Personal Branding – Gordon Ramsay Style!

Love him or hate him, Gordon Ramsay is a personal branding genius.  Across the world this Celebrity Chef has built and established a power brand that has him renowned almost as much for his colourful language and tough love as he is for his world class cooking and restaurant building skills.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating that to succeed you need to introduce more ‘zingers’ into your vocabulary but what we can take from Ramsay is this – to build a power brand you need to be distinctive, authentic and consistent, but most of all you also need to be daring. 

Bland kills brands! You need to find out not only what makes you valuable but what makes you – YOU! Blend and be dammed to the piles of also-rans. Good brands are high impact and highly reliable. Everytime you read or see this person you know and get what you expected.

In caricatures artists find a distinct physical feature and hone in on it to give the sketch character. Branding is similar, it’s finding that distinctive feature about yourself that you are known for in the business world and building a brand that will have the world loving you for it!  It relies on personal insight to know what you do well, who will want it and how you can convey this in an authentic manner.

Once you know this you need to live and promote this brand 24/7. Everything you do and say should reflect this.  If you can’t do this, then you are probably not being authentic. I’m pretty confident that what you see is what you get with Ramsay. Tough love, brilliance in the kitchen, and a soft heart underneath it all! Every episode you can admire him for his skill, admonish him for his interpersonal style and end up loving him again for the transformation he achieves with every person he touches.

One last thing, remember that even though impact can be a great tool for building a strong brand, be careful that you don’t build your brand on a gimmick or to shock. The way you promote yourself can damage your professional interests just as much as it can serve them. Make sure your brand is authentic, presents you as an expert in your field and as someone that your target market would want to associate with.

Finally, when it comes to your brand, like Ramsay, be loud and be proud. After all life is too short to live in the shadows.

Capitalise on Your Talents.  Realise Your Potential. Live Your Dreams. Dare to Be You!       

 

 

Who Do You Choose To Be?

I heard a wonderful quote recently from Sidney Poitier whilst being interviewed by Oprah. During his interview he shared that when he was young and new to America he faced his first real exposure to racial prejudice. During this time he was asked “Who are You?” and his response was

“I am who I choose to be!”

I loved this. Not only because of the strength and fortitude it takes to understand and articulate this at such a young age but because knowing who you choose to be and consistently living by this is the essence of personal branding. It’s about understanding yourself and your values and building a personal identity that aligns authentically with these.  

Ask yourself today – Who Do You Choose To Be?

 

 

Dare to Be You!

Dare To Be You. It’s not only my business mantra and blog title but my challenge to others. All too often the talented quiet achiever is overlooked not because they lack the skills but because they lack the personal marketing tools to get noticed and rewarded.

Life is too short to live in the shadows.

Capitalise on your Talents. Realise Your Potential. Live your Dream.

You don’t need to be the best to be the best known!

In marketing they talk about the legendary fallacy of the statement –

 

“Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door. (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

 

The reality is the world is filled with exceptional mouse traps but in marketing it’s well known that it’s not usually the best product that is the most successful but rather the best marketed product.

 

 

Take a look around – are designer labels really that much superior to other clothing items or are they just better marketed? The same can be said for personal marketing. How many people do you know that are highly talented in what they do but struggle to gain the necessary recognition and reward, whilst others with seemingly less talent effortlessly climb the corporate ladder.

 

As a Personal Branding Career Coach I am regularly contacted by frustrated professionals who know they do the job better and get better results than others in their workplace and yet they are continually overlooked by management. The reality is these quiet achievers are simply penalised because they lack the skills and confidence not to do the job but to brand and market themsleves effectively.

 

So what do you need to do to join the corporate success ranks? It’s simple! Just apply the same principles to yourself as marketing teams do to commercial products.

 

ü Have a clear understanding of your unique strengths. There are many tools available for this including the Reach 360 Personal Branding Assessment. Through these you can see how others see your strengths and talents and get a better feel for your authentic talents and skills.

ü Get to know your target audience.  Knowing your target audience will enable you to tap into their unmet needs. If you are in a workplace, identify who the decision makers are in that next promotion decision, what they need and what they are looking for in the future for the company and its staff.

ü Use this knowledge to deliver a consistent and strategic branding and promotion message.   Know your talents and sing them loudly and proudly. If you are not confident carving a strong personal brand yourself you can enlist the help of Personal Branding Consultants who can help you identify and mould an authentic personal brand. Deliver this consistently and you’ll notice your awareness and respect grow.

ü Keep in mind – how you are packaged is how you are perceived. Make sure your resume, online identity and communications with others all reinforce the image you want to promote. (Check out my article on Premium Products in Home Brand Packaging for more on this.)

 

Remember  - You don’t need to be the best to be the best known!

 

Profiting from Small Talk – What’s Your Party Elevator Pitch?

So what do you do?

 We hear it all the time. Everytime you are left with someone you don’t know at a party, networking function    or get together this is the guaranteed small talk opener.     Yet how many of us give our occupation as our stock standard response and overlook the powerful personal branding opportunity this presents us?

Just think how many times in your life you have already missed the chance to build your personal brand? To let people in on what makes you tick, what you offer and how well you do it. To set the scene for others to become your personal marketing agents through social word of mouth and referrals.

Now before you go off with pen in hand to write your party spiel remember the ’party’ elevator pitch shouldn’t be a hard-sell. Nothing clears a room at a party faster than an full blown sales spiel. Instead tone down your personal brand statement into something softer. Develop a simple but engaging 30 second response that will entice them to ask more but still showcases what it is you offer. In short, it should be no more than a few sentences and it should be able to be understood by a 12 year old.

For example my elevator pitch goes something like this.

Party Goer: So what do you do Gill?

Gill: I’m a personal branding consultant. Basically I help ’great’ professionals get recognised and rewarded for it in the workplace. Everyone does something really well but most people have trouble selling themselves to others. So that’s what I help with. I assist people to find and promote their talents in the workplace. 

Now no matter whether you run your own business or are employed by a major organisation you should own a spiel that you can rattle off casually but that is designed to sell you. If you are in I.T., maybe your spiel would talk about how you design technology solutions for small business owners that make operating their business easier.      If you are a florist perhaps your passion for flowers has led you to design floral arrangements that creatively reflect the personality of the recipients.

Whatever you brand, sell it consistently and passionately and you may find that your Saturday evening socialising becomes a pathway to opportunity and prosperity. 

Caviar or Just Fish Eggs – How do you see yourself? The Essence of Personal Branding

Why is when we are asked to describe someone else our words flow seamlessly, building glowing pictures that showcase exactly what their value is, yet when it comes to ourselves we struggle to string together anything evenly vaguely positive.

 

Over and again it seems when we describe others they are ‘caviar’ but when it comes to ourselves we are just ‘plain old fish eggs!’

 

Why is it so hard for us to see our own value? We should be our own cheer squad and yet day in and day out, I hear people underplay what they do with the tired and demeaning old catch phrase – ‘its just part of my job”. 

 

Nurses hold peoples’ hands in their darkest hours; accountants manage peoples’ life savings, police put their lives on the line for others; and yet universally everyone says “it’s just part of my job”. Every job demands skill and every individual brings their own strengths and value to the workplace and its operations. 

 

I know what you are saying – that doesn’t apply to me, I don’t do anything spectacular. That’s where you are wrong. I guarantee you that if someone else tried to do what you do they wouldn’t bring the same value that you do. Each person brings their own strengths to the workplace. Whether you are the motivator that glues the team together, the trouble shooter that turns around performance when things are tough or the innovator who sparks ideas, each and every person offers distinct and unqiue contributions.

 

Still not sure. Ask your colleagues, family and industry peers how they would describe you – I guarantee a theme will emerge that will help you build a picture of your personal brand. Meticulous, articulate, easy going, reliable, a quiet achiever or a visionary?  No matter what it is, wear it with pride! Promote your strengths and display them like a badge.

 

Now use these strengths to identify where you have brought value to past employers. Build this into your resume, find examples that highlight this in your interview, and promote this in your daily networking.

 

You are unique. Dare to be You! 

Branding and Your Resume – What Is Your Resume Saying About You?

No marketer would ever use home-brand packaging to sell a premium product. The cost of the potential losses in sales revenue alone would be obvious, and yet on a daily basis, highly qualified professionals sacrifice potential income through poor resume packaging.

It’s not the design or resume template that is at fault, but peoples’ tendency when using templates to lose sight of the fact that the resume is actually a marketing document. To sell a product, marketers realise they must know their customer. They invest time and effort in developing branding and copy content that will appeal and inspire action by the customer to buy. This is just as true for applicants. Just as every product has its unique selling points, so do individuals, and time must be invested in designing a resume that will truly reflect your relevant selling points and will operate as a catalyst to mobilize employers to make contact.

Fancy templates on their own won’t do this. Pretty may catch the employer’s eye but what then? A good resume will do that and a lot more. It will capture their interest, immediately showcasing the amazing skills and benefits you can offer their company. It will funnel them down through your resume on a journey packed with achievement and genuine contributions to your past employers. It will paint the picture of a consummate professional, who has faced commercial challenges and soared… and yes they will be caught, hook, line and sinker… motivated and intrigued to talk with you to see if you would be able to offer the same contributions to their company.

So before you pick a template and just start to type. Stop. Pause. Take time to really consider:

• Who will be reading your resume. Put yourself in their shoes. What do they want? What skills and experience do you offer? Why would they want to ring you? 

• Evaluate the template design. Does it reflect the image you want to put forward? Will you stand out from the pile of resumes, professional and distinctive or just blend in?
• Assess your writing and personal marketing skills.Do you have the skills to really showcase your achievements? Would you be better investing in your future through the skills of a professional resume writer?

When you know this, then you can start the resume process because I guarantee if your resume is plonked into a template with no thought given to the content – it will more likely than not be just you reading it! On the other hand, take the time to consider the employer in your resume, your branding and resume image and you are one step closer to that ringing phone and job offer!

 Need help with your resume design. Contact Gill at Career Edge today.

Mistaken Identity – Do You Know What They Are Saying About You?

When I was growing up I dreamt of seeing my name in lights. My imagination was filled of scenes where I would casually mention my name at restaurants and people would stop and say  “I know you – you’re famous!” 

You know what they say ‘careful what you wish for’. 

A couple of years ago I was visiting a hotel with my husband when I casually scanned the inhouse movie menu to find to my astonishment my name on one of their feature films. I can tell you I was even more surprised when on a closer look I saw that it was actually an adult movie (in every sense of the word).

After a giggle I realised that I shared my name with a porn star. My interest piqued I later googled my name to find that not only did I share my name with a porn star but a very famous porn star at that! Complete with a suite of films and associated merchandise including the ‘Jill Kelly’ blow up doll.  My husband of course thought it was hilarious and so did I until the realisation slowly dawned about its potential impact to my online reputation.

Armed with a new level of awareness, the impact of this started to be noticable. As an invited writer for the CDI Careerwiki, I noticed the google ads under my articles featuring my namesake’s films. When I gave my name at a local event, the gentleman on the desk said “Where do I know that name from?” and then a moment later promptly and rather obviously changed the subject.

Now I had a dilemma – do I change my name and give up my hard earned global reputation or do I simply try and compete in the spotlight and hope people don’t get us confused.

After much strategising I developed a rebranding strategy. Armed with a strong knowledge of exactly what my online identity was, I developed a plan to address and mitigate any potential damage to my profile.

So today I start the execution of this rebranding campaign.

Jill Kelly just became ‘Gillian Kelly’. My mother will be pleased as she actually spelt my name with a ‘G’ so that I wouldn’t shorten it to Jill.

So take a few lessons from my experience. Remain abreast of your online identity and Google yourself regularly. Not only is it fun but it may save you from the costs of mistaken professional identity. As for me, from now on I’ll be known by Gillian Kelly. Except maybe for in the bedroom.     

 

Marketing You – Personal Branding Secrets Revealed

Capitalise on your talent. Unleash your potential. Follow your dreams!

The Branded Resume Checklist – How does your resume rate?

First impressions are everything. Does yours resume represent you as the consummate professional you are? Before you send it off, take a few moments to put it through the professional’s “Resume Checklist”.  The extra few minutes spent here could make all the difference to your resume’s impact and your subsequent job search success. 

ð        Does your resume have impact from the outset? Will it grab the employer’s attention, telling him/her who you are; what you bring; and a snapshot of your career highlights and strengths?  Make sure it doesn’t waste valuable space with personal details. Condense your personal details to 1-2 lines and use the rest to sell you as a quality potential candidate.

ð        Is your resume effectively targeted to the type of job you are seeking?  Every resume should be written with a target type of job in mind. Is yours? Read through the job advertisements for the type of employment you are seeking. Does your resume immediately paint you as “just what the employer is looking for”? Have you highlighted all the relevant skills, experience and qualifications you have that the employer may be seeking?

ð        Does your resume start with a powerful header and profile? Your header should immediately tell the employer who you are. Experienced Sales Professional. Motivated Business Graduate. Qualified Training Auditor. It should be followed by a strong profile highlighting your unique experience, skills and benefits (or otherwise known as your unique selling proposition). Use this section to stand out from the others in the resume pack.  

ð        Is your employment background written in an achievement-orientation? Is it focused on the challenges of each role and your personal contributions? Have you replaced accountabilities with achievements? Don’t bore the reader with a list of accountabilities that they probably already know – give them details on what you have achieved and the value you brought to each role. Draw them in on a journey packed with innovation, results and dedication. Don’t forget to make sure you include the title of the position, name of employer, and dates of employment, and ensure any gaps in your employment record are addressed.

ð        Is your resume evidence based? Have you backed up your unique selling claims by highlighting in your employment your accomplishments including exactly what you did, how you did it and giving firm indications of the result. Eg slashed staffing costs 30% through restructured rosters that better matched staff ratios with peak period demands. Make sure it’s accurate and truthful. Be able to back up your claims.

ð        Is your writing style energetic and filled with action verbs to create impact? Try starting your achievements with actions words. For example increased, lifted, slashed, reduced, eliminated, grew. This will bring power to your resume and increase its effect on the reader.

ð        Does your resume include all licenses, qualifications, skills and credentials relevant to the job you seek?ð        Does it exclude all personal information, such as date of birth, marital status, etc. Make sure it avoids any negativities about past employers and never include reasons for leaving. Is your contact information up to date and accurate? Have you included your home phone, mobile number and email address.   

ð        Does the overall layout of your resume look pleasing to the eye? Is it clear, logical and free from jargon. Is the layout simple, well structured and professional? Avoid graphics, keep fonts simple (just 1-2 at the most) and keep plenty of white space. Is it error-free? Check for grammar, spelling errors and grammar consistency.  

ð        Is your resume scannable?  Ensure your layout can be scanned. No text boxes or graphics. True type fonts no less than 10 pt.

ð        Have you proof read your resume? Have you prepared a powerful cover letter to go with it? Are you using good quality paper? Have you developed a separate referees sheet and included on your resume “Referees Available on Request”.

 

If you have done all of the above – congratulations, you are now ready to start your job search. Good Luck!