I recently spoke to job seekers at the Women For Hire Career Expo in New York City and discussed the importance of career branding which essentially means creating a clear and compelling message of value that you can present to employers in multiple ways. In these challenging times, when the economy dictates that many people reinvent themselves, the concept of career branding is more important than ever. People often get stuck in a strategy that relies on explaining what they have done in the past rather than focusing on how past successes can contribute to future success in a new role and company. It’s important to step away from identifying yourself too closely with your past job title and instead move towards a platform that links your competencies with the problems employers are facing today. As you craft your various career branding collateral including your resume, elevator pitch, and online identity/networking profiles ask yourself these questions to ensure that you prove your unique value proposition.
- Is my message relevant? If you were previously employed in a shrinking market and are looking to position yourself as a candidate in a new industry, showcase proof of competencies that will be important to future employers. Minimize information about the industry and the day to day tasks and instead focus on explaining the business problems you solved that are meaningful across multiple industries.
- Does my message convey transferable skills? The trick here is to prove overarching competencies without sounding generic or cliche. Stating that you are a good problem solver, analytical, or detail oriented is meaningless without context and it should be assumed that you have these baseline competencies. However, if you can showcase big-picture competencies that distinguish you and immediately make you desirable to another organization, you can eliminate some of the bias that comes from being an industry outsider. For example if you previously worked in a manufacturing environment and want to transition to healthcare, discuss the skills that are important across industries. Maybe you successfully increased channel partnerships, decreased operations overhead costs, or automated a process or procedure to save time and money…focus on your success within the competency to prove to a future employer that you could recreate similar successes in their industry.
- Do I have an advocate in this new job function or industry? Whenever you transition to a new job function or industry it’s even more critical to have people in your network who will be your cheerleaders and get you in front of the right decision makers. A recommendation from an insider about your candidacy is one of the most powerful things you can leverage during your search.
- What are the potential obstacles I will need to overcome in my search strategy and am I prepared to deal with them? If you are an outsider trying to break into a new industry or job function, chances are that you will face some obstacles along the way. Maybe it’s that you don’t have experience in that industry, don’t have any contacts in that industry, or don’t possess a certain desired professional certification. Anticipate the roadblocks and craft a convincing response to show what you have done in the past that is similar to what the employer needs, despite not having these other qualifications. Also, make inroads through professional associations and online communities to build quality relations that position you as someone who is “in the know” regarding a particular industry or job function.
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