The Three Legged Stool of Career Management

Effectively managing your career in the economy of 2011 is a vastly different world than it was just a few short years ago. No longer does it suffice to have just a resume of qualifications and access to job boards and a few connections to executive search firms. Managing a career in the public relations and communications industry can often be a full time job akin to managing the communications strategy for a Fortune 1000 firm or being a product promotion specialist in the world of technology.

Successfully moving up the ladder of career accomplishment or searching for your next gig is a three legged stool, whereby the absence of just one strut can leave you without a competent platform to seek, secure and settle into an engaging role in public relations. Let me explain.



The resume is the first leg. While some may argue that the resume is an anachronism in today’s social media soaked society, the resume is perhaps the first piece of documentation that introduces you to hiring managers and other critical people in the supply chain of human capital formation. The big change though is how the resume has evolved, what it conveys and how it is now used.



Resumes are no longer just a recitation of the jobs you have held in your career. It is a window on your accomplishments and a critical piece of evidence that conveys how you have performed for prior and current employers. Done well, the resume can make all the difference in whether you end up in the select in pile or the circular file. The resume can contain many things about you. But given the fact that the hiring manager or HR person spends from 30 seconds to a minute and a half on the resume , you need to make it easy to read and a compelling sell.

Rules of thumb: The resume launches with a Summary, which is your thirty second elevator speech about you and your value. Next is the Experience section which succinctly details in reverse chronology your accomplishments in bulleted form surrounded by a tight row of white space that allows the achievement to pop. The current job should show three to five accomplishments and prior jobs no more than three. Professional Affiliations should be detailed to add weight to your career accomplishments and be relevant to the job you are seeking. Bringing up the rear are Honors and Awards. That is it. Forget computer skills, hobbies and the name of your pet.



The Network is Part Deux. It is said that 80 percent of people landing jobs today are doing it through their network. So do not over do it on job boards, search firms, classified ads or mass mailings. The network is where it is at. If you have one, expand it. If you do not, start building it. Here is how.

Pick your social platform of choice like Linkedin, Facebook, Plaxo, Ning, Viadeo, Unthink, Foundation3, etc. Take your existing Rolodex (if you are old enough to remember) or Contact list and begin inviting friends, acquaintances and colleagues to become part of your network. Institutionalizing your network on a social platform frees you from ever needing to update addresses or hiring a private eye to find your long lost friend. Most social networks are self sufficient.



And please do not limit yourself to the virtual world. Networking requires “pressing the flesh.” Get out there and meet people. Help them to know you well enough to enables them to render an opinion of your value and worth. It only takes one solid connection to get the gig you want. So do everything in your power to shine a light on your ability. And by the way, networking is a two way street. Remember the old adage, “It is better to give than receive.” There is much wisdom behind those words. If you can help someone, it will likely come back to you four fold. At least that is what the nuns told us in grade school. It works.



The last leg, “Virtual Me” – Can you be found is the essential question in the second decade of the 21st Century. The first destination of most hiring managers , human resource executives and search firm personnel is Google, followed closely behind by Bing and platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook. If you do not show up on the radar, you may just as well look for an island beach in the Pacific.


There are ways, though, to raise your profile in cyberspace that are not taxing and require no investment other than your public relations skills. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Get engaged with your communities! Do you belong to industry or professional groups? If you do and are not engaged, consider getting involved. Join a committee, run for an office or board position, volunteer for an event. Often times being a part of a group that is doing worthwhile work can attract attention.

 2. If you have a passion, blog!!! If you want to be recognized for something and develop a following, blogging can be a useful device. In fact, if you have a passion, blogging is a natural. But the key word is “passion.” If you are a thought leader or expert on something let people know and become recognized for your knowledge and enthusiasm. http://wordpress.com, http://blogspot.com and http://www.posterous.com are useful and free platforms to express yourself.


3. Join in social media platforms like Facebook, Linkedin, Plaxo, Ning, Foundation3, etc. Employing platforms like these enable you to craft the type of profile that spotlights your professional career and equally important your professional and personal accomplishments. Be sure to target those platforms that fit with your profession and your personal brand.


4. Take control of third party web-based databases. These would include but are not limited to www.zoominfo.com, www.spoke.com, www.jigsaw.com, www.spokeo.com, etc. Many of these sites allow you to take ownership of your profile and manage the content. Make sure to delete errors or mistakes that could derail your consideration.


5. Establish a showcase on www.slideshare.com. Slideshare is a fabulous and rich content site on which you can upload presentations. In this case, what you will do is produce a PowerPoint presentation about you not unlike a C.V. You can include your resume, links and URLs to your web content, expanded accomplishments, academic credentials, professional photos and video, publications and other career information that help you tell a compelling story about you as a brand and as a professional.


6. Highlight your career on www.visualCV.com. VisualCV portrays itself as “Your resume, only better.” VisualCV is customizable and can serve as a resume, online professional profile, business development tool or mini website. And to top it off, just like Slideshare, it is included in Google search engine results.


7. Don’t forget about Google and Google plus. Build a Google profile. Yes Google gives you the ability to have a profile. If you already have a Google or Gmail account, a Google profile is the next step. Just go to www.google.com/profiles. Google provides the ability to include basic information about who, what, why, where and when. You can also include information on where you live or have lived, your web links, personal and professional interests, education, employers and aliases. Best of all, the profile is included in search.


8. Become an active Twitterer! Yes I realize this seems strange because you really care not to daily Tweet your food choices. Well don’t. Instead, employ Twitter as a strategic tool to add value to the knowledge stream on the web. If you are an expert or thought leader on a particular topic or topics then provide a steady stream of pithy and helpful commentary that enlightens and entertains.

Is the Resume Dead?

I often have commented in blogs and guest posts why it is important today to speak to and about your accomplishments.  Fact is companies want to know what you have accomplished not just what jobs you have held.  Your past accomplishments are an indicator of how you will perform in the future.  So in this hotly competitive job market, you must “stand out” and be “outstanding.” Yet it is well to be aware that the bar on job search is rising.  

The resume is no longer the primary means for getting considered for a job.  The race to hire the best is stepping up.  Companies are no longer just relying on what you tell them through your resume and cover letters.  Companies and recruiters are heading straight to Google, Bing, Blekko and other search engines to see what you are truly up to and how large is your web footprint.

So you say, “how do I become visible and what can do insure a visible presence in cyberspace?”  Is the resume a relic of the past.  The short answer is no.  But the resume today is only one of several means of highlighting you as a brand.  Here are some other ideas:

1. Distinguish yourself.  As the U.S. Army’s 1986 recruiting slogan said, “Be all you can be.”  If you have a job you love, do it well and exceed expectations.  People love a winner. And if you are a winner at what you do, people will talk! 

2. Pay it forward and pay it back.  If you have been helped by others, reciprocate.  There are countless non-profit organizations in the world who can benefit from the gray matter between your ears.  And in the process of helping them, you may just receive some recognition that ends up in cyberspace. 

3. Create your own content, particularly if you have a point of view, “the gift of gab,” and/or can offer wisdom to the masses or at least those with an interest.

4. Develop and curate a blog that focuses on a topic about which you have a passion and are a thought leader.  People love stories.  So employ the art of storytelling in your blog as a way to make it interesting and compelling.  And keep in mind that the end game with blogging is to educate, enlighten, entertain or enrage.

5. Set up a “Topic-based Twitter” moniker.  If your passion is deep sea diving, set up a twitter account like @deepdivedan and focus all of your tweets on everything someone would need to know to be a “deep diver,” including  the who, what, where, when and why of diving.  At some point folks will recognize your passion and expertise and wait for your next 140 characters to learn something new or be enlightened.  Furthermore, your tweets forever become part of the cyber stream and likely show up in a web search.

6. Answer the question.  Take advantage of the Q&A platforms on social platforms like Facebook and Linkedin and answer questions in your area of expertise or sphere of influence.   Over time your connections and acquaintances will recognize your knowledge and come to respect your wisdom.  Your reputation is likely to precede you.

7. Take control of your content.  There are many websites out there that trawl the internet, gathering, storing and then presenting information about as many people as possible.  No doubt you will have a profile somewhere on www.zoominfo.com, www.spokeo.com, www.jigsaw.com, etc.  Many of these websites allow you to take control of your ‘contact card’ and choose what is displayed. Delete any errors and create a profile that is accurate and compliments your career.

8. Using social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook or Xing is a key component to establishing your personal brand online. Each or these websites are highly ranked by search engines, so a profile created on these platforms will rise higher in search results than other lesser used information platforms.  It is also a great way to compete with others who may have your same name.  A noted of caution:  Take time to develop your online profiles; you cannot simply replicate your resume. You must concisely portray your key professional and personal accomplishments with an executive summary that immediately draws interest from industry leaders, hiring managers and executive recruiters.

9. Employ the best of Google!  Google has a profiles option which is integrated with the rest of Google’s expansive list of programs such as Gmail or Google Reader (a must have RSS reader). Having a Google profile will help you get another link found by search engines, and beat that rival executive with the same name.  Visit www.google.com/profiles to create an online profile much like Linkedin or Facebook – because of the high visibility in Google’s own search engine, I would suggest keeping personal info out and making it a professional extension of your personal brand.

10. Create a portfolio or presentation about you employing the SlideShare Platform (www.slideshare.com.)  SlideShare is an online service used to host presentations online, and share with internet users worldwide. SlideShare is a great way to establish yourself as an industry leader by sharing presentations demonstrating your knowledge and helping readers to learn from your experience and see your content first hand.  Create a personal branding presentation similar to a C.V. or resume. Include links to company websites and other content that is relevant to your personal brand. Outline your professional history, include photos and videos to tell your story, and start with a clear executive summary. Lastly, publish it on your LinkedIn profile by visiting the LinkedIn home screen, scroll to the end of the right column and choose Slideshare presentation from the ‘add application’ button.

 

Think outside the resume!  The bottom line is that a presence in cyberspace can be a “third party” validation of who you are, what you have done, who you have helped and the value you bring to your environment and those with whom you associate.  And increasingly the footprint or “cyberprint” you leave can be the trail to your next opportunity.