LinkedIn profiles, resumes, bios, networking plans, these, and many more items should be a living part of every manager, executive, and leader’s career action strategy. While most of my executive coaching clients would agree, you’d be surprised (maybe you wouldn’t) how few of them have any, no less a current assortment of career tools. We all know the excuses, “no time”, “I’ll do it when I need it”, “feels too basic” and on and on. The panic sets in when the requests come or the need arises but then you do get things in place and you realize the benefits reaped.
Here’s what I would deem to be the bare essentials for a career strategy toolkit.
Your Brand: This is a sentence or two (much shorter than an elevator speech) that tells people who you are and what you do. I have a friend who says, “I am an attorney who helps not-for-profits raise money by establishing their planned giving program. Any question?” His brief description is clear and encourages the listener to say, “Tell me more.” So what is your brand?
Resumes: Note that it is plural because you probably should have a very specific resume and then one that would make you more appealing to industries outside your present. If your current resume isn’t keyword driven — you are not current. If it is responsibility driven rather than results focused — it is not current. For more details on resume writing, go to my “Powerful Resume Writing” audio on my GreatJobinToughTimes.com website.
Bios: I don’t know about you but I am frequently called by a variety of media sources for a quote or perspective. EFinancialsCareers.com seems to have me on speed dial. Anytime you are mentioned or considered for some coverage, a bio is required. Sometimes it’s a sentence, others want a brief paragraph, and if you are an invited speaker, they probably want a little more. I have three versions, of a variety of lengths, on the ready. So should you.
LinkedIn: I cannot stress how important it is for you to have an up-to-date and complete LinkedIn profile. It is the way you are found by headhunters, internal recruiters, former colleagues, and classmates, media people, public speaking bookers, and on and on. LinkedIn is the social media giant of business. Successful adults who never go on Facebook have a LinkedIn profile. If I get a request for coaching services, the first thing I do is search the person and their company on LinkedIn. No profile, I think they’re not a player. No photo on the profile, I have trouble engaging. It’s simple, free, and mandatory.
Networking Plan: A few of my coaching clients are networking naturals. The rest of us mortals need to have a plan. How will you network — 1×1, professional groups, alumni associations, through social media and the many other options? The trick is you have to have a strategy and a measurement. I suggest you lay things out monthly over a year with set goals. So maybe you will attend one professional meeting, one more social type meeting, have three 1×1 coffees, drinks, or telephone chats, and increase your LinkedIn connections by 5% with one new recommendation. Sounds like a lot doesn’t it? But that is exactly what good networkers do and most of them are very strategic about it. Professionally and personally, I maintain it all on a spreadsheet.
Education Plan: Whether formally or informally, we all have to stay current and learn new things. For those of us with professional licenses or credentials, you might have to acquire continuing education credit to maintain the status. The offerings online are staggering. You can easily attend classes taught by the top leaders in their field. I try to attend two major conferences a year and then smaller meetings or classes per month. While I often trudge to them, I leave energized. However, if I don’t book them, I dream up excuses not to go. I just finished a ten-week wine tasting class — nothing to do with my work except it makes good conversation at networking events, helped me decide where to go on vacation, got me closer to an acquaintance, introduced me to a group of people not generally in my sphere, and allowed me to taste some of the best wine and food in NYC. Not bad.
Mastermind Group: I’ve mentioned them before. This is a group of people who meet on a regular basis to help support each other in their endeavors. They can be likeminded or come from different sectors or perspectives. You share a similar goal — open a new business, expand a current one, or maybe a parenting one, and you do so without judgment. I have belonged to a coaching mastermind group for more than twelve years. We meet once a month, in the same restaurant, for two hours. Each of us brings an expertise to the table. But, most importantly, we are there for one another and committed to the success of each other. Getting a group started takes some effort but the payoff is well worth the energy.
Personal/Professional Email: This is the email address you use when you are doing business but not your work. Maybe it’s sending off your resume, connecting with a lead, congratulating a former colleague. It is the communication you have that you wouldn’t want your boss to see (and someone is watching or will be watching) but it is also not truly personal. If you don’t have your name as a Gmail account, I suggest you do it now. At the present that is the best and most widely used way of communicating.
Google Yourself: It may seem very narcisstic but you should Google yourself on a regular basis to see what pops up. Depending on whom you are and what you do, you want either to come up on the first page or get buried way in the back. It helps if you have a unique name (not like a friend of mine whose name is the exact same as a nasty series character). There is a lot of trashing going on out there. Make sure it’s not about you.
Each one of these essential career action strategy tools requires a bit of planning, some action, and discipline. Without them, you’re leaving your career to the fates. With them in place and updated regularly, you are positioning yourself for continued success.
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