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You’re either as awesome as Barney Stinson – he is awesome – or you’re just that wonderful you who was either born ready for the camera, or you weren’t.
Most of us fall into three categories:
Branding is based on authenticity and first impressions. Either you brand yourself or someone else is going to do it for you. When you lose control of your brand its very difficult to get it back. Damage control only goes so far and can never completely correct negative misconceptions, so why wait until your reputation is tarnished to seize control of your narrative?
Lisa Quast who writes for Forbes Leadership [section] wrote a helpful article on how to conduct a Personal SWOT Analysis which follows her article on defining your career aspirations and Goals.
This part looks at what the employee does well and where his or her skills shine. Questions to ask include:
This part examines the areas in which an employee needs to improve and that will set him or her back when searching for certain types of positions. Questions to consider include:
For this section, job seekers must look at the external factors they can take advantage of, to find a new job or career direction. Questions to ask include:
This part takes into account the external factors that could hurt a job seeker’s search for new work. The factors to take into account include:
According to William Arruda, Linkedin is the only personal branding source you’ll ever need. That’s a strong statement and he successfully manages to back up that claim with a great article that’s sure to get you thinking about why managing and maintaining your Linkedin profile should be high on your list of priorities. Whether you’re a current job seeker or already employed, you should make the most of this powerful resource on at least a monthly basis.
Rich Hein of Cio.com lists 9 steps to build your personal brand, stating that “Regardless of your role … developing and maintaining your personal brand should be a part of your long-term career strategy.”
Hein mentions that “a personal brand is more than just maintaining your LinkedIn profile, according to the experts. “Good people put their head down and get caught up in their job and forget they have a whole career to manage,” says Pamela Rucker, chairwoman of the CIO executive Council’s Executive Women in IT.”
Cover letters are pretty simple: it is a list of claims followed by evidence to support those claims. Its a brief snapshot of what YOU can do for the company. It isn’t about you but what solutions and results you can bring to their current problems.
Staci Collins, Ivy Exec’s Senior Resume Writer, has over 15 years of experience partnering with managers at all levels in High Technology, Management Consulting and Healthcare Management to build their careers via career strategy, career assessment and selection, brand identification, PAR development and mapping, and strategic resume and cover letter development.
She’s collaborated with over 1000 managers to identify and achieve their career objectives. Staci has worked at top-tier companies such as Accenture and Ernst & Young in change management, human resources, and strategic planning. She received her MBA from the Haas School of Business, University of California, and Bachelor of Arts from Harvard.
If you’re in a hiring rut and can’t figure out why you’re not getting call-backs or offers,then take a look at this truly informative (and long) video by Laura Hill of Ivy Exec.
Laura’s career experience includes an 8-year banking career with JPM Chase; executive search with Korn/Ferry International and Redwood Partners; 10 years as a career/outplacement coach; and heading client services for boutique outplacement firm Crenshaw Associates. Laura received an MBA in Finance from New York University — Stern and a BBA in Marketing from the University of Texas — McCombs.
Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, JobsInTheMoney.com, and Smart Money. She speaks frequently to business groups on a wide range of career management topics and has been interviewed on CNBC, The Wall Street Journal Report With Maria Bartiromo, and MSNBC.
Most people think that branding is all about business and marketing, and it is. However, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t start branding and marketing yourself just like corporations do. As a job candidate you’re responsible for selling yourself as well as creating a marketing campaign which showcases your talents and skills (i.e. your resume, etc.) The majority of job applicants only go as far as submitting a resume which ends up getting lost in the crowd. One way to stand out is to brand yourself and start utilizing a personal brand identity kit (which will be covered in future articles).
In case you’re wondering why you should care about your personal brand, consider this gem from Inc.com
“Personal branding is especially crucial for the current generation of young workers, who are more likely to move around professionally. Over the course of their careers, many professionals will change industries, transition between completely different careers, and be hired by companies as consultants, freelance workers, and ambassadors” (Inc.com.).
Brooke Spears | The Brand Design 