As we have stated previously, you need to accept that to get ahead these days;
- Your career development plan has to have Sales & Marketing campaign right at the centre.
- You need to build a plan and just as importantly follow it – it must be clear and detailed.
- You need to focus on the value that you deliver, not what you do/ have done – you need to demonstrate to a prospective employer/ client that you are worth significantly more to them than the cost of employing/ engaging you.
- Your plan will include: specific target companies, a value focused CV/ cover letter, an approach method that will differentiate you and a persistent way of following up
What are Prospective Employers/ Clients looking for?
The key to any successful sales and marketing campaign is to start with a clear understanding of what your customer is looking for. With this clarity, you are able to position your product (YOU) in a way that clearly demonstrates ‘why you can’t do without it’.
People are motivated by two factors – they will move away from Pain and move towards Pleasure.
However, moving away from Pain is significantly more prevalent, so as you start to consider what your prospective client/ employer needs, consider their pain points first and then get an understanding of what they are looking to move towards – their vision.
Being a great programme director or change lead is not good enough anymore – that should be a given.
To really stand out in the crowded market, you have to be able to emphasise those qualities that employers/ clients value above all else. These are;
- Leadership skills – organisations need people who can galvanise talented people to achieve ambitious goals and motivate them to succeed. In todays job market, you need to demonstrate how you will have a positive influence on its ability to win and that you are an integral part of the solution.
- Communication skills – your ability to be direct, succinct and decisive in your communication must come out in every interaction – starting with your cover letter and CV, but also within every follow up and during all of the interview process – demonstration of these skills will differentiate you.
- Action orientated – employers/ clients value those individuals who take action to move things forward, those that are prepared to stand up and take the lead when others are retracting into the shadows. You must be able to demonstrate your ability to take action with limited or imperfect information and to highlight your agile approach that ensure successful outcomes.
- Future focused – employers value those individuals that have fire in their belly and who can envision the future and are prepared to do whatever it takes to bring this into reality.
- Emotionally intelligent – a ‘one size all’ approach rarely succeeds in anything – you have to be able to understand how to take your individual team members on the journey – to adapt your style accordingly and to look for cultural alignment to get things done.
So, as we develop your personal brand over the course of the next few days within this #TLH Essentials programme, we will be focusing on articulating your value generally but specifically across these five areas.
This will separate you from the crowd, although to really reach the peak, you need to do this on an individual basis.
What do I mean?
Given that a ‘one size’ fits all’ approach seldom works, then why expect it to work when you are approaching prospective clients/ employers.
It doesn’t.
You need to invest time and energy in really understanding what are the most important aspects that an individual organisation is looking for. Knowing what’s important means looking beyond job descriptions – you need to do some research and talk to people in the know! Again, this is another way that #TLH can help you to get ahead.
Your Personal Brand
Personal branding is the process of identifying the unique and differentiating value that you bring to a prospective employer/ client organisation and communicating that value professionally, memorably and in a consistent manner in all your actions and interactions.
The following modules in this Essentials programme will take you step by step through building out your personal brand, taking it into the market to enable you to successfully build your career in change and transformation.