Job hunting can be a lot of work and quite stressful.  Finding a good job isn’t easy, there are many different factors to consider when picking the best job for you and your family. Here are some job hunting tips to consider when going through a career change or even just changing jobs within your industry.

Research and networking: Researching the latest trends, pay and job prospects are important to any job move, but it’s just as important to get face-to-face with people in the field. You don’t want to do a job search on your employer’s time, but if you can get away at lunch or after work to attend networking functions, it’s worth your time for two reasons.

First, you might meet your next boss there. Second, simply by talking and getting to know people already doing the job you want, you’ll get a ground-level view of whether the industry is for you and which employers are the most desirable. You’ll also get an idea of companies to avoid.

Weigh the pay/potential balance: With each job move, we naturally want better pay and benefits. That’s common sense. But as you weigh benefits – sometimes companies feature overviews of their benefits packages on their websites – weigh on-the-job opportunities as well. Here’s the job comparison tool that I’ve used.

A hot, new company with great prospects may not pay or offer the same benefits as a mature employer, but the chance to gain unique experience and responsibility faster might make you a more attractive candidate in a year or two.

Consider timing issues at your current employer: If you are up for a salary review soon, it might make sense to have a better idea of what you’re worth in the marketplace. Also, as the end of the year is coming, you might want to use up any money in your flexible benefits accounts for medical appointments, glasses or dental work before you leave. 

Plan to maximize your take-home pay at the next job: This is where a call to your tax or financial planner comes in handy. Some fringe benefits may be taxable, which means your real take-home pay might be less than you expected. To the extent that you get to negotiate your benefits on your way into a job, do it in a tax-smart way.

Plan a request for a written offer from your next employer: Not only should pay, vacation time and other key benefit issues be in writing from a prospective employer, it’s wise to have them list performance evaluation criteria with relevant bonus information.

Decide what you’ll be doing with your 401(k) and other retirement funds: You may not want to make any moves for awhile, but it’s good to talk with a financial planner about whether you’ll be moving that money to private accounts. Also, make sure you know when you can enroll in the company 401(k) and other retirement offerings at your new employer.

Secure your health insurance: You might wait a few months to a year for new health coverage to kick in at a new job.  You might need to buy private insurance until then or go onto a spouse’s health plan in the meantime.

Don’t stop networking:  Even once you’ve taken a new job or decided to stay where you are, don’t stop building your network. Networking keeps you open to new opportunities and helps you value yourself when it’s time to ask for your next raise.

These job hunting tips were produced in association with the Financial Planning Association (FPA), the leadership and advocacy organization connecting those who provide, support and benefit from professional financial planning.

Career planning may be the only thing between you and total insanity! Take my word for it, planning your career can help you find a new job that you’ll enjoy more than the one you have now. 

Career planning can help you get a better job that pays more, teaches you new skills, requires you to work fewer hours… whatever it is that will make you happier in life.

Career Satisfaction, Zero

I was unhappy in my old job for quite a long time but didn’t spend much time on career planning or career development.  I was SUPER busy at work, then I’d come home to spend time with family, work on Money Smart Life until I couldn’t keep my eyes open, and then crash for the night.

My wife pleaded with me to get a new job.  I was always stressed out and unhappy but for some reason I couldn’t seem to get “unstuck” and look for a new job.

What I probably really needed was some career counseling or career advice from someone who had been in a similar position before. I must not have been looking hard enough because I never did find a career coach to work with.

Quitting My Job, Kind Of

I don’t think I’ll ever forget the day I knew I was going to quit my job. The morning started with the typical daily frustrations but with each miserable meeting my soul protested more and more violently. Full to the brim of misery I entered an unused office with two of my co-workers to join a conference call for one of my “favorite” projects.

I can still see the look of confusion on my team member’s face when the client dropped a major bombshell on us.  The look slowly contorted to one of horror as she realized the implications of the changes and how much work it would require in a short amount of time.  I felt exactly the way her face looked and at that moment decided that I’d had ENOUGH. I could see from past experience exactly how this was going to play out and how my team was going to get screwed over yet again. I realized that I didn’t have to take it anymore and that my life was going to change.

The rest of the day was pretty much a blur, I had been unstuck. My mind was now focused on the next step, whatever that would be.  I didn’t end up quitting my job until several months later but that day finally kicked me into action and into some major career planning.

Career Planning, Blog Style

I still wish that I would have found a career coach to work with because I think it would have made the process easier.  However, I didn’t have one so I spent a lot of time in self-reflection and writing down some of my career planning steps here on the site. Following is a view of my career planning journey from searching for answers, to giving my two weeks notice, to learning from my co-workers.

Career Planning

• Quit Your Job Or Keep Your Job – How to Decide When a New Job’s Right for You
• Make Morey Money & Be Happy in Your Job Using a Work Portfolio
• Would You Take a Better Job for a Lower Salary?
• How to Make Your Job Better or Find a Better Job

Quitting Your Job

• Two Weeks Notice – The Art of Quitting Your Job Gracefully
• How Quitting Your Job Can Make You a Better Employee

Co-Worker Feedback

• Career Advice to Help You Get Ahead & Feel Good About It
• Career Tips from Co-Workers Show Room for Improvement

Career Planning Saved My Life

It’s been a year now since I’ve switched jobs and I’m amazingly happy. Career planning didn’t literally save my life but so far it’s saved me a whole year of being miserable. 

A year during which we watched our 2 year old toddler turn into a 3 year old little boy.  A year when my expecting wife had our sweet baby girl.  It’s been a spectacular year that I’ve been able to enjoy, thanks in large part to some focused career planning.

Job layoffs are sometimes sudden but other times you may suspect they’re on their way.  One of our friends is going through a corporate merger and he thinks there’s a chance he might lose his job.  It could be several months by the time the merger is approved and the company executives start making decisions about who to let go.  Here are some things he and other’s in his same position can do to prepare for a layoff.

Start or Build Your Emergency Fund

Unemployment insurance won’t even come close to meeting your cash needs when you’re out of a job.  Start slashing your spending and funnel that extra cash into an emergency fund that won’t be touched for anything but essentials – housing payments, food and insurance expenses.

Get a headstart on building an amount equal to 3-6 months of those expenses as soon as you can, first by cutting your basic spending and then possibly by paying the minimums on debt purchases until you get that fund in good shape.  If you’ve still got your job after you hit your emergency fund target, then keep your tight spending in force and go back to attacking any debt that you have more forcefully.

Get Legal Advice

It might not be a bad idea to invest in the services of a workplace attorney to make sure you know what to ask for in an exit package. Always ask if you can build unused vacation and sick days into a package and see what you can do about extending health benefits before you start having to pick up the cost via COBRA.

COBRA refers to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, which gives workers and their families who lose their health benefits the right to choose to continue them under their group plan for a limited time.
 
Research Health Coverage

The recently passed federal stimulus package provides 65 percent subsidy for COBRA premiums for up to 9 months, which is good news because COBRA can be very expensive.

In any event, it makes sense to research individual, high-deductible coverage that might be an affordable alternative to staying on your employer’s health plan while you’re looking for your next job. Many quality carriers offer enrollment online, but ask around and see if friends or associates know good agents who can find coverage that fits you so you’ll be prepared if you need it.

Get Personal Disability Coverage

Disability coverage offered through your workplace may barely cover you if you are disabled while working, but once your job is gone, there goes your coverage. It’s always a good idea for individuals to have some personal disability coverage of your own, and you should buy it while you’re employed because you need to prove income before you can get the maximum coverage based on your current income. No job, no income, so do it now.

Understand Your Unemployment Benefits

Generally, it’s a good idea to file immediately for unemployment benefits, even if you’re getting severance. Check on these provisions as soon as you can.

Also remember that the federal stimulus plan applies here as well. Benefits will increase by $25 per week for some 20 million jobless workers, while the first $2,400 they receive in benefits will be exempt from federal taxes. Also, if you get a job before your severance or unemployment runs out, use those funds to top off your emergency fund and then attack debt so you’re in a good position to weather any future storms.

Utilize Free Job Advice & Assistance

If your employer is providing office space, resume-writing assistance or any other benefits to help you transition to your next job, by all means, take advantage of them. It’s particularly smart to get advice with resume writing because as industries change, the type of experience that hiring executives want to see on resumes changes as well.

Network

Make sure you’ve identified key professional groups both locally or nationally that will allow you to meet colleagues and hiring executives in your industry or the industry you hope to work in next.  And plan to do little things that keep you in touch with potential employers – make sure your cell phone, e-mail and voicemail are always working, and make sure you have resumes, cover letters and an interview outfit always at the ready in case you have a sudden opportunity to interview.

This post on preparing for a layoff is produced in association with the Financial Planning Association (FPA), the leadership and advocacy organization connecting those who provide, support and benefit from professional financial planning.

Your emergency fund is your best friend if you lose your job in this bad economy.  We’ve had an emergency fund in an online savings account ever since we joined the work force and last week was the first time I thought I might have to use it.

Losing my Job?

One afternoon last week a co-worker mentioned that the product I was hired to work on was being phased out.  I stopped by my boss’s desk to find out whether I’d still have a job but he was gone for the day so I spent the evening thinking about being laid off and what it would mean for my family.

My initial reaction was a mild case of panic, we’re having a baby pretty soon, what would I do without a paycheck and health insurance!  As I drove home I started walking through the details of how to prepare for a layoff financially in my head and the closer I got to home, the better I felt.

Emergency Fund

We have over six months of living expenses in online savings accounts, some with ING Direct and some with FNBO Direct. Our emergency fund is the single biggest reason I remained so calm when faced with the possibility of losing my job.

We actually have more than 6 months of worth of expenses saved up but Murphy’s Law makes me worry our expenses might actually increase for unforseen reasons if I was unemployed. So I figure I’d have about 6 months of no income before we ran out of money.

Health Insurance

I would qualify for COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act), which would allow me to buy insurance coverage from my former company for 18 months if I was let go.  Of course I’d have to pay the full premiums myself but with a baby on the way it would certainly be worth the money.

Job Market

I spent several months last fall networking and job searching so my paper and online resume are up to date.  I’m fortunate to be in a good career for a recession, there always seems to be demand for computer programmers.  Even if I couldn’t find full time work I could get a freelance job here and there to help us get by.

Job Security

I went into work the next morning after thinking about losing my job all night and had a meeting with my manager and his boss. It turns out everything should be okay, they are phasing out my product but they have a lot more work to do in other areas.  It may actually end up being a good change, I’ll be learning a whole new programming language and set of technologies, which will make it easier for me to find a job in the future if I ever do get laid off.

Start an Emergency Fund

Even though everything turned out okay (for now), I’ve never been more glad to have an emergency fund than I was that night.  With the security net of 6 months living expenses, the possibility of losing my job seemed a managable crisis.  So, if you don’t have an emergency fund, I’d highly recommend starting one this week.  You may not have much to contribute but start putting some money away now and over time it will add up.

You can open a separate emergency fund account online tonight, with a online bank like FNBO Direct.  It’s easy to do, you can create and fund your account without having to leave your house.  Then setup direct deposit and start putting away some money every pay period.  You won’t regret it : )

Company layoffs at big corporations like Ford, Dell, and IBM are making the news these days but as many of you are aware the bad economy is affecting companies both big and small. With so much stress building around the country over the fear of losing jobs we decided to take a look at some career moves you can make to help prepare for a potential job loss and find a job if you are laid off.

The first thing we talked about was how building your personal brand can make it easier to get a job.

“The goal of personal branding is to communicate your experience and build trust in your abilities and expertise so that when a hiring manager has to make a decision of which candidate to choose, you’re the obvious choice”

We followed up by reviewing some of the technologies available to help you build an online resume and find job referrals based on your expertise.

There are times when your current job or industry isn’t the best place for you to be working so the next topic talked about how you can get a degree or get additional education such as certifications or licenses to make you more competitive in the job search.

When you’re in between jobs and still need to make money, you can always try out a freelance job, we cover places you can go to find freelancing work. Last but not least, check out this post on how to prepare for a layoff financially.

Job interview stressing you out? Job interviews can be daunting for even the most confident applicant but interviews can be manageable and even enjoyable if you are well prepared.  Today we’ll look at ten job interview tips that can help you get your next job.

Your online resume and job skills helped you get the interview, now it’s time to make your case in person. If you have a big interview coming up, it’s time to stop fretting and start prepping; these interview tips might help:

Do your research.
You need to be prepared to demonstrate that you have solid knowledge of the company, its business and its challenges. Check out their website, and study all of their press releases and what they seek to accomplish as a business. Chances are you will be asked the important question, “Why do you want to work for our company?” or “What do you know about our business?” Failing to show that you have done your research will tell your interviewer you didn’t care enough to take the time to prepare.

Shut up and listen!
While you will be anxious to tell the interviewer all about your professional career, don’t be so chatty that you miss important signals and messages from the other person. You’ll need to present your story in the context of what the interviewer is looking for. Listen for clues and adjust.

Remember what’s in your resume and cover letter.
Re-read your resume before you go to your interview and be able to talk intelligently about anything and everything included. You want to sound sharp if the interviewer brings up something in your resume.

Know how your qualifications relate to the company’s needs.
It is not enough to just be prepared to talk about your skills and qualifications. You need to relate your skills to the company’s needs. Examine the job description before the interview. Then identify the skills needed for the job and think of how your qualifications relate to those skills.

Don’t forget to prepare for telephone prescreen interviews.
When I was searching for jobs, I had about three phone interviews that caught me off guard. It’s a double-edged sword, because I didn’t feel prepared, but I also didn’t want to lose the opportunity when an employer called me. Prepare in advance for phone interviews just as much as you would any other interview opportunity. Many companies are now conducting phone interviews before they grant an in-person interview as a method of whittling down their pool of candidates to save time.

Practice.
The best way to be prepared for an interview once you have done your research is practice. Think about potential interview questions such as “Tell me about yourself,” “Why are you leaving your current employer?” and “Why should we hire you?” You should also be prepared for behavioral questions, such as “Tell me about a time when you had a problem at work and came up with a way to solve it.” Practicing with your significant other is always a good way to prepare for interviews.

Save the salary talk for later.
Discussing money is always tricky, and it is best to save the talk about salary for later, once you have received an offer.

Have a list of questions for the interviewer.
Almost every interview will end with this question: “So, do you have any questions for us?” Be sure to develop a list of questions to ask before you go to the interview. Do not ask questions that are clearly answered on the employer’s Web site and/or in any literature provided by the employer to you in advance. Instead, ask specific questions like “What is the organization’s plan for the next five years, and how does this department fit in?” or “Could you explain your organizational structure?”

Be confident.
If you are in for an interview, the company has seen something in you that is attractive. Now you just need to believe in yourself and let your talents shine. Balance confidence with being too cocky. Don’t come across as a know-it-all.

Follow up.
Your best-laid interview plans will go to waste if you neglect to follow up with your interviews. Send a thank-you letter immediately after your interview that reiterates positive characteristics about yourself and, if possible, refers to some part of your conversation. E-mail is a little less personal, but it’s the most common way to shoot a thank you to the hiring manager, because it is the quickest and easiest way to do it. Check out my article about the importance of following up with people.

Job interviews can be stressful but if you prepare for them you can really make yourself stand out from the other candidates. Don’t forget, your resume got you in the door, but your interview skills will likely land you the job.

If you’ve been laid off, your hours have been cut back, or you are simply making a job change due to relocating to a different city you’re probably looking for a way to make some extra money right away. Picking up freelance jobs in the industry where you have the most expertise can lead to some quick cash and thanks to the power of technology it’s easier than ever to find a freelance job. Here’s a list of a few websites where you can find freelance jobs:

Elance

Elance: You might be familiar with this site, but have you tried using it yet? Scroll or search through the thousands of jobs they have to offer and see how many you could bid on and successfully complete.

The way it works is you pick a posted job and bid on it. The person or company who posted the job will pick someone to fulfill the job based on the most competitive bid and your credentials to get the job done. If you open a basic account, there is no charge to create a profile and start bidding on work so you have nothing to lose if you want to just try it.

Elance has a private message board system where the person looking to hire someone will likely contact you for additional information once you place a bid.  If you have the winning bid, Elance also helps you work with the person hiring you to set project milestones, track progress, and resolve any issues that arise.  Depending on the amount and duration of the work, you may get paid at milestones throughout the project or at the end once you’ve completed the task. 

Using Elance’s escrow service helps make sure that you get paid for the work that you’ve done.  Elance doesn’t make money until you get paid so it’s in their best interest to facilitate the project and help things go smoothly.  Their fee for helping you find and manage freelance work is 4–6% of your earnings, depending on the type of provider account you have with them.  To get started as a freelancer with Elance – Click here

Craigslist

Craigslist: For as many permanent job postings as there are on Craigslist, there are probably more freelance job offers on Craigslist. If you are an accountant, software programmer, web designer, writer, or consultant, you can easily find a few jobs to apply for on your local Craigslist. If you’ve got an iPhone, you need to have the Craigslist application, it’s a great way to search for jobs and other things on Craigslist quickly and efficiently.

Guru

Guru.com: This is another great site similar to ELance, and it has a sophisticated rating system for freelancers and employers. It shows how much a freelancer has earned on the site, a rating system, and quality points awarded after each completed project. Like eLance, there are thousands of postings in industries from web design to business consulting.

Freelancing

I have done freelance writing work for various websites for the past three years, and it has been great extra money for me and my wife. I have paid off thousands of dollars in debt from my freelance work. Even if you have a steady job, picking up freelance work here and there is a nice way to make extra income, and there’s no gimmicks about it. Freelance work is usually very straightforward, and that’s why I like it. Complete the task, and you get paid, it’s as simple as that.

Ben’s Notes

Technology has certainly made it easier to find freelance work but the people doing the hiring may be in a different part of the country or even a different part of the world so you have to work hard to build their trust to the point where they’ll hire you without ever having met you.

This is another reason why building your personal brand is so important, if you can refer potential employers to a place where they can learn about your skills, get to know you better, and see if you’re qualified they’ll be much more likely to hire you.

For a little insight into how employers view and approach hiring on Elance, check out this Elance interview from John Jantsch. I met John a few weeks ago, he’s a great guy and has TONS of resources on his site for small businesses.  Listening to how employers use Elance might give you some insight into ways you could gain some competitive advantage when bidding on jobs as a provider.

Finding a job in your industry is easier when you have a personal brand that can serve as an online resume and a place to document your expertise.  But what happens when the industry you’re in goes into decline, suffers massive layoffs, and there simply aren’t many jobs to go around?  Could it be time to find a job in an entirely new industry?

Starting a New Career

An obvious example of this is the struggling auto industry. As Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler layoff thousands of people some of those workers will be forced to learn new skills and start new careers.  It’s not an easy thing to start your career over again but there are certainly several different approaches you can take.

I’m actually in the middle of such a transition myself.  I used to work for insurance companies but for the past six months, I have been trying to figure out the best way to make a career transition into financial planning without having to sign up with some of the companies that offer commission-only gigs that are more of a salesperson than a financial planner.

There are salaried positions out there in the financial planning industry, but they are hard to find. There are also entry-level positions out there as para planners, analysts, and financial planning assistants, but they are very competitive as well. I have come to the conclusion that the only way I am going to land one of these positions in the future is to bolster my resume with more professional education.

You may run into this same situation when looking for a new job or making a career transition. Sometimes, going back to school, studying to test for a professional designation, or receiving a professional license might be what you need to land a job with a lot of competition.

Getting A New Degree

Thinking about going back to school is a horrible thought for many of us. It’s more money and more time that you don’t have right now but getting an online master’s degree, or a bachelor’s degree might be what you need to land the new job.

Monster Degree Program and Monster Career Resource Center are a great resource to search for online degree programs, financial aid, and career paths for a particular degree or designation. Getting a whole new degree is the most extreme option when looking for a new job, and it’s a decision you should make with a lot of thought and research. Make sure that the time and money spent goes toward a degree that has a high rate of getting degree recipients hired quickly for SPECIFIC entry-level jobs.

Industry Certifications

In the case of the financial planning industry, there are many different certificates a job seeker can study for and receive. There are the Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant, Chartered Financial Analyst and many other certifications to earn that could give you an edge against other applicants.

In the Information Technology industry, there are dozens upon dozens of certifications for areas such as programming, network administration, and computer security. It’s not just IT managers that like to see these certifications on a resume when looking at candidates, the same applies for most every industry.

Significant certifications in a given industry usually require quite a bit of course work and test taking, but they can have a smaller price tag than a new degree. Some certifications require work experience before you can put their initials after your name, but many employers still appreciate the fact that you satisfied the education requirement for the certification. Another good thing about certifications is that you can work on earning them on your own time on the weekends or in the evenings, rather than having to go back to school.

Professional Licenses

Getting a license for a new job is often required for many positions. If you want to make a career transition to real estate, passing the licensing requirements is required first. The same rule applies to many other careers such as a mortgage broker, stock broker, insurance agents, and claims adjusters.

While some companies will hire you first and sponsor you to study and take the exam for a certain license, many other applicants already have these licenses. Understand that a company would rather hire someone who doesn’t need to go through licensing, than someone they would be footing the bill to get licensed.

Paying For Additional Education

I am not sure about Ben’s position on this subject, but I do not think anyone should go into debt for additional education once they have been out in the working world for a few years. You know how to make money, and the last thing I would want for you is to take on more debt payments to make a career transition.

Devise a two to three year plan to make your career transition. Take classes as you are able to pay for them, and you will thank yourself at the end. Don’t be in such a rush to make a career transition or get the job you really want. It may require you to take a job that pays bills and save money until you have completed the necessary education.

Ben’s Note. While I agree with Erik that you should plan out any career transition, sometimes, especially in bad economies, people don’t have that option.  I have friends that have been laid off and gone back to school full time to get a new degree and are very happy they made that choice. I also know people who were let go that have gotten a job just to pay the bills and taken weekend and evening courses to get a different degree.

Either approach will work I think it just depends on your personal situation.  The main point is that you have a variety of degree, certification, and licensing options to help you learn new skills and get a new job.

Job searching is easier if you begin by building an online profile and resume that you can refer people back to anytime you’re discussing a potential job with them.

The good news is that today’s technology makes it simple enough for most anyone that can use a computer to be able to publish their own information on the web.  You can take a simple apporach and open a free account at Blogger or you could put more time and effort into getting your own branded website, which option you choose isn’t as important as just getting started on the process.

Since all of you are at different levels of comfort with technology and self-publishing, here are four different approaches to getting started:

• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Advanced
• Expert

Job Searching in Reverse

As I mentioned in yesterday’s job search article, it helps to build your personal brand by targeting the end goal of the interview that will get you a job.  The first thing you have to do is to prove that you’re qualified for a job in your industry and have the skill sets that an employer is looking for.  The simplest way to do this is to write on your website about specific topics in your industry.

If you currently have a job, simply write about the projects you’re working on, problems you’ve solved, and any awards or recognition that you’ve recieved.  If you’re unemployed, write about the same topics just use an old job as an example.  This collection of information will become your online portfolio of what you know and who you are as contributor to your industry.

You don’t have to write every day, simply once every week or two will build you a site with a personal profile over the course of a few month. If you ever start to feel like you’re wasting your time, keep this in mind, a recent survey revealed that half of the people that self-publish on the web are better known in their industry, and one in four have used their blog as a resume enhancement. 

Getting Job Referrals

Once you have enough information on your website that demonstates your knowledge of your industry and the tools required the next step is to create something that will differentiate yourself from other candidates.  Probably the best way to do this is to get other people talking about you and recommending you.  Luckily this is easier than ever now that you can connect and interact with people everywhere thanks to social media.

Here are some good examples of ways you can use Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to network, get recommendations, and help find yourself a job:

• Personal Branding on Twitter 
• New Jobs on Facebook
• Networking on LinkedIn

After you’ve created your online profile with your own website and used social media to build a network of contacts you will have plenty of information available for hiring managers that are looking for good candidates; a step that will significantly increase your chances of find a job.

Technology is changing, the workforce is changing, traditional career paths are changing, and you need to be constantly changing if you want to succeed in today’s job market. Today is a rough time to be looking for looking for a job or starting a new business. The unemployment rate is over 7%, banks aren’t lending money for small business loans, and employers are tightening up their guidelines for hiring new employees.

To stand out from the crowd and make it easier to find your next job you can start building your personal brand. The goal of personal branding is to communicate your experience and build trust in your abilities and expertise so that when a hiring manager has to make a decision of which candidate to choose, you’re the obvious choice.

Begin with the Interview in Mind

Think about every manager that’s interviewed you for a position on their team or in their company.  They only had 30–60 minutes to find out everything they needed to know about you and why you’d be the one to meet their needs.  They pick the person who they think would be the best fit based on their limited knowledge of the candidates abilities.

If you’ve done a good job building your personal brand then chances are the manager will know alot more about what you can do and will be more likely to choose you over the other “unknown” candidates.  How will they know more about you?  Well a strong personal brand tends to lead to referrals so chances are you may have been recommend by someone the hiring manager knows or trusts.

As part of your brand you’ll also have built a portfolio and have examples of projects and successes you can share.  Concrete examples of problems you’ve faced and overcome can go a long way in building someone’s confidence in your abilities.

You will also have some type of website the manager either already has visited or will visit after the interview that will answer any unanswered questions, clear up any confusion they may have, and give them the chance to learn more about what you know and how you interact with other people.

How to Build a Personal Brand

This all sounds great but how do you go about building a personal brand?  The truth is that building a solid brand is actually a lot of work and it won’t necessarily pay immediate dividends. It takes time to put all the pieces together and create a profile that represents all you have to offer.  Basically, you’re doing all the work ahead of time, before you actually need your next job.

The good news is that it will make the process of finding that job much easier. However, sometimes it’s hard to look ahead to the long term so it’s easy to put off or avoid doing work now, even though it will pay off down the road.  So the simple answer of “how to build a personal brand” is - one day at a time : )

Tools for Building Your Brand

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the technology and tools you can use to demontrate your abilities and spread the word about your talents.