"The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are working for somebody else. Job security is gone. The driving force of a career must come from the individual. Remember: Jobs are owned by the company, you own your career!" — Earl Nightingale
This quote was written by Earl Nightingale during the mid part of the 20th century; it sounds like it was written yesterday. We have this notion that if we show up, do our job, and don’t cause too many problems; that our company will reward us with the pension and the gold watch. (I don’t know about you, but I don’t know many places that offer pensions anymore or are around long enough to be able to give out a gold watch)
Times have changed!
Job security as we know it is dead. You are as good as your last project, sale, or accomplishment. Gone are the days of company loyalty, the only person/company you need to loyal to is you! In today’s world everyone is expendable and in order to get to the next level in your career you must be willing to step out of the comfort zone “The driving force of a career must come from the individual.” Somehow this has been forgotten. I can’t tell you how many people that I speak with that have no idea how they got into certain situations; laid off, dead end job, bored and unhappy. When they get to this place it is often to late.
You can no longer have an old stale resume; you need to stand out, differentiate yourself from the pack, be an army of one! You can do this through personal branding cheap, easy and free. Below are 5 easy ways to do this.
1. Have a killer Linked In profile- listing your professional and personal accomplishments. Make sure you have a professional picture and don’t be afraid to expose your accomplishments. It is also a great place to post relevant topics about your career or passion and be an expert. (It is important to do daily or weekly updates so that you stay top of mind)
2. Build a Linked In group- This is a great way to get people to join your tribe. Being connected with similar minded individuals is key for personal and professional success. I have 3 major ones that I run. (Executive Athletes, Boston Banking and Financial Services Professionals, Global Fintech and Specialty Finance) Feel free to join any of them.
3. Build your own website with your name as the domain name. This is becoming critical as less and less domain names are available. Every single professional should own their domain name (You can get them at godaddy.com cheap.) You can make your website as elaborate or as simple as possible,use the following site building tools with relative ease: Wix, Wordpress, and Weebly. You can take a look at mine built on Weebly at www.kenlubin.net
4. Build a Professional Facebook Group: This will reach a different demographic and it helps your search engine ranking.https://www.facebook.com/KenLubinExecutiveRecruiter
5. Do something cool: Don’t just put what you do professionally on your profile or site. Talk about what you are passionate about; art, sports, business, sailing, anything that gets your blood flowing. There is no better way to connect with others than with those who have similar interests. (Watch Walter Mitty) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc3S0vE2qj8 Check out www.executiveathletes.com
You need a way to be recognized, to be out in the world and if your place of employment or local news outlet isn't going to recognize you, you need to do it yourself!
The key to career success is making yourself unforgettable, doing the hard projects, willingness to be creative, and taking initiative.
Stand out, be different and brand yourself.
I can be reached at klubin@zrgpartners.com if you have any questions or comments.
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