Recruiting Animal

Branding and Authenticity

According to the JobMob:

The Unbranded Life
- You live spontaneously according to the needs and feelings of the moment.
- As a result, you show a different face at different times.

When you Brand something,
- You choose to leave a deliberate, consistent impression
  so there's no confusion about who you are.
- You hide the multi-dimensional you
- You present a one-dimensional you
- So people get a very clear impression about what they can expect from you.

Is that authentic?
- You are showing a real part of yourself. But only part.
- By removing anything else from view, you help people
  forget that there is more to you.
- The result is a version of you that is highly edited
- The clarity this brings is useful as long as a relationship is based on this alone
- when the hidden factors are significant, branding is deceptive

The Branded Resume

Deb Dib on Resumes

Who Is Debbie Dib,
- a certified personal branding strategist

Length
- your resume has to be easy to read on a Blackberry
- that means two pages tops

- your other info can be shoved onto "collateral documents"
- eg. a case study of your top accomplishment, lists of speaking
  engagements, achievements, deals

Focus
- a personal brand is a well-defined image of you
- a clear, memorable image cannot be diversified
- you have to pick one or two strengths and market yourself on these
- your other skills are reduced to secondary status as value-adds

- hiring managers are more interested in an expert
  than a jack-of-all trades and master of none
- so she advises us to be brave enough to limit our offerings

Selling Your Personality

The Lessons of David Axelrod

Axelrod met Obama when the senator was 30 years old...

In the 15 years since, Axelrod has worked through Obama’s life story again and again, scouring it for usable political material

- David Axelrod is Obama's campaign manager

- he wants to portray the candidate as having a leader's personality
- so his campaigns don't focus on issues but on the candidate’s life

- a job hunter can do the same in an interview
- she should have clear ideas about how her job is done

- but she can also tell a story about her life and focus on moments
  in her history that define her as the person she wants to be

- while the image you project may be edited, to be convincing
  it has to be based in reality

Send Out Cards.com

Matt Mancino, a construction industry recruiter in Phoenix called to tell me about Send Out Cards.com.

You can create your own thank you or greeting cards online - in your own handwriting, if you choose -- and they print them and snail mail them for you.

Because everything is electronic today, these snail mailed cards stand out and differentiate you from the pack.

Your Communications Need A Consistent Tone

Reference: Commune Media via One Degree

A large company will usually have strict rules about the presentation of its image. For instance, it will only use specific colours, photos and fonts . The reason? Once these signals become familiar to the viewer, it becomes easy to relate to the firm as a known quantity.

The same restrictions and clear definition are required for any appearance of the company's voice. But this is where firms often err.

When they are trying to reel you in as a customer or an employee, they are very personable and friendly. But once you are sold, they become very task-oriented. You're no longer a pal. The only thing that matters is business.

People don't like that sudden about-face from caring about them to caring exclusively about yourself. It makes you seem untrustworthy and dishonest.

So, if you have a friendly voice in your marketing vehicles, including your recruiting communications (your blog, for instance), you should maintain it in all of your ongoing communications as a basic element of your culture.

Note that the same rule holds true for individuals. Most of us don't feel comfortable around people who are really nice -- until they get angry. Then all concern about other people is thrown out the window.

The person who throws the tantrum might excuse it as his way of getting rid of an upset as quickly as possible. But those who are on the receiving end become wary of him.

Branding By Demagoguery

30 Second Elevator Pitch

You're at a party. Somebody asks what you do. I'm a recruiter, you say. But, is that too bland?

Natural Marketing says:

You want people to follow up with questions about
- what services you provide
- why you think you have been successful
- how you are better than your competitors

She asks:

Who would you rather hire? A person who tells you they work for an insurance broker, or someone who tells you they are an insurance broker who loves their job and loves to help their clients solve their financial challenges, find and retain the best possible employees, and keep their clients lives as simple as possible?

My reply: I hate those phony boasters and I know that you do too.

Animal Guest Fights Back

After battle over personal branding.

From: Susan Strayer.com

Today I joined the Recruiting Animal as his radio show guest for a high-energy debate about personal branding. You can listen to my defense, err, the debate here.

It is strange to me that so many people react to personal branding as a farce or a non-event. Being the best isn't enough when there are a lot of people who are the best (make the company the most money, are "A" players, land the blue chip clients). ....

So for all you detractors out there, please go ahead and keep doing a great job at work. A lot of people do a great job. If you're one of them, how do you stand out? What combination of features, of behaviors make you the one that's remembered?

Self-Definition

You're at a party and someone asks you what you do. You say you're a recruiter. That's a very general definition and it means trouble because if you look just like your competition, no one has any special reason to come to you.

If you want to stand out, you have to stand for something special. It could be your market niche. It could be your price. But it's got to be something.

Source: Natural Marketing

Personal Branding Magazine

Yoshko intros Schwabey's new mag