- Remember, YOU are the product
- Determine what makes you unique and marketable
- Establish your personal brand by determining your measureable accomplishments
- Ask five colleagues to give you three descriptors of you and use them in your value statement
- Create a vision statement for yourself
- Decide what contribution you make to your organization
- Take back your career by being accountable for it
- Be prepared to reinvent yourself every five years.
- Stay current on your industry trends
- Cultivate a dynamic network-include professionals outside of your area of expertise
- Volunteer your time and give back.
- Exercise at least 15 minutes a day
- Remember to breathe when you’re stressed
- Help someone who’s in a job search….you’ll probably be in one soon…it’s the way of the work world these days.
- Build an accountability team for yourself.
- Set daily goals and celebrate reaching them
- Uncover your current career fitness level.
- Learn to network like a pro.
- Read a funny book to stimulate your sense of humor.
- Hide your tattoos – really, I mean it!
- Create your value statement-“I am very good at_____. What that means to my clients is_______.
- Invest in a professional headshot-it’s worth the investment because you want to be perceived as professional
- Listen more than you talk
- Learn to listen for needs
- Become a guest blogger and increase your visibility on line
- Write a weekly blog on industry trends
- Become a resource center for clients
- Don’t burn bridges – it leaves scorch marks
- Look for the best in everyone
- Keep your Linkedin profile updated
- Join Linkedin groups and start discussion. You will increase views of your profile.
- Create a website for yourself and highlight your accomplishments
- Update your resume yearly focusing on your measureable accomplishments
- Decide how you want to be perceived in the marketplace i.e. professional, organized, expert
- Remember, your Linkedin profile is not your resume….keep is short and interesting to read.
- Create a PowerPoint presentation for yourself – post it on Linkedin and Facebook
- Eliminate all party pictures from your Facebook – especially the bathtub shots!
- Learn to read body language
- Practice what you preach-your career depends on it
- Be a mentor
- Praise your team when they excel
- Call a contact you haven’t talked to several months and ask how their business is
- Attend one “in person” networking event a quarter
- Join an industry association and become involved in a project to increase your visibility
- Take a different route to work tomorrow – change is good
- Stay away from office gossip….it’s messy
- Always dress professionally and appropriately
- Accept defeat gracefully
- Save “hissy fits” for the drive home
- Show up every day
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These guidelines need to be posted in everyones office somewhere. We tend to forget that as an individual we are brands in our own right. Thanks for the reminder.
Jan-
Thanks for creating this list, its defentiliey a solid, good start that one could use as a checklist. I must say though that I dont agree with Rule #20 I just think its sad that tattoos have to be hidden, especially when we are talking about personal branding. Do people still really care if you have tatoos or not? I guess though, depending on what the tattoo is you never know if someone is going to be offended or not but I still dont see it as a big deal but thats just me.
Also, do you have any examples of someone who has successfully created a PowerPoint presentation of themselves? I thought that was an interesting idea, espeically if you can convert it to a PDF and make it easy to email and post as well.
Again, thanks for creating a thoughful list with lots of great tips and ideas.
Cheers!
Stephanie