Because I am involved in so many career-related activities, I hear from a lot of professionals making career moves – coaching clients, candidates for my recruiting projects, readers of my advice columns writing in about their problems. As I dig deep into what they are focused on to try and make the change they say they want (e.g., new job, promotion, more money), I see an inordinate amount of focus on the resume, with LinkedIn and the elevator (or networking) pitch being mentioned as well.
The justification is that these are the tools that employers use to know who they are and what they value. Yes, that’s true. If you’re putting yourself out to the market, your resume, LinkedIn profile and elevator pitch all help brand you as someone with a particular skill set, expertise and experience. However, these are tools and not your brand.
Your brand is all of these things, and it also includes what you’re working on each and every day (because that contributes to your reputation). Your brand is also shaped with what you say at networking meetings and interviews – your pitch is just a starter. Finally, your brand is also evident in how you comport yourself – how you dress, walk, shake hands (and in this era of virtual communication, how you appear on video and how you sound by phone).
Too many professionals focus too narrowly on one thing – typically the resume – and wing everything else. Or they don’t realize how all of these factors need to come together in a coherent and compelling whole. Your brand is how employers will think of you as they decide who to hire (or promote or give the bigger raise to). Your brand is how employers will remember you when an opportunity arises and they pull together a short list of who gets called in. Your brand is how influencers and decision-makers will think to reach out to you (or not) when they hear about potential opportunities.
As their coach, I make sure that my clients have a strong, memorable brand. I help them maximize all tools at their disposal (not just the resume) to refine their brand so it matches their current career goals.
If you want support to ensure you’re putting yourself out there with a memorable and compelling brand, schedule a consultation call to discuss 1:1 coaching with me.
