Executive & Professional Resume Writing Services

Job Seeker, Are You Crazy? American Idol Encourages It!

I have said it many times before and I will say it, here, again…you have to be willing to stand apart from the job search mob by daring to break the norm and differentiate yourself. Try the new, the fresh—take a chance. Will someone think a resume without an Objective is just crazy? Maybe. Will your friends advise you against a personal branding statement on your resume because that is just not done? Perhaps. If you call a company and ask if they are willing to review your resume will they think you are just insane for soliciting them? They might. But these tactics work! Call them crazy if you’d like but ‘crazy’ worked her for Paul McDonald of American Idol. And a little job search ‘craziness’ will work for you too.

Back story: Paul is a contestant on American Idol who has a very unique voice. (God bless his quirky talent.) Some love his voice—others hate it (what can you do? Se la vi). His special voice helped him capture a strong start in the competition. However, his past two performances were not the type that would help him survive much longer. So, what say his advisors Jimmy Lovine and Will.i.am Paul carry out in order to secure a position for next week? “Sing it like you are out of your…mind,” they said to Paul. Of course, upon hearing this most people would think, are these guys serious!? They want me to make a fool of myself? But not Paul. Nope. He did exactly as the EXPERTS advised him—and—his performance was wonderful! (Don’t agree? I bet he is safe from elimination this week and we will see him next week on American Idol.)

Lesson: Next time your job search coach/resume writer advises you go a little ‘crazy’ and, well, let’s see… trash your old, boring, safe, and mundane resume—listen to them. If they ask you to have a little trust in their expertise…you know what you must do? You get out of your comfort zone—and, yes—listen to them.

Check out the ‘crazy’ performance below. Enjoy. (Sometimes ‘crazy’ is not insane but just different enough to spark an unexpected reaction.)

Rosa Elizabeth Vargas
Master Resume Writer
careersteering.com

Spring Cleaning and Your Personal Brand

Part of the Career Collective monthly posts series. “Re-Tooling, Re-Focusing, Organizing, and Spring Cleaning Your Job Search.” Please see end of this post for more advice from other career experts.

 

Branding yourself was a great idea! You are well aware of your unique value offer; have leveraged it to position yourself as an expert in your field and ‘knockout’ other heavy-weight champions. Great job!

What’s next? To stay current, you must always revisit your personal brand’s core values, ensure the value offer you’ve focused on is still in alignment with your target employer’s fluctuating needs. If it isn't, you may need to rebrand yourself.

A re-tooling of your personal brand is sometimes necessary in reaction to fluid industry demands—very strategic and smart defense! HOWEVER, a proactive rebrand based on forecasted industry needs and a deep-dive self reassessment --is even smarter!  (That’s offense, baby!)

So, is it time to re-evaluate, clean up, refocus, and polish your personal brand? Get your gloves, dust mops, and brooms...(pen and paper will work too).

Canvassing.Initiate contact with your target employer.

Learn.What is important to them as they plan for the future.

Evaluate.How does your personal brand meet their needs?

Adjust.Discard the old, remove barriers to the new you.

New. Package yourself anew this spring with a fresh and in-demand brand.

As always, if any questions: Master Executive Resume Writer

 

More advice from the career collective experts. Please visit the links below.

Personal Branding to Fire Up Your Job Search, @DebraWheatman

Succeeding in a “Final Jeopardy!” World, @WalterAkana

5 Steps to Retool & Jumpstart Your Job Search, @erinkennedycprw

Your Job Search: Let's Just Start Again Shall We? @GayleHoward

Checklist for Spring Cleaning Your Job Search, @careersherpa

5 Ways to Spring Clean Your Job Search, @heatherhuhman

Ten Surefire Ways to Organize Your Job Search, @KatCareerGal

Put Spring Into Your Job Search, @EliteResumes @MartinBuckland

Toes in the Water, @ValueIntoWords

How to Revitalize a Stale Job Search, @KCCareerCoach

How to re-think your job search, @Keppie_Careers

Wake Up and Smell the Flowers: Spring Cleaning Your Resume, @barbarasafani

Spring Cleaning and Your Personal Brand, @resumeservice

Spring clean your mind clutter first, @DawnBugni

Managing Your Career 2.0: On Giving Something Up To Get It Right, @Chandlee

Clean up, Chin, up, Shape up, @LaurieBerenson

Is Your Brand Hurting You?

 

 

Is Your Brand All Wrong?

A careerist said to me, "I need your help. I need to REBRAND my resume."

Ooookay. So, I was expecting, "I need a resume like yesterday." Perhaps, "What is resume branding?" But, an outright "rebrand" —well! If I wasn't already sitting...

 

Why a Rebrand?

You see, this careerist had developed a strong brand; earned a reputation as a 'department savior.' The problem? Most of the job offers were coming from companies in need of an immediate and truly challenging rescue. (It is a logical result. Don't you think?) The issue is this careerist no longer wishes to come in and organize mayhem. Now, it is not that this person is not willing to "roll up their sleeves" and work hard. But that their most prominent qualifications, the brand that was exuding from resume shouted: "Give me your poorest, most chaotic department, with little or no employees, and non-existing resources—I like that!" The solution? A rebrand.

 

The Complexity of Branding

Many careerists in a quest to outdistance other job seekers work on developing a personal brand and that is great. The mistake is that sometimes a careerist will launch a personal branding campaign based on what they have been told repeatedly they are best at. What's the problem with that? Many of us are often cast into roles that we do not ENJOY just because we are good at them.

Yes, perhaps, when we first begin our careers that is good enough. Nevertheless, as we grow, learn more about ourselves, discover through experience what we truly take pleasure in, we often desire personal fulfillment in conjunction with meeting our financial needs. Consequently, we need to revaluate, and yes—REBRAND!

 

The Value Offer (Unique Value Proposition)

First, let's be clear. In order to win that job, you must solve a problem for employers. (Yes. This is true.) Please know that companies are looking for candidates because they need to solve a problem. So, if boarding a sinking ship, steering it, and hoisting it out of turbulent waters is what you enjoy—ahoy! But (pay close attention now), as an example, if you do not desire to save a department from flounder—what then is your value offer? Perhaps taking the department to the next level? Offering higher returns? Guaranteeing more efficiency? Promising to train even better employees? Yes, you can present a solution to a challenge they have not yet faced. Think about the latter. How often have you purchased a product you originally didn’t know you needed but as it turns out it has made your life easier? Branding.Targeting. Marketing! You and only you can answer the question of what your value offer is, but be assured that you must offer value.  

 

What This Means for You

You must pay close attention to what you are offering via your resume and brand. What you promote most prominently will attract those in need of just that. It is that simple. It is not just about outdistancing and differentiating yourself (although it is a key component of branding) but it is about attracting the right employer by targeting the right market and promoting the right brand.

Developing the right brand is a very complex self-analyzing process. You have to be extremely cautious that you do not promote an undesirable brand. Coming into a department and sustaining things as they are is not a bankable or differentiating brand. Thus, you must evaluate and identify what you offer a corporation that is providing them with an added value and concurrently position yourself to leverage the strengths you wish to implement in your daily work life.

What is your resume/brand saying about you? What is the value you are offering? And dare I ask you...What would make you happy?

 

Rosa Elizabeth Vargas

Quadruple Certified Resume Writer
Master Resume Writer

Join me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CareerMarketing

 

Win by Promoting Value Over The Rest

#1 Problem With All Resumes, Job Searches, and Interviews

 Imagine sitting in a lobby waiting for an interview. You look around and all those waiting are as professional and qualified as you...

· Graduates from top schools.

· Possess years of experience in your field.

· Have achieved impressive triumphs in their careers.

In other words, they are ALL highly QUALIFIED. Again, highly QUALIFIED!! What will you say during this interview that is special and more compelling in order to outdistance others? What is your USP (unique selling point) and what does that translate to so it's a benefit for your new employer?

Standout From the Crowd of Experts

The number #1 strategy job seekers neglect is the selling of their UVP (unique value proposition) over other qualified candidates. Your competition is not the underperformer with an unpolished resume and poor communication skills. (Wouldn’t that be easy?) Your competitor is smart, hired a professional resume writer, is articulate, and accomplished. So, you, must introspect, dig deep, and develop an enthralling marketing plan that persuades from resume, to online brand, to interview, and through follow-up by seducing your employer with the promise of success through a differentiating value that you, and only you, can offer.

You must examine your career performance, find those special ways in which you deliver results--own them and promote them! Because to win in this challenged job market you must sell a unique value proposition/a brand/a differentiating value.

Deep-Dive Analysis

So how do you go about this? Take out your pen and paper or better yet, open your MS Word program and answer the following questions:

1. Why would an employer hire me over others who are qualified? You are not allowed to answer this question with education, years of experience, or industry knowledge. Sorry! Yes, these are important and you must leverage them but these are qualifiers. Remember, your competition is qualified—we are looking to nudge your employer over the fence by dangling a gem.

2. What is my unique value and how will this impact my future employer? When others speak of you, what do they say? What have you been consistently recognized for? How have you delivered in areas that no one else could?

3. What guarantee can I make to my future employer? It is not enough that you have discovered your brand or USP/UVP—you must market it and convince the employer to switch/buy what you are selling.

4. What in my past can I use to substantiate my personal brand or unique value proposition? Convincing is done with examples, stories, and references. You must prove it.

5. Is this message delivered consistently and persuasively across all my self-marketing efforts(resume, cover letter, interview performance, online social profiles, self publishing content)? The more consistent you are in the promotion of your image across all materials/communications—the more believable you will be—the more trust you will gain—the more you will convince.

 

The game has gotten tougher folks! The same way in which you make purchasing decisions (you want to get the best for the money)—employers want to hire the best for the salary and they desire to not make a mistake in hiring you.

Present and position yourself over the competition, dominate, close the deal by reassuring that you are unique and not only are you qualified but you will deliver above the rest!

Learn more about how to write your own resume.

Rosa Elizabeth Vargas
Master Resume Writer

 

Are You A Superstar Job Seeker?

The job search competition is fierce; there is no way to deny that. All the career gurus are advising you to build your brand, get online, tap into the hidden market, launch a strategic job search campaign...but, have we failed to divulge you must be a superstar!?

With so many qualified professionals seeking employment, it is not enough that you are competent, smart, and experienced. Nope, it is not. Your self-marketing must pack power, make a memorable impression, and ‘wow’ your prospective employers.

What makes a superstar in the realm of job hunting and career management? A superstar is…

1. A subject Matter Expert (SME) = Know your industry’s ins and outs. Stay abreast of the latest (keep your finger on the pulse), so you offer trending knowledge and competitive skills, which cannot be easily found in someone else, and, certainly, cannot be resisted.

Many professionals become comfy in their zone and don't seek to acquire new skills or predict what may be needed in the future in order to remain center stage.

2. Confident = No matter how strong your brand or your job search tactics, your inadequacy and insecurity will be perceived. How do you build confidence? Work on being an SME and, yes, believe in your value. Plus, be courageous and brag, promote and flaunt your talent. Moxie anyone?

So many job seekers make the mistake of not tooting their own horn (and those that easily do, often shouldn't). Know HOW you are brilliant. Ensure you can 'emanate' your prowess, and, ooh baby, let the world see your glow!

3. Singing the Right Tune to Right Audience =This is where the topic of personal brand needs to be clarified. Many job seekers are now focusing on personal branding, but guess what—if your personal brand is not aimed at the right audience or is not 'beaming' the right message, your personal brand equals -- nada! Without the right message (superstardom), you are one of many who just slapped on the “brand” label to a nothing-special candidacy; this, making your light as dim as the rest.

4. Packaged as a Star = Hey, listen, I am no Beyonce. I promise you that. My point is that a polished presentation online, on resume, in business cards, and professional attire does matter! Sprinkle some stardust on your candidate packaging. Twinkle with the right brand as a subject matter expert and with confidence at the right audience; then gaze at how your superstardom star-struck all potential employers. As you radiate that special and bankable shine, someone will lasso you right into your dream job.

 

Master Resume Writer

www.careersteering.com

 

 

Presentation, Branding, & Going The Extra Mile...

When something has been done too many times or when there are so many of the same...how do you emerge from the pack?

Regardless of how you feel about Michael Jackson, we all can agree that since his death there have been too many artist singing his songs, walking his moon walk, and just doing everything they can to impersonate him. To make a point of which I'm positive will help you in your job search, I'd like you enjoy and assess this:

What is so special about this? Is it that it's the same person singing in concert? The creative video compositing? The harmonic medley of top singles? The fantastic voice? I would say yes to all of the above. More so, what makes this video stand out is that it's memorable because it's distinct; it captivates us because it is not a common approach to singing/performing Michael's music.

Again, whether you love Michael or care nothing for him -- the message is not about him but about how this young singer stood out in a voluminous online crowd by leveraging his creativity, delivering a unique presentation, and by going the extra mile to showcase his talent via an outdistancing video that has now branded him. Branded him so well that his video has been viewed over a million times! This video has been played on the popular television show, Entertainment Tonight. And, I am sure it has been played on other TV shows as well.

You know, this young singer could have just walked up to the mic, sang, and recorded a simple video--and it would have been lovely; but his video would have been soon forgotten and would have faded in the mob of YouTube videos.

Are you going the extra mile in the presentation of your qualifications? Will you step it up or are you willing to wither away in the job seeker mob?

Rosa Elizabeth Vargas
Master Resume Writer