Personal Branding

I have been reading so much about personal branding lately. Articles on it are everywhere; there is even a blog on it! While as a career coach/consultant and a professional I well understand the importance of developing a personal brand in this economy, my concern is that in trying to forge that "personal brand" in resume writing, we miss out on the importance of showing skills and abilities in all aspects of the career/job that we are targeting. Remember that employers want well-rounded employees first and foremost. Your resume should contain about 50-80 keywords, not 20 or 30. Make sure that you can truthfully "comment" on most of the items in the job description in front of you as you write. Then concern yourself about how you are unique, and how you can communicate bringing added value to the employer.

A Belated Goodbye to "Shifting Careers"

I just this week found out that "Shifting Careers", a column about the changing world of careers in this country has been discontinued by The New York Times, where it appeared. What a shame that in times like these, this well written, well thought out column has been let go. Its title, "Shifting Careers" I found to be so pertinent today. Even if you think the latest job and career turmoil has not had an effect on you, stay tuned. In the world of career development, things are shifting more and more each day...young people about to graduate from post secondary education will find a challenging job market, even those with "high demand" majors. People at mid career need to be aware that their "solid" job can disappear in a moment. Baby Boomers face a particular challenge as they ponder "retirement" and what it will mean in the future. Gather your resources, read as much as you can about the future of career development and work in this country, remember that there are people (like career coaches) who can help you, and by all means, get ready to be flexible.

It's Past Time for a Resume Tuneup

When was the last time that you tuned up your resume? What? You don't think you need to..? Everyone, and I mean everyone, needs to have an updated resume available at all times, and especially now. Yes, we in the D.C. area are partially insulated from what is going on nationally, but be aware...no one is completely protected...

So, take out that resume and look at it...is it just a list of job titles and dates and responsibilities? That isn't going to cut it anymore...today you must show value, accomplishment and skills. How do you do that? Well, you can sort through the many, many books, articles etc. on the internet on this topic........or you can get it done professionally, with a career coach to help you.

Don't delay in these challenging days. Until next time...