Executive Career Suite Weblog

Have You Been Googled?

Have you googled yourself lately? If you can be found, is the information something that you would want a future employer to read?

How can you get relevant, updated material about yourself on the web? Let me introduce you to Ziggs. www.ziggs.com  Ziggs is a "search for professionals" site. You can register for free and input the information you want. Go to their site and find me!

Googling an applicant is a standard procedure used by executives and hiring managers. The Ziggs profile is a great tool to use to get positive exposure on the web. Try it!

If you need help in developing the right content, contact me

Get Ready for a "Brand" New Year

Personal Branding is becoming an essential element in career management today. Corporations have branded their goods and services for years. Now employees, entrepreneurs, and individuals are going through the branding process in order to communicate what makes them different and special. A brand is a unique promise of value. You use your brand to achieve your goals while being true to yourself.

Personal branding is not just a logo or a tag line. It is about being authentic. Personal brands are not created, they are unearthed and evolve. You use your values, passions and strengths to uncover your brand identity.

Visualize Mother Theresa. If you ask anyone in this world who she was you will hear words like: humble, selfless, giving, caring, etc. Now, picture her wearing a fine silk suit and Italian gold jewelry. That vision doesn’t fit her brand. She lived and breathed her brand and she was successful—not wealthy, but successful. She was known the world over and had audiences with heads of state.

Take Madonna—her brand is about change and shock value. You know that each time she comes out with a new CD it will be different than any other she has made. Each of her books is about completely different subjects. She also lives and breathes her brand.

What does a successful personal brand do for you? You will understand yourself better, increase your confidence, create a clear focus for your career, and enhance your presence so that others will understand you.

Want to know more? Contact me about a special offer to unearth your personal brand valid until December 30.

Planting Seeds During the Holidays

Now is the time to plant seeds - those job search seeds - so you can reap the harvest at the beginning of the new year.

It may seem counterintuitive to think that the holiday season is the best time to conduct a job search since everyone is seeminly very busy, but in reality, it is truly the very best time and here are some reasons why:

1. Executives tend to travel less and therefore are more available.

2. People tend to have the holiday spirit and are more charitable and receptive during this time.

3. Budgets are being tweaked during the last few months of the year and thre may be room for a new position or raise.

In order to plant the seeds effectively, you need the proper tools: a current, professionally written resume and cover letter and maybe even an online portfolio. If you have difficulty presenting yourself and your strengths, personal branding or interview coaching are the best gifts you can give yourself.