Personal Branding Archives - Page 3 of 4

Painting Yourself in a Positive Light

The topic of personal presentation is one that has come up in a number of articles of late and is also a question which several people have asked me about – especially those who like me are currently looking for a new role. For me it is about much more than just wearing the right clothes and goes much deeper which is why I want to take a look at it in some more detail.

You’re probably familiar with the phrase, “painting yourself in a positive light.” If not, this particular saying has a great deal to do with the task of presenting yourself to others in an upbeat fashion. You’ll find it to be extremely important, especially in a business setting.

There’s no way around it. The way you act around people definitely influences how they feel about you. To be polite, when negative feelings are involved, some individuals choose to keep their opinions to themselves. This is acceptable, because they are well within their rights to do so. Unfortunately, others won’t hesitate to tell you what they REALLY think about you. Sometimes, it’s a vicious world out there! You need to be prepared.

In addition, there’s the possibility of the uncomfortable issue of rumors and gossip. Once one or the other gets started, it typically spreads like wildfire with no end in sight. Presenting yourself in a positive way helps to reduce the chances of these problems popping up.

The good news is this. It’s entirely possible to change a person’s first impression of you, simply by altering your personal presentation. This won’t work 100 percent of the time, of course, because nothing is guaranteed. However, you’ll no doubt see a change for the better the vast majority of the time.

Your Level of Self-Esteem

Your level of self-esteem is vital when it comes to how the public views you, in all kinds of situations. It’s important to remember that self-esteem requirements aren’t static. In other words, different scenarios demand varying levels of this much-needed attribute. Underlying personal stress (if any) and the specific audience you interact with both play a role in the outcome of the day’s presentation. No two will ever be the same.

If you feel as though you have low self-esteem, you’re certainly not alone. Millions of individuals share the same opinion of themselves. The good news is this: it IS possible to raise your self-esteem. Here are a few suggestions.

Self-worth has little to do with a person’s abilities or talent. Don’t be afraid to frequently remind yourself about all of the things you excel at. Better yet, do something that you’re good at, something that holds your attention. This allows you to relax and to feel more competent about things to come.
As surprising as it may seem, low self-esteem is often the result of thinking about yourself too much. Finding something else to focus on when you’re feeling a bit down, just might be all it takes to put you in the kind of cheery mood audiences appreciate.
Learn relaxation techniques. Relaxing magically makes your brain less emotional. Consider taking up meditation or self-hypnosis. If you want to try something a bit more strenuous, tai chi is a great option. Devoting as little as an hour a day to relaxation can really make a difference.
Don’t fall prey to the comparison trap. You’re not doing yourself any favors when that happens. There’s always going to be someone else who has more than you. Focus on you and any recent accomplishments you’ve made instead.
Promote kindness; it’s guaranteed to boost your self-esteem. It doesn’t have to be a huge gesture in order for you to feel the boost. Holding the door for someone, paying for a stranger’s cup of coffee, or taking a minute to encourage a friend are just three of many ways to make kindness matter.
Everyone occasionally makes mistakes. When it happens to you, try to handle the situation in a positive way. Do your best to find the upside of your dilemma. Many times, the repercussions of making a mistake are not as bad as you envision them to be.
Transform your home into a personal oasis. Fill it with your favorite things… music, books, candles… all of the things that relax you and shut out all of the hastiness of the day.

Just to be clear, never confuse self-esteem with confidence. Both are extremely important. But, they are two different things.

Are You Living A Lie?

Here’s a quick quiz for you. Answer honestly. Do you feel:

Like you are constantly hiding behind a mask?
Worried that others will not like you?
That if you say no, you are a bad person and will be letting everyone down?
Trapped in a life that does not seem to be your own?
Like you are always comparing yourself to others, with them on top and you on the bottom?
As if you’re finding yourself not good enough, no matter how hard you try?
Afraid that if your boss, co-workers, spouse or children found out “X” about you, they would never look at you in the same way again?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then the likely truth is that you are living a lie.

You are not the only one. It is an easy trap to fall into and can be a deep and difficult one to climb out of. But the effort can be well worth it if the result is a happier, healthier you.

Reasons Why We Could Be Living a Lie

It seems as if almost from the moment we are born, we have a certain role in the family with a certain set of expectations, both spoken and unspoken. Our family and the wider world is telling us who we are supposed to be rather than allow us to express who we really are. Our parents want us to be happy, of course, but we just might not have within us what it takes to be a doctor or lawyer, get accepted to their prestigious alma mater, or follow in their career footsteps.

On the other hand, our parents might have low expectations for us; maybe there’s never been a college graduate in the family, or they did just fine working in a hardware store all their lives and that should be enough for you too.

We get a range of messages about how we are supposed to do, think, and be. Children should be seen and not heard; we must never waste food; we should always clean our plates. Over time, these habits become second nature to us. However, they are not necessarily healthy or helpful if they lead to, for example, being terrified of speaking in public or being vastly overweight.

When we go to school, we might have a teacher who is never satisfied no matter how hard we try. Or we might be told we are not good at X and so we should not even bother to try. We might be bullied over the way we look, dress, speak, or even for being too smart or too stupid at school. Rather than get encouragement or support from the adults who influence our lives, we are told to ‘man up’ or be more ‘ladylike.’

There are now more opportunities for both men and women to defy traditional expectations, but the truth is that we often internalize various unhelpful attitudes and actions as normal and therefore judge ourselves as abnormal or less than perfect if we wish to live our lives differently.

The peer pressure and parental pressure can soon result in us constructing a mask of the ‘perfect’ child, sibling, spouse and so on. As the pressure builds from outside to conform, your own authentic self begins to feel trapped and miserable, like a caged tiger the zoo pacing back and forth, longing to be free.

If you have been living a lie in order to please others, you owe it to yourself to start taking action to live a more authentic life in which your true self can shine through.

Here and on LinkedIn I will be taking a closer look at how we can be more authentic and true to ourselves.

Are You A FED-Up Job Seeker?

Are you fed up of Job Search? Yes it can be frustrating when you are trying to find a new job and you just want it to come to an end and for someone to offer you are a job can’t it! Well I want you to be really FED up! But not in the way you might think and not that I am wishing you more weeks and months of job search. But I want to suggest that you look at your job search in perhaps a different way.

This morning I had a telephone conversation with Steve Radcliffe which came about purely by chance. For those of you who may not recognise the name he is the author of Leadership Plain and Simple which for me is probably the best book I have ever read on Leadership.

I had a job interview around lunchtime today with an organisation that has taken on board Steve Radcliffe’s Leadership model. I had therefore taken the opportunity to re-read his book to refresh my memory on some aspects of the approach. Having done so I dropped Steve a line thanking him for re-inspiring me about something I am passionate about as a Learning and Development Professional which is keeping things simple!

I was pleasantly surprised to get a message from him asking if I would like a discussion about his Leadership Model before my interview. Of course I was delighted to accept and we had a really excellent discussion. So what’s all this got to do with job search and being truly FED up?

Well, if you are not familiar with Steve’s Leadership Model it is Future, Engage, Deliver (FED) and is a model which can be applied to so many people at every level of an organisation but equally to individuals who are not “leading” anyone.

In summary the model is based around the idea that effective leaders need to do three things:

Future – The Leader needs to have a clear vision that they can articulate about where the organisation is going. Or to put it another way they are “up to something” that they really care passionately about.
Engage – The Leader needs to be able to engage others, bring them onboard and get them moving towards that future vision.
Deliver – The Leader needs to be able to make things happen.

I love the simplicity of the model but equally the depth of insight it offers into the role of Leaders. If you want to explore it in a little more detail then I highly recommend getting yourself a copy of Leadership – Plain and Simple and like me you might find your views on leadership changing. Because as Steve shows leadership isn’t that complex!

During our conversation this morning Steve asked me how I was applying FED (Future, Engage, Deliver) right now. I didn’t really need to think about it because having been re-engaged with the concepts through reading the book again it is something I have been thinking about. As a Job Seeker I am “up to something” that I care passionately about. I have a clear understanding of the type of role I want to be doing and the type of organisation I want to work with. I am Engaging people through networking in many different ways, doing work on making relevant people aware of my personal brand and continuing to interact with people across social media. Then we come to “Deliver” and that of course is about ensuring that I am taking the actions required and getting others to take action for and with me to ensure that I can create the “Future” that I want.

I appreciate that at times it can seem a lonely, heartless task searching for a new job. However, if we think about it in terms of the leadership skills we can and are demonstrating it can make it a much more focused activity. Equally next time you are at an interview and you are asked when did you last demonstrate real leadership skills you can talk about your job search and you can also demonstrate your awareness of Future, Engage Deliver which makes leadership simple, understandable and effective.

As I said earlier I would highly recommend you getting hold of a copy of Leadership – Plain and Simple (UK) and if you are reading this in the US then you can get it here.

Do You Need To Lighten Up?

No this isn’t a call to suddenly become full of the joys of spring whilst you are searching for a new job. However, the results are in and it would appear that I definitely need to Lighten Up and you may well do too.

Let me explain. Various people of late have been talking about a website where you can upload your profile photograph(s) and get feedback from others on your picture against three criteria:

Competence – do you look like a competent individual?
Likeability – do you looking friendly?
Influential – do you give off an air of authority?

The prevailing wisdom, supported by some research, is that we are more likely to feel drawn to people who are likeable rather than those we necessarily see as competent or influential. So what does this mean for the job seeker? Given that our online profiles, whether they are on LinkedIn, Twitter or anywhere else that we open to the general public, are now seen as a key part of the complete job search campaign, then I think we need to be very aware of it. The research shows that when people are skimming through lists of people who are returned as matching their keyword searches (think recruiters searching LinkedIn) they are more likely to click on those that they perceive as “Likeable.”

Personally I hadn’t given it very much thought and had always gone for a serious looking (professional?) image to use on my profiles albeit that I had long since forsaken the collar and tie look! However, I asked someone whose opinion I value to review my LinkedIn profile recently (you can see it here Paul Duxbury) from top to bottom.

Their feedback was invaluable in terms of many areas of the profile but there was one thing that they commented on above all else. You guessed it! My profile picture! Their comment was that they thought that I looked “seriously, seriously serious” and that I was bordering on looking a little intimidating! Not quite the image that I wanted to project but given that I don’t especially like pictures of me smiling I had decided to go with a serious looking one from the professional photo shoot rather than the more relaxed looking picture.

With that feedback and after a little thought I decided that I would change my profile image to one with a hint of a smile and uploaded it to LinkedIn and the various other social media sites thereby ensuring a consistent personal brand.

I then decided to upload my original profile picture and my new picture to the site I mentioned at the start of this post which is PhotoFeeler which is free to use and you gain credits to have your photo voted on by voting on others. There is also an option, which I haven’t used, to buy credits so that you can get quicker results.

I was not too surprised, given the feedback I had received, that my original image was perceived as competent and influential but didn’t score too well on the likeable scale. However, what did throw me was that my new image was not scoring much better. Now fortunately one of the options on the site when you are scoring/voting on pictures is that you can leave a comment. When it came to my new picture there were quite a few comments that it was far too dark. Easily solved! Open the picture editor and lighten the picture, which is exactly what I did.

I then uploaded the new “lightened up” image to PhotoFeeler and waited for the scores to come in. A dramatic improvement with the feedback being that I look competent, influential and likeable!

It may only seem like a small thing but given the increased use of visual marketing in so many areas getting our online profile picture right when we are looking for a job is crucial. So many decisions can be made on the basis of a cursory glance and whether we like it or not we have to deal with it. Friends and family might tell us that they love our profile image and think it really captures us. But what about people we don’t know which for the most part is the group that recruiters belong to?

Therefore given that it’s free to use, in exchange for helping a few others, what have you got to lose. Check out what people you don’t know think of your profile picture by trying out PhotoFeeler.

How to Use Social Media in Your Job Hunt

I recently asked Oasis HR to share their thoughts on how job seekers should be making use of the various Social Media sites as part of their job hunt and I am delighted that they have shared their thoughts below.

Gone are the days where agencies and internal recruiters would have a job role to fill, post an advert and wait for responses and that be it. Nearly everyone has now heard of the term social media and a large majority are using it but are they using it effectively to benefit their career?

In this day and age people need to be more proactive and think about how they market themselves as professionals. As the number of platforms people can find information about you increases, the more important it is to create a ‘personal brand’. This is especially true for people actively seeking jobs. Below are some tips on how to optimise your personal brand on different social media platforms to be appealing to recruiters and companies. If you want to position yourself as a valuable asset for a specific industry or promote your unique skills-set, then it’s up to you do to this online (even more relevant in today’s candidate driven market).

Firstly not every platform is relevant for every industry and job role, but you need to ensure you have presence on a number of platforms to expose yourself effectively to the businesses you’re targeting. Below are the platforms that we, as recruiters, may use to headhunt talent with tips on how to optimise your profile on each. Bear in mind that at Oasis HR we predominantly operate within the mid to senior HR market, however these tips are mostly relevant no matter what job you’re looking to secure.

LinkedIn

Join groups and network with relevant industry bodies and thought-leadership communities
If you’re actively searching for a job, update you headline to state this and put a contact number. For example ‘seeking new opportunities, please contact on 077********’
Make your headline different to your job title so that you come up in more search results
Make sure profile is set to public
Get people to endorse you for relevant skills
Comment on relevant articles in your field to increase your exposure to recruiters (this also helps you position yourself as an industry expert)
Incorporate a blog into your profile
Connect to as many relevant recruiters as possible
Research prospective employers’ company pages and connect with relevant contacts when possible
Have a look at another blog we wrote on 13 tips to optimise your LinkedIn profile

Blogging

Blogging can be great tool for increasing your exposure and helping you to be seen as an industry expert. It is important to blog relevant industry articles but also communicate it in your own style to give the reader an idea of your personality. A blog can also be something you present in interviews showing your passion and knowledge of the area you are applying for.

Facebook

Follow corporate pages and comment on discussions. Also follow the careers page of companies you want to work for to gain information on the company and receive real time updates of new requisitions

Make sure your profile looks professional to the outside eye. Facebook is a tool we all use to engage more informally with our personal networks, so be conscious of your privacy settings and think twice about the type of posts and pictures you’re sharing if you don’t restrict your content to ‘friends only’

Twitter

Another tool to market yourself. If you follow the right people this will give you content to post much quicker than searching for it yourself
Re-tweet industry experts / news and tweet any of your own content to ensure you are seen as knowledgeable in your industry
Follow and engage with companies
Many companies post jobs via Twitter and also use hashtags to add a degree of ‘searchability’ to their hiring opportunities. Play around with your searches to uncover roles relevant to you

Google+

This social media platform offers a real opportunity for candidates and recruiters. Although it is not as well used as other social media sites, many recruiters are beginning to capitalise on the platform from a headhunting perspective, so again it can provide you with a further opportunity to reveal yourself to recruiters

Make sure your profile represents your personal brand and your areas of speciality
Have your contact details present
Use circles and communities to network and read around your industry

If you don’t have time for all of the above, we would highly recommend you focus on a couple of social media platforms and ensure these really represent you. The more people you follow that are relevant to your industry, the more information and insights are at your disposal to post on your own pages. But most importantly you are dramatically increasing your chances of crossing paths with a recruiter who might just have your dream job at their finger tips!

Oasis HR

A lot of businesses will tell you that they’re on an exciting journey with great projections for the future. We really are. Following our ‘back-bedroom’ origins in 2004, we’ve come a long way; globally recognised awards, international operations and an established APAC networking group.

We certainly don’t intend on slowing down any time soon. Through a blend of ambition, dedication and commitment to our industry sector, HR, Oasis HR will become the…Number one Global HR Recruitment partner of choice.

You can connect with us on Twitter at @theoasishr