Top Myths about Personal Branding

When you hear the words personal branding, do you think, "That's for people who are into how they dress," or "That's for people who are into self-promotion?" Unfortunately, those are just two of the myths that people often believe about personal branding. As a result of these myths, the concept of personal branding has gotten a bit of a bad rap that it simply doesn't deserve. Let's put these Personal Brand Myths to rest once and for all and uncover what "YOU(TM)" - yes, the trademarked you - is really all about.

 

Myth #1: "Personal Branding is all about self-promotion."

This couldn't be further from the truth! Smart personal branding isn't about marketing yourself in an obvious or intrusive way. You can consciously but subtly communicate your personal brand through the five key activities you do every day: your Actions, Reactions, Look, Sound, and Thoughts.

Through these activities, you can exemplify and live your brand every single day without the need to blow your own horn. As a result, those around you will simply become more and more aware of the contribution you can make in the workplace, for example. Your boss, colleagues, and customers will begin to notice "YOU(TM)" more, and they will begin to count on you to deliver in the areas that you have defined for your personal brand.

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Three Tips for Successfully Working With a Temporary Staffing Company

Temporary Staffing is a great way to find a new job, transition a career, or be able to work a flexible schedule. Many people find that their experience with a temporary staffing company is not what they were expecting, but there are ways to improve your chances of getting an assignment. These three tips for working with a temporary staffing company will help make your experience more pleasant.

1) Make sure you maintain a positive and professional attitude. Make sure your resume is clean and concise showcasing your best experience. Make sure you are using a professional sounding email address. When the recruiter asks why you left your last position, leave any negative feelings out of your answer. Also, the more flexible you are in regards to length of assignments or the hourly pay rate, the more possible opportunities you will be offered.

2) Even if you are unemployed, make sure you are continuing to keep busy. When your recruiter asks you what you have been doing most recently do not answer with "Looking for a job." The recruiter at the staffing company is your representative and advocate, but they can't lie about your experience. The first question a client is going to ask about a candidate is what have they been doing most recently. If you haven't been working spend some of your time volunteering or doing freelance work or any number of other engaging things that will give you and your recruiter something to talk about. And put this information on your resume.

3) Don't expect a job immediately. Temporary staffing companies don't create the jobs, they receive jobs from their clients and each individual position requires different skills based on the client's requirements. A temporary staffing company is unable to guarantee a position for each applicant. The company will likely instruct you to contact them once or twice a week to let them know you are still available, so make sure you are maintaining positive contact even if they don't have anything available when you call. Once a position becomes available that matches your background and skill set, the temporary staffing company will be sure to contact you.

If you make sure you keep a professional attitude, continuously improve your experience by keeping busy, even if unemployed, and understand that the staffing company can't promise employment for every applicant then your partnership with a temporary staffing company can prove to be a great relationship.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6898642



Military to Civilian Career Transition: Get a Jumpstart While Abroad

A military to civilian transition has many challenges. From adjusting to the civilian workplace to choosing a new career path to interviewing for and landing your next position, there are a lot of tasks to complete on your way to a new career. One thing that can add an extra layer of challenge is living abroad during or leading up to your transition. Though it is often adds additional challenges, living abroad also means you have unique experiences that are attractive to potential employers. With that in mind, let’s examine how to jump-start your transition process while living abroad.

Friends and Family
One of the best ways to get a jump-start on a career transition from abroad is to contact family and friends back here in the States. Why do this? Put simply, it’s a great way to begin the networking work you’ll need to maintain throughout your transition. Family and friends can be a great resource for gathering information about potential companies to work for, what the culture is like at various employers, and with whom you should make contact in general.

Another “friends and family” resource to include on your list of individuals to whom you should reach out as you begin your transition are other former service members. Commanding officers, fellow officers, fellow enlisted soldiers – more or less anyone who knows you well and could provide assistance when developing your network has valuable information to share with you. What’s more, you may be surprised how willing friends and family will be to help with your transition.

Talent Acquisition Companies
Talent acquisition companies, more commonly called “headhunters” are firms that help companies with their staffing needs. These firms specialize in finding the right person for a particular vacancy, and they’re designed to work for the career-changer. Talent acquisition companies are paid by the companies who would hire you - they’re not paid by you personally - so they are a good option for many transitioning veterans. In particular, a veteran with 15-20+ years of service is often a good fit for a talent acquisition company.

What type of career would you find using a talent acquisition company? Since headhunting firms are typically large organizations based all over the world, they hire for careers and positions that are also based all over the world, not necessarily just in the US. If you’re interested in international service when you get out of the military, they may be a great way to find a position you might not otherwise discover.

Summary
Veterans who have been living abroad and are now entering the transition phase out of the military will experience an extra layer of challenge. While this can’t be avoided, veterans abroad can look to family and friends to help develop their network – an area they may need to burnish having lived abroad – and maximize the skills and experiences they have acquired abroad to find their next fulfilling career. Talent acquisition companies are often a good way to find a career and a position that fits the skills developed by veterans who have lived abroad for period of time, in particular if you wish to remain abroad.

Ultimately though, no matter whether you plan to remain abroad or return home, you can get a good jump-start on the transition process by building your network of contacts and also by considering using a company that can effectively translate your unique experiences into a rewarding career.

Key Take-Aways

• Living abroad adds a layer of challenge, but it also means you have something unique to offer potential employers.
• Don’t be afraid to utilize friends and family to help develop your network, you’ll need it to make a successful transition.
• Because you have unique skills and experiences from living abroad that are highly valuable to ceratin organizations, a talent acquisition company may be a good way to find your next employer.

Job Search Tips for Veterans

Make a Career Search Checklist

Make it, Follow it, Reap the Rewards.

Want to know the secret to a successful career search? It's simple: Make a military to civilian transition checklist.

Sure, it's a simple suggestion, but it can be a great help. This is where we come in. Career Search America breaks the military to civilian transition process into three sequential phases: Preparation, Strategy, and Implementation. The following flowchart presents a series on interdependent process steps that work together to become the building blocks to your next career or dream job.

You've seen the flow chart, and you'll probably refer back to it frequently, but be sure to visit the white paper library for full details on successfully completing each step of the transition checklist.

Checklist help is available in the Career Transition Toolbox. Read the white paper on Preparation, Strategy, Implementation, and Planning. Click here to access the Toolbox.

Jumpstart Your Career Transition! The Jumpstart Session is designed to give you the feedback, advice, guidance and confidence that you need to succeed in your career transition. What’s more, the Jumpstart Session is priced at an affordable $149. A limited number of Jumpstart Sessions are available. BOOK YOUR SESSION TODAY!