WHAT ARE YOU PROMISING FUTURE EMPLOYERS?
The story you are really telling is the ‘promise’ of success you can bring to a role (My thanks to Rich Faber for sharing the term ‘promise’ – it’s perfect). Whether it’s the hiring manager, networking contact, co-workers, friends or family, their confidence to move you toward a role comes from the belief in the promise that you can do a great job. It’s your job to provide the proof, they will decide for themselves.
You want to tell people the characteristics and experiences that make you unique (not necessarily better) than other candidates for a particular role, company and culture.
BEGIN WITH END IN MIND. WHAT ROLE. WHAT COMPANY.
People agree to network to help you, so you need to be ready to help them help you. Unless you positioned the meeting as a ‘discovery’, the shortest networking meetings are with people who are uncertain about where they want to go.
YOUR ROLE: There are dozens of free tools out there to help you identify what is important to you. Try www.myplan.com which allows you to take an assessment and gives back possible roles.
YOUR COMPANY: A colleague, Alan Bignall, sketched his simple guide to companies when I spoke to him about start-ups – it was a good way to look at the different types of companies and to be honest with yourself on whether it fits you or not. Evaluating the Type of Company that Fits You
TOOLS FOR TELLING YOUR STORY
There are three primarily tools that you will use in telling your story when networking. These are presented in order of priority.
POSTS
Personal Brand – A simple definition
- NEED ADDRESSED: What exactly is a personal brand and how do I build it?
Your Targeted Companies List Provides the Bulls Eye
- NEED ADDRESSED: Why is a Targeted Company list important in networking?
Winston Churchill and My Resume
- NEED ADDRESSED: My resume seems boring and does not stand out
Resume Tip – Job Titles Matter
- NEED ADDRESSED: How do I present a unique title (e.g. Level 3 analyst) or my work as independent consultant?
What I Believe, What I Need to Believe – Getting Bulletproof Pitch or Resume
- NEED ADDRESSED: How do I convince people what is on my resume is true?
Great Resume Tip: Words for the Database ‘Eyes’ Only ** GREATEST RESUME TIP EVER!! **
- NEED ADDRESSED: How can you make your submitted resume get you more reviews without making it unreadable?
Rewrite Your Pitch with the Most Used Skill from Your Work
- NEED ADDRESSED: Is my pitch truly representing what I can bring?