Are You Prepared For Your “Now What?”

If you have lost your job, seen your friends lose their job, or are frantically holding on to your seat the two words “now what” may be staring you right in the face.  Furthermore with each day of economic data you may be asking yourself who am I without a paycheck?  What will I become without a paycheck?  Or how do I protect the paycheck I have been accustomed to seeing monthly.

The real question you should ask yourself as you endure through today’s economy is simply, are you prepared to face your own version of the uncertainty of tomorrow?  In other words what’s your “now what?”

Life may throw many curveballs at you but it also offers the opportunity to answer this very important question.   Reflect for a moment on the following statements:

• • If you can see the opportunity that can come from loss you can be the gain that comes from uncertainty.
• • If you can prepare for life with less you can live your life with more
• • If you think about your “now what” you will plan for your “what now” and your “what now” will become “what next”

It all starts with preparing your life, managing your personal brand and having an approach to your career to always have an answer to this important question.  So here are 10 tips to prepare for your “now what”.

10 Tips to Prepare for Your “Now What”

1. Create a pre-established automatic renewal agreement with five people who will give you a positive reference without you having to ask their permission.
2. Always have two business cards with you one from your current employer and a generic one that lists your transferable skills
3. Turn your resume into a website about you that allows others to learn about you and spend more time assessing your skills outside of the interview room
4. Make a plan to get together live with one person a week who can give you advice on how to further your career, or plan your next move
5. Write out your five most appealing qualities and five specific jobs that would make the best fit. Find five people who work in those occupations and invite them to lunch over the next five weeks
6. Save $50 a week for the next 10 weeks to build a reserve fund just for your job search activities.  Your fund should help you buy a domain name, build a website and enable you to participate in key networking opportunities to meet contacts who can help you in your search
7. Spend an hour each day building your reputation online by joining a social media website like facebook or professional networking websites like amightyriver.com and ihispano.com
8. Carry an About Me card in your wallet that reminds you of:
   a.    what you aspire to be
   b.    what you need to do to get there
   c.    what training have you had so far to prepare
   d.    what contacts you need to make to get you closer to your goal

9. Spend an hour a week volunteering at a charity or cause related organization then email the board members of that charity to connect and share your capabilities
10. Write the highest ranking person whom you have a connection to within your organization a note stating how you have created value for your organization and what more you can do to help your organization grow
    

Last week a long time Philadelphia Eagles employee was fired by the team after posting a negative comment on Facebook about a personnel move the Eagles made.  While this is not the first time that an employer used content from a social media website to determine action on an employee it does bring into focus the blurring of the lines between what is considered personal and what impacts your profession.  Today facebook has over 5 million users and I would argue over 5 million that consider it a personal tool to keep in touch with friends.

But think about what just happened.  Is facebook truly personal? Or does it begin to shape a new reality… powerful enough to effect how you are perceived?

Whether you have a facebook or myspace page, a linkedin account, a twitter profile, or have signed up for an online dating service like match.com remember it’s no longer just personal. It’s your personal brand. And your personal brand will have an impact on your job!

So here are 10 Tips to Brand Your Facebook Page

1. Have a strategy for what you will use your facebook for (i.e. sharing photos, connecting with friends, selling your product, improving your reputation)
2. Decide on three impressions that you want anyone of your friends to have about you from visiting your page regardless of time or day
3. Your profile should consist of not just your personal interests but should hint at how your personal interests are connected to your professional capabilities
4. Pick out profile pictures that give others a view for what you want to be known for (enough said)
5. Use your public wall posts as a billboard that allows others to contribute content towards improving your reputation. Direct responses that don’t improve your reputation should be sent to your inbox
6. Become a fan of groups that are consistent with your values and capabilities
7. Use your status update to not only tell what’s on your mind but to also to share unique details that brand who you are
8. Evaluate all your invitations and requests before accepting.  Make sure that any application you accept can also tie to a personal or professional attribute you want others to know about you
9. Comment often on the accomplishments or posts of your friends.  Your comments will show a great deal about how you support others which improves your personal brand.
10. Be vigilant to protect your brand on facebook.  Untag photos that don’t cast you in the most favorable light, delete public posts that you could not share with your employer, and monitor the posts of your roster of friends to ensure that your associations contribute to the brand called “you”.

Does Your Resume Have a Brand?

Today, while job seekers are beginning to understand the importance of having a well defined personal brand many however still do not carry their brand over into their resumes.  As a result, candidates walk into an interview room as just ink on paper.  And while they may look the part, their resume may leave the interviewer underwhelmed, and unimpressed.  As you approach your job search, or polish your resume to prepare for a career transition, ask yourself what is it that separates you from the pack? What is it that separates your resume from the stack? And does your resume have a brand consistent with your personal brand?  If you don’t know the answer to these questions there is no greater time than now to build your resume brand.  Here are 10 tips to making your resume stand out from the pack.

10 Tips To Help Your Resume Stand Out From The Stack?

1. Before writing your resume define three things you want to be known for then structure your resume with examples that display those attributes.
2. Start your resume by listing your most tangible transferable skills before you list your individual job duties.
3. When listing your jobs make sure to detail a specific contribution that you made not just a responsibility that you held.
4. If using an objective don’t be boring. Use it as an opportunity to draw attention to your most relevant skill and precious real estate to make yourself memorable.
5. Your resume should tell a story and lead the reader to a natural conclusion about you.  Clearly state your intro, your journey, the lessons learned along the way and the conclusion one should take away about your value and capabilities.
6. Include a separate section that highlights unique personal accomplishments that create instant conversation starters for your interview. ( i.e. list of countries visited, mountains climbed, favorite books)
7. Make a list of five jobs and five industries that you could work in as a result of your resume.  If you struggle to make a list your resume may be too one dimensional and thus not show transferable skills.
8. Incorporate a direct review of your brand by a reputable source into your resume similar to the quotes provided on the back of books.  Don’t just make your references available, showcase them.
9. Create a section that lists key relationships or professional contacts in your network.   You are the company that you keep so show them that you are in good hands.
10. Be innovative in how you use your personal email address atop your resume.  Your personal email address should make you memorable and brand what you are capable of delivering.  Use it wisely.  Here’s an example. kaplanisthepersonalbrandingexpert@gmail.com