Career Hub

The Art of Bragging - Or is it Personal Branding?

Just saw a recent top tips in The National Post here in Canada from the fairly new book - "Selling Yourself Without Selling a leaders guide to ethical self promotion" by Hernez-Broome, McLaughlin & Trovas of the Center for Creative Leadership and there were a lot of similarities between this and building your personal brand inside your current company.

1. Expand your network. Make an effort to reach out to people outside your department. For leaders this is critical, you can all too easily get caught up in the 'its not my job, or that's the finance departments responsibility. Quite often I find that teams are very aware of the need to let other departments know what they are up to so there is less blame or mis-understanding.
2. Tap others peoples expertise to build a stronger network. The world of work is changing too quickly for anyone to be an expert in everything. Recognise what you are good at and find others to do what they excel at - then there is less stress, everyone looks good and the job gets done.
3. Acknowledge the efforts of your team. No-one appreciates or wants to work for someone who takes all the glory, especially when its a team result. People have long memories and you never know when you will next need their help or recommendation.
4. Celebrate success. Its no longer the domain of HR or even the Communications Department to let everyone know what is going on or keep an eye on who is being successful. If you do not shout about it (in an authentic and tasteful way) you can be sure no-one else is going to do it for you - they are far too busy.

Common Sense Interviewing Advice

I found this article from phillyBurbs on interviewing a pleasure to read.

How often do you hear that? It's worth your three minutes. It's direct, no-nonsense, amusing and logical. After reading it I think you'll feel more relaxed about interviewing, rather than more stressed.

And how often can you say that?

Points from this article I especially appreciate:

• You can discern a lot about what your potential future manager might be like to work for based on his/her interviewing style, so pay attention.
• When you stay aware, stay present and stay away from believing you have to please everyone you meet, you're more likely to know whether the job is a good fit for you.
• Preparation leads to feeling more relaxed which leads to feeling more confident which leads to being in better control over your answers.
• Just be yourself instead of pretending to be someone you think your interviewer wants to meet.

Posted by Heather Mundell

Career Hub is Expanding - We Need You!

It's hard to believe but Career Hub has been in existence for more than a year and half! During the past 19 months, our team of career experts have really gone above and beyond to provide insights and information on both job search and career management.

Now we want to take things a step further and offer a broader range of advice. We're looking to add to our team of bloggers and we'd love to hear from anyone with an interesting perspective on either finding a job or managing a career.

Bloggers might be:

• Recruiters or HR Managers
• Coaches
• Job seekers
• Line managers or executives with hiring responsibility
• Employees

Hmmm, that pretty much covers everyone doesn't it?

This is a great opportunity to raise your profile while sharing knowledge with other job seekers. And if you already have a blog, you are free to cross-post here with links back to your blog. We're looking for interesting voices from the entire careers spectrum.

We also offer our bloggers regular opportunities to contribute to eBooks and other promotional projects. So if you love to write and have something to say, drop me a line. Send links to your blog or one or two articles you've written and we'll be in touch.

Is Personal Branding Just About Image?

To some the answer is yes. To most of us in the world of personal branding absolutely not.

But, it was not until I worked with an image consultant (Amy Casson of Polished Image) that I realised how critical it really was - it can sometimes be the difference between success and failure. Between getting a job and still searching.

You know how great you feel when you are in your favourite suit or outfit (think about when you have an important meeting or interview you always reach for THE outfit) it can make the difference between sealing the deal and feleing so so about the meeting.

A recent article in the Globe & Mail reminded me how important it is to look (and feel) from your head to your toes - this Italian showmaker written about is a perfectionist and a master craftsman and the journalist could almost think he was not wearing shoes - and the shoes were initialled.

Now just how great would that make you feel?

I'm on LinkedIn, Now What???

I'm on LinkedIn, Now What???, a recently released book about LinkedIn, answers so many of the questions that have been posed to me by my clients about this powerful business networking tool. Many people approach social networking technology with trepidation and Jason Alba has created a “how to” guide that reminds new users that there are “no stupid questions” when it comes to learning a new technology and guides seasoned users through the more specialized uses of the application. If you are  interested in creating an on-line presence, building a professional community, sourcing prospects, or reaching out to decision makers and hiring authorities, (and who reading this blog isn't?), you will find value in this book. It will take you less time to read from cover to cover than it takes to post to half a dozen job boards and the skills you will learn from the book will help you build a far more strategic and effective approach to networking and relationship management.

Posted by Barbara Safani

Have You Met Pride and Ego?

My phone rang and the man's trembling voice relayed that he'd had a pretty rough morning. After 21 years on the job, his new boss had "cut him loose." Cut him loose with four weeks of severance. "Probably have to sign some papers...don't know what I'll do. I'm 59."

In our conversation, he alluded to the fact that he was a "friend" of the owner of the business. He went on to say that the "friend" was an "older gentleman" not that much involved in the business anymore. And yes, it had crossed his mind to call the owner "but you know, my pride and ego won't let me."

Pride and ego won't let me. Familiar words...words I've heard many times before. Has Pride kept you from reaching out? Does Ego get in the way of asking for help? Have you met Pride and Ego? Have they helped your career? Hurt you? Maybe Pride and Ego serve you well. And then again, maybe they don't. Ask yourself: Does Pride make my house payment? Does Ego buy my groceries?

Consider this...if Pride and Ego are not working for you, how about putting pride aside and letting go of the ego? Go get what you want (and need) with an attitude of gratitude, unencumbered by the shackles of Pride and Ego, if indeed they are stymieing your efforts to move forward.

posted by: billiesucher