For 49% of the unemployed who have been receiving unemployment insurance compensation, their benefits have run out.
If you don't have a plan to get back to work---and the tools, resources, and guidance needed to find a job in the new world of work---get thee to The Career ReBoot Camp. Two days of actionable information and tools to find a job fast. Cost is just $249 and includes headshot photos taken by professional photographers, a videotaped mock interview and evaluation, resume design guidance, social network sites, expert guest speakers and more than a dozen seminars on every aspect of job-hunting.
Each participant receives a 2 gig flash drive with their photos, video and workshop materials.
Call 415-516-9343 for more information or to reserve a spot.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
3 Personal "Branding" Tips
Personal "branding" is all the Web 2.0 rage these days by people trying to establish a presence that stands out. There are any number of books, websites, and blogs devoted to the subject.
Laura Ries, co-author with Jack Trout of several excellent books such as The 11 Immutable Laws of Marketing, recently posted her top three "branding" tips.
1. Be yourself
2. Focus
3. Own a word
This seems like a lightweight definition of a personal "brand." More like branding a product---including a slogan (word).
I thought back on the personalities from history who could be said to have "branded" themselves during their lifetime (whether that's what they realized they were doing or not). Several come to mind.
President John F. Kennedy had a definable "brand" image. Young, vigorous, patrician, smart, stylish. He was careful to build his image while he was alive. Even after revelations about his private life were unearthed after his death, his image was strong enough to remain largely intact.
Kennedy's focus on building his image was highly controlled. He hired a photographer who trailed after him taking thousands of photos of his private and public life. These were carefully culled so that only the photos that presented the most flattering image were ever seen by the public.
He "wrote" a book, Profiles of Courage. The book was mostly ghost-written and the Pulitzer Prize he won was a masterful work of influence by his father and friends. Writing a book is often a springboard to a larger audience and also allows the writer to control and define his image. I'm sure it's why Barack Obama and John McCain both wrote books.
Kennedy's private dalliances with women other than his wife were also carefully managed and hidden---as were his significant health problems. Of course, today we'd have any number of tabloid journalists and bloggers examining every detail of Kennedy's private life. But things were different then.
Instead, the public saw images of Kennedy playing with his children, sailing with his wife and friends, and playing touch football (Kennedy rarely actually particpated in sports). A "bad" photo of Kennedy has never been seen (except those of his death).
Even after his death, the Kennedy image remained focused. John John saluting his dead father during the funeral. Kennedy's appearance on a coin. The naming of Kennedy Center.
How much of his image was based in truth is another matter. But you could make a case that this was the real Kennedy---a master imagemaker and manipulator.
The word that Kennedy owned was Camelot, not that he really owned it while he was alive. Kennedy owned many words, often the re-phrasing of other great men's words. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" is perhaps his most famous word(s).
Whether Kennedy would fit the Web 2.0 definition of "branding" or not, he was a brand.
Famous personalities---especially actors and politicians---have always realized the importancxe of protecting and grooming their "brand." Think of Humphrey Bogart, Marlena Dietrich, FDR, William F. Buckley, and Ernest Heminway. Especially Hemingway.
A personal "brand" is more than being yourself, focusing, and owning a word. Maybe that's adequate for some semblence of online presence but it doesn't quite go far enough. A "brand" is a style. It's having or developing personal charisma. It's a signature look or personality trait. It's a way of living that's different and unique.
Dorothy Parker had style, wit, and a flamboyant personality. Donald Trump has a unique style. Barack Obama has it too.
Frankly, 99.9% of people can't pull it off. That's why a 1, 2, 3 list of what it takes to develop a personal brand seems so inadequate. To be a great brand you must be much more than just being yourself, focusing and owning a word. You must have definable authenticity, recognizeable uniqueness, and an enviable personal style---all your life. And you must create something that is uniquely yours, a legacy of work that also defines you.
It's what makes Picasso, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, and Frank Sinatra the iconic figures they are and always will be.
Laura Ries, co-author with Jack Trout of several excellent books such as The 11 Immutable Laws of Marketing, recently posted her top three "branding" tips.
1. Be yourself
2. Focus
3. Own a word
This seems like a lightweight definition of a personal "brand." More like branding a product---including a slogan (word).
I thought back on the personalities from history who could be said to have "branded" themselves during their lifetime (whether that's what they realized they were doing or not). Several come to mind.
President John F. Kennedy had a definable "brand" image. Young, vigorous, patrician, smart, stylish. He was careful to build his image while he was alive. Even after revelations about his private life were unearthed after his death, his image was strong enough to remain largely intact.
Kennedy's focus on building his image was highly controlled. He hired a photographer who trailed after him taking thousands of photos of his private and public life. These were carefully culled so that only the photos that presented the most flattering image were ever seen by the public.
He "wrote" a book, Profiles of Courage. The book was mostly ghost-written and the Pulitzer Prize he won was a masterful work of influence by his father and friends. Writing a book is often a springboard to a larger audience and also allows the writer to control and define his image. I'm sure it's why Barack Obama and John McCain both wrote books.
Kennedy's private dalliances with women other than his wife were also carefully managed and hidden---as were his significant health problems. Of course, today we'd have any number of tabloid journalists and bloggers examining every detail of Kennedy's private life. But things were different then.
Instead, the public saw images of Kennedy playing with his children, sailing with his wife and friends, and playing touch football (Kennedy rarely actually particpated in sports). A "bad" photo of Kennedy has never been seen (except those of his death).
Even after his death, the Kennedy image remained focused. John John saluting his dead father during the funeral. Kennedy's appearance on a coin. The naming of Kennedy Center.
How much of his image was based in truth is another matter. But you could make a case that this was the real Kennedy---a master imagemaker and manipulator.
The word that Kennedy owned was Camelot, not that he really owned it while he was alive. Kennedy owned many words, often the re-phrasing of other great men's words. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" is perhaps his most famous word(s).
Whether Kennedy would fit the Web 2.0 definition of "branding" or not, he was a brand.
Famous personalities---especially actors and politicians---have always realized the importancxe of protecting and grooming their "brand." Think of Humphrey Bogart, Marlena Dietrich, FDR, William F. Buckley, and Ernest Heminway. Especially Hemingway.
A personal "brand" is more than being yourself, focusing, and owning a word. Maybe that's adequate for some semblence of online presence but it doesn't quite go far enough. A "brand" is a style. It's having or developing personal charisma. It's a signature look or personality trait. It's a way of living that's different and unique.
Dorothy Parker had style, wit, and a flamboyant personality. Donald Trump has a unique style. Barack Obama has it too.
Frankly, 99.9% of people can't pull it off. That's why a 1, 2, 3 list of what it takes to develop a personal brand seems so inadequate. To be a great brand you must be much more than just being yourself, focusing and owning a word. You must have definable authenticity, recognizeable uniqueness, and an enviable personal style---all your life. And you must create something that is uniquely yours, a legacy of work that also defines you.
It's what makes Picasso, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, and Frank Sinatra the iconic figures they are and always will be.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Naked Nun Photo Internet Lesson
The furor over the nude photos taken years earlier of an Italian woman who now wants to be a nun is an ideal object lesson of why everyone needs to meticulously guard their online presence.
In this case it was the work of an old boyfriend who posted the photos online. However, today our online and offline lives have become blurred. One can easily affect the other. Often with devastating results.
In the old days (back in 1990) it was easy to "reinvent" oneself after a particularly stupid or embarassing episode in life. Just change your name or move to California. Now the Internet follows you everywhere. Forever. Even the tiniest piece of our past can resurface and bite us in the behind.
The 17 million claimed subscribers to AdultFriendFinder, four million on AshleyMadison and millions more on sites devoted to finding others who share our naughtiest sexual predilections often post photos (frequently very explicit). But is this a smart thing to do? Probably not. Someday when you're trying to get that security clearance for a goverment job or the CEO spot at a major corporation or you've decided to become a minister, those photos showing you in a three-way with your neighbor will probably weigh against you. The only jobs available to you may be as a politician or Wall Street banker.
THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE.
Change is happening in our world at an exponential pace. It's important to stay attuned to how these changes affect you. Perhaps the most important change of all is how the Internet has opened up the world for all to see---often including your previously private information. Some of this is willingly shared on sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. But a lot more---from court records to family history---is now available for the world to view. Managing the changes in life has become a new responsibility for all of us---and something new to learn how to do (as if we need another).
MANAGING YOUR CAREER.
As Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro point out in their book Repacking Your Bags, and Richard Bolles, says in his book What Color Is Your Parachute?, these days nearly everyone will be "between" jobs at some point during their career. It doesn't even matter how good you are. As a result, you must be prepared to go job hunting for the rest of your life. "It's up to you to create your future."
YOU PRIVATE LIFE AND CAREER IMPACT EACH OTHER.
It's vital to build a reputation based upon the totality of your life. These days you're judged by "who" you are as much as by your skills and experience. Living a life of honesty and integrity and doing work you care about in support of something meaningful is the only way to create a life that isn't wasted.
Bertrand Russell said, "If you look about you at the men and women whom you can call happy you will see that they all have certain things in common. The most important of these things is an activity which at most times is enjoyable on its own account, and which, in addition, gradually builds up into something that you are glad to see coming into existence." So, it is critical to living a successful life that you learn to manage and direct it based upon core values of honesty, integrity and truth---and choosing life work based upon these values.
LOVE IS EVERYTHING.
Author and career expert Richard Bolles recently said to me, "The things you love control your life." Love should be the basis for everything you do. Love your work. Love your friends and family. Love your neighbor. Love your country. Love yourself. As The Beatles sang, "Love is everything."
THOSE WHO DON'T LEARN FROM HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT.
In my book (soon to be published) A Plan For Life: How to get it right in the 9 key areas of life, I provide the best thinking from the best minds in history about how to make smart decisions in each important area of your life---from choosing a career to getting married to staying healthy. If you fail in any of these areas it will negatively affect all the others. If you manage each area intelligently you improve your chances of living successfully in all areas.
Avoid mistakes (like posting naked photos of yourself) in life by learning from advice from the great minds throughout history. Everything we need to succeed is available, if you search it out. These days "learning from our mistakes" may not be the best option. Learning to avoid making mistakes in the first place is the key to a successful life.
GETTING A JOB BY GETTING IT RIGHT IN YOUR CAREER.
Getting it right in your career is what our upcoming 2-day event, The Career ReBoot Camp, is all about. At The Career ReBoot Camp participants get everything they need to become competitive in today's challenging---and changing---job market. Included are:
In this case it was the work of an old boyfriend who posted the photos online. However, today our online and offline lives have become blurred. One can easily affect the other. Often with devastating results.
In the old days (back in 1990) it was easy to "reinvent" oneself after a particularly stupid or embarassing episode in life. Just change your name or move to California. Now the Internet follows you everywhere. Forever. Even the tiniest piece of our past can resurface and bite us in the behind.
The 17 million claimed subscribers to AdultFriendFinder, four million on AshleyMadison and millions more on sites devoted to finding others who share our naughtiest sexual predilections often post photos (frequently very explicit). But is this a smart thing to do? Probably not. Someday when you're trying to get that security clearance for a goverment job or the CEO spot at a major corporation or you've decided to become a minister, those photos showing you in a three-way with your neighbor will probably weigh against you. The only jobs available to you may be as a politician or Wall Street banker.
THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE.
Change is happening in our world at an exponential pace. It's important to stay attuned to how these changes affect you. Perhaps the most important change of all is how the Internet has opened up the world for all to see---often including your previously private information. Some of this is willingly shared on sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. But a lot more---from court records to family history---is now available for the world to view. Managing the changes in life has become a new responsibility for all of us---and something new to learn how to do (as if we need another).
MANAGING YOUR CAREER.
As Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro point out in their book Repacking Your Bags, and Richard Bolles, says in his book What Color Is Your Parachute?, these days nearly everyone will be "between" jobs at some point during their career. It doesn't even matter how good you are. As a result, you must be prepared to go job hunting for the rest of your life. "It's up to you to create your future."
YOU PRIVATE LIFE AND CAREER IMPACT EACH OTHER.
It's vital to build a reputation based upon the totality of your life. These days you're judged by "who" you are as much as by your skills and experience. Living a life of honesty and integrity and doing work you care about in support of something meaningful is the only way to create a life that isn't wasted.
Bertrand Russell said, "If you look about you at the men and women whom you can call happy you will see that they all have certain things in common. The most important of these things is an activity which at most times is enjoyable on its own account, and which, in addition, gradually builds up into something that you are glad to see coming into existence." So, it is critical to living a successful life that you learn to manage and direct it based upon core values of honesty, integrity and truth---and choosing life work based upon these values.
LOVE IS EVERYTHING.
Author and career expert Richard Bolles recently said to me, "The things you love control your life." Love should be the basis for everything you do. Love your work. Love your friends and family. Love your neighbor. Love your country. Love yourself. As The Beatles sang, "Love is everything."
THOSE WHO DON'T LEARN FROM HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT.
In my book (soon to be published) A Plan For Life: How to get it right in the 9 key areas of life, I provide the best thinking from the best minds in history about how to make smart decisions in each important area of your life---from choosing a career to getting married to staying healthy. If you fail in any of these areas it will negatively affect all the others. If you manage each area intelligently you improve your chances of living successfully in all areas.
Avoid mistakes (like posting naked photos of yourself) in life by learning from advice from the great minds throughout history. Everything we need to succeed is available, if you search it out. These days "learning from our mistakes" may not be the best option. Learning to avoid making mistakes in the first place is the key to a successful life.
GETTING A JOB BY GETTING IT RIGHT IN YOUR CAREER.
Getting it right in your career is what our upcoming 2-day event, The Career ReBoot Camp, is all about. At The Career ReBoot Camp participants get everything they need to become competitive in today's challenging---and changing---job market. Included are:
- A headshot photo taken by a professional photographer.
- A videotaped mock interview with evaluation.
- Image and personal branding tips.
- Seminars on a range of career subjects such as networking and working with recruiters.
- Speeches by career experts including Keynote Speaker Richard Bolles, author of What Color Is Your Parachute?
- Social networking companies who can set up an account for you at the event
- Hiring companies.
- Business start-up opportunities.
- The Small Business Development Center (SBA) and local government job assistance.
The Career ReBoot Camp will be held October 26/27 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in San Rafael, California (10 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge). Cost is just $249. Parking is free. Continental breakfast is included. Call 415-516-9343 or email CareerReBootCamp@gmail.com for more information.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Richard Bolles, author of "What Color Is Your Parachute?" to be keynote speaker at the Career ReBoot Camp.
We are pleased to announce that Richard Bolles, author of the all-time bestselling (10 million) career guide "What Color Is Your Parachute?" and "The Job-Hunter's Survival Guide: How to Find Hope and Rewarding Work, Even When There Are No Jobs" will be the keynote speaker at The Career ReBoot Camp, October 26, 27 at the Embassy Suites in San Rafael, California.
The Career ReBoot Camp is a 2-day event that provides job-seekers with everything they need to get back to work fast.
Included are a professional headshot photo, a videotaped mock interview, image consultation, and resume evaluation. There will be 15 seminars on career subjects ranging from interviewing to using online job sites. Ten guest speakers, all authors and experts in the career industry, will cover subjects like staying motivated, social media networking and starting a business.
Hiring companies will also be represented.
The Small Business Development Center (SBA) and Marin County officials will be on hand to assist people with information about jobs or starting a new business.
The cost for the two days is just $249 and includes an autographed copy of "The Job-Hunter's Survival Guide" and other items worth more than $200 retail.
The Career ReBoot Camp is limited to 500 participants. To reserve your space, call 415-516-9343 or email your name and telephone number to CareerReBootCamp@gmail.com. Visa, MC, money orders, cashier's check or personal checks accepted.
The Career ReBoot Camp is a 2-day event that provides job-seekers with everything they need to get back to work fast.
Included are a professional headshot photo, a videotaped mock interview, image consultation, and resume evaluation. There will be 15 seminars on career subjects ranging from interviewing to using online job sites. Ten guest speakers, all authors and experts in the career industry, will cover subjects like staying motivated, social media networking and starting a business.
Hiring companies will also be represented.
The Small Business Development Center (SBA) and Marin County officials will be on hand to assist people with information about jobs or starting a new business.
The cost for the two days is just $249 and includes an autographed copy of "The Job-Hunter's Survival Guide" and other items worth more than $200 retail.
The Career ReBoot Camp is limited to 500 participants. To reserve your space, call 415-516-9343 or email your name and telephone number to CareerReBootCamp@gmail.com. Visa, MC, money orders, cashier's check or personal checks accepted.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
A "Business Plan" for Life.
It's not your father's career. The world is changing so fast and is so complicated that you need to manage your life and career. You need a "Business Plan" for life.
The current buzz word is "platform." Your platform is a combination of your personal plan for life and your career management. It's who you are---your image or "brand."
A platform needs a focus and direction. What sets you apart from everyone else? What can you offer that makes you unique---or at least in demand?
Create a plan for your career and your life (there's much more about how to do this in my upcoming book "A Plan For Life: How to get it right in the 9 key areas of life."
But here are a few tips you can do right now.
The current buzz word is "platform." Your platform is a combination of your personal plan for life and your career management. It's who you are---your image or "brand."
A platform needs a focus and direction. What sets you apart from everyone else? What can you offer that makes you unique---or at least in demand?
Create a plan for your career and your life (there's much more about how to do this in my upcoming book "A Plan For Life: How to get it right in the 9 key areas of life."
But here are a few tips you can do right now.
- Find a focus in your career. Whether it's as the best radiologist or social network marketer, be an "expert" in something specific. While there's a place for a good old-fashioned Renaissance Man/Woman with a wide range of skills and experience, you'll be much easier to hire if you offer a specific skill.
- Write articles, give speeches, win awards---in other words, promote the hell out of yourself. This is not the time in history to hide your light under a basket. Get noticed.
- Create, maintain and utilize a large network of friends, business contacts, mentors and (yes) relatives. Most opportunities in life, as well as much of the joy, will come from your social network. Friends and relatives are the number one source of career opportunities. People with rich social networks are happier and even live longer. Your social network will also be your source of sustenance when times are tough. Don't wait. Start now to create your network. As author Harvey Mackay wrote, "Dig your well before you're thirsty."
- Give serious attention to your personal style. Develop an optimistic and energetic persona. People with positive attitudes are happier and more successful in life. Find a "look" that supports your personal style and integrate it into your life. Many of my friends in the film industry do the young, hip "director" look---baseball hat with something like a Fox Studios logo on it, designer tee shirts, jeans or khaki shorts, sandals or Italian loafers, $500 sunglasses. It definitely pegs them as being "in the industry." Another friend has always done variations of the "preppy" look. It works for him and adds to his personal platform identity.
Once you decide on your personal platform and style, keep it consistent. Everything from your home to your car to where you spend your time should reinforce your platform.
My friend Tony Duran, the famous fashion photographer, does this better than almost anyone I have ever known. His home (and its location right under the H in the Hollywood sign), his car (color coordinated to the furnishings in his home), his clothing (down to his unique glasses), his friends, his hangouts---everything fits his personal style perfectly. There isn't a single thing in his life that doesn't support his image. He knows exactly what he wants in life and what image he needs to project to attain it---while remaining true to his own personality.
Your personal platform requires some thought and hard work to make happen. But the payoff in personal and professional success is worth the effort.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Life is about creating yourself.
"Life isn't about finding yourself. Live is about creating yourself."
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
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