If you read and acted upon Part 1 of What to Say After a Job Loss, you know what to do and what to say.
Where are you?
A recap of the last article first. Where are you on the stages of grief today? Remember, this will not be a linear process of shock, denial, relief, anger, depression, acceptance. You may go back and forth between some or all of these stages of grief. That is normal. You will get through this. You are not alone, others have and are going through this right now.
Second, have you taken stock? If you haven’t listed your skills, knowledge bases and other unique qualifications, now is the time. Just do it! For assistance, see my July 2008 article, Who You Are, Not Just What You Do. This is Brand You.
The Brand You Sound-bite
Now you take this information about Brand You, and boil it down to a 30-60 second sound-bite. This is sometimes known as the Elevator Speech.
What are the elements of your sound-bite? What should you include? What should you not say? How should you say it? Who is your audience? All are important questions to putting yourself in a position to reach for your next job.
You want to include things that are relevant to the next job that you want. I’m certain you have done a great many things and made some major accomplishments. And I am also certain you never want to do some of them again. That is just the nature of experience. Some of your experiences are valuable and will increase your marketability to your next employer, even if you don’t want to do them again. Therefore, the trick will be to put them in a form to showcase your talent, but not suck you into that job again.
The Brand You Sound-bite Elements
The main elements include your name, education, a major project you worked, awards you’ve received, a problem you solved, position or type of work you are seeking, special training, certification(s), and other languages you speak, and any special skills. You end by requesting contact and re-stating your name.
Simple? Yes. Hard to do? It can be. That is why I’m here, to help you craft a sound-bite that will get you the job you want.
Your goal is to be short, straightforward, likable and memorable. You want to pique people’s interest in you. You want them to be intrigued enough to want to ask a follow-up question. You want them to want to know more. Short and sweet are your goals.
This is not the time to recite a shortened version of your résumé. That is boring. That is too much information at this time.
As you create your Brand You Sound-bite, keep in mind you will probably be interrupted. Memorize key words, not the entire speech. That way when you are interrupted, you can pick it up again easily. That will add to your coolness under fire and be very impressive to prospective bosses on a number of levels.
The Nitty-Gritty:
Your Brand You Sound-bite is not meant to be a life story, but a quick way to showcase your Skills, Education, and Experience RELEVANT to the position or type of work you are seeking.
Components:
- Name
- Position or type of work you are seeking
- Education, Degree(s), Special Training, Certification(s), and other languages you speak.
- Achievements, Awards, Accomplishments, Special Skills
- Request contact
- Re-state name.
EDUCATION / LANGUAGES:
CERTIFICATES / AWARDS:
KEY STRENGTH 1 These are the three or four key strengths you want to include in your
KEY STRENGTH 2 sound-bite. Be brief. Pick your BEST three to four accomplishments or
KEY STRENGTH 3 strengths. We all have done more; the idea is to capture the interest of
KEY STRENGTH 4 the listener, not list our entire curriculum vitae.
Incorporating the points you have just listed above, create a first draft of your Brand You Sound-bite. Remember, it should be a short summary. This part should only be 30-seconds or less in the telling. By the time you add all the other elements, the entire presentation will take about 60 seconds.
After you complete this exercise, practice presenting your summary aloud. As you feel comfortable with it, read it to family member, friend or the family pet. Critique it. Improve it until you have a winner. Get feedback. Do not be afraid to modify your Brand You Sound-bite to fit each situation. Do not be afraid to leave out a key strength, if it is no longer relevant to your new job aspirations.
Putting It ALL Together
On a fresh sheet of paper write down (and fill-in the information)
- Hi, my Name is ____________.
- I am seeking a position as ___________.
- My background is (general order is education, other languages, awards/certificates, key accomplishments/strengths): __________________.
- Ending: (Use key phrases. "Do you know anyone who is looking for someone with my skills and background?" Or "Please let me know if you hear of anyone looking for someone with my unique talents." Or __________)
- Again, my name is __________________.
Comments:
In creating item two above, keep in mind that if you are looking for more than one specific type of job; you may have more than one Brand You Sound-bite. You should modify your Brand You Sound-bite to suit the person/situation you are addressing. Of course, if you don’t already know, you will have to figure out what you want to be when you grow up.
In creating #3 above, use supporting information such as, what you have been successful at and what accomplishments you have achieved. In this part, your 30 seconds should be stated in action phrases. The Brand You Sound-bite will expand on your list. Build interest by inserting "hooks" to capture interest. You want people to say, "Please tell me more about…"
The most important goal of the Brand You Sound-bite is to engage the people you are talking to in a conversation. Your Brand You Sound-bite becomes a conversation when one of the people you are speaking to ASKS YOU A QUESTION. Build your Brand You Sound-bite as if you are a "Fisherman" with the right kind of "Lures and Hooks" to prompt the first question from the listener(s).
More Help
If someone asks you "so what?" as you practice your Brand You Sound-bite, you may not have stated your accomplishments in terms that give value to the listener. The person you are talking to is most likely listening to you with a What’s In It For Me bias, so be sure each component of your Brand You Sound-bite gives VALUE to the listener.
How do you do that? State your accomplishments in a way that highlights the value to the company or to a client you served. There are two ways to do that. You can Tell A Passionate Story (TAPS) or state your accomplishment as a Problem, Action and Result (PAR). Some accomplishments have a natural affinity to one style of exposition. If you are in a helping profession (such as social worker) telling a passionate story about one individual that you helped will say volumes about everyone else you helped. Conversely, if you are a CPA, you may have solved an efficiency problem that netted a 30% savings to the company. Both are excellent examples and work for each person.
PAR
Describe the Problem you faced, the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you have done in the past. Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand. This situation can be from a previous job, from a volunteer experience, or any relevant event.
Describe the Action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you are discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did — not the efforts of the team. Don't tell what you might do, tell what you did do. As you concentrate on your efforts, remember to show how that benefited the entire team or moved the team forward to the solution.
What are the Results? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you learn? Describe your PAR in terms of:
- Time/Cost savings
- Improved performance
- Increased revenue
TAPS
Why A Passionate Story? Many employers are looking for people who are passionate about what they do in life. They are looking for people who love to work hard and see their efforts directly impact the success of the company. For those companies, it is imperative in an interview that you communicate your passion for what you do. Drones are a dime a dozen. People who can convince the company of their enthusiasm in a half-hour interview are few and far between.
Enthusiasm It is important to demonstrate a high level of enthusiasm. Firms are looking for associates who are motivated, responsive, communicative, and passionate. Engage the interviewer in conversation and remember to always maintain eye contact.
Show your passion If you're interviewing for a position such as a direct patient care provider, it's good to emphasize your soft skills. Even in corporate jobs, the interviewer may be interested that you ‘play well with others’ and have good interpersonal skills. In jobs like teaching and patient care, those skills are essential. If you're particularly excited about the job for which you're interviewing, let your enthusiasm shine during the interview. If you're passionate about working for the company, it's going to be easier to sell yourself.
Even More Help
Now that you have crafted some tools (your skills and abilities list and your Brand You Sound-bite) get out and meet people! School has started. That means car-pools, kid’s sporting events and lots of opportunities for interaction. Exploit these opportunities to use your Brand You Sound-bite. This is a great opportunity to see if anyone has a connection or a lead to a job. This is old-fashioned networking disguised as school events. Networking is where the jobs are these days. Employers want to be sure they get the right person, which is more often than not, a known person. The more you get known, the better your chance of getting a job.
As you say your Brand You Sound-bite, notice people’s reactions, comments and things they don’t say. Evaluate this information for clues to improve the Brand You Sound-bite. Be flexible. Maybe this IS a good time to reevaluate your career choice. What other options are available? What about changing industries – same job, different industry?
Dream and Dream BIG
If you could do anything – anything at all – what would it be? If money was no object – what would you really like to do? This is the time to think about your dream job. Align your career goals with your values. What do you value? What is your purpose in life? Write your obituary, what dies it say about your career goals? How can your values be reflected in your job? What do you love doing? What do you hate doing? What is your favorite thing about working? What would you like to eliminate from your next job? What inspires you? What depresses you about working? How can you incorporate some of these elements into your next job?
What is your biggest job-related regret? What do you want to think about for 12 hours a day? What do you want to do for eight hours a day? (write, type, walk, paint, CAD, research, analyze, supervise, etc.) Where do you want to do this? (inside, outside, in a car, in a court room, in someone else’s office, in your own office, etc.) Do you want to do this alone? with others? a mix? with a particular group of people?
Bonus Help
Your attitude is everything. Keep it positive and you will get a job faster. Stay hopeful and you’ll get the job you want. Your glass is either half full or half empty - Which is it??? Live in the present. The past is over and you cannot change it - let the past go. If you are driving a car, the past is your rearview mirror, the present is the windshield, and the future is the road. Don’t you see the road better through the windshield than the rearview mirror? You can see the turn you should take coming up and be ready for it when you look forward.
Don’t dwell on the past and relive it over and over. Take responsibility for yourself and your situation. Learn to accept what you cannot change. In most situations you are in control and your actions will influence the outcome of events.
Keep the job search under your command. Network, network, network - enlist the aid of everyone you know for help. Use informational interviews for information and networking. Talk things out with confidants. Find a positive way to vent your feelings. Jogging or walking is a great way to pound out your feelings in a productive way.
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This is a great time to contact me to get an action plan together to get a career that aligns with your values. I can help you sort through your skills and your dreams to get the right job for you. I can assist you in creating your skills inventory, crafting a polished Brand You Sound-bite, getting you on the path to your dream job.
Contact Elisabeth now:
By Telephone: 916 • 803•1494
By E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com
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This is great - Sam
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