Career

What’s that thing you do? ONE thing.

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

You’re at a networking event… meeting… conference… cocktail party… and it happens.

“So, what do you do?” the networker asks you.

“Um, well I’m a consultant / L&D pro / social media expert…” you say.

Slash happens. And I get it. You have a lot to offer and a lot of interests. When you’re at an event, all those slash titles can be hard for one person to take in. A more effective approach, decide how you wish to be known and communicate that one thing – not everything. It’s confusing to the listener.

What’s the one thing you wish to be known for and and your best, most relevant story, that demonstrates your expertise to the audience who needs to know about you?

When I coach my clients on effective networking, we work hard on creating a dynamic brand-driven sound bite that gets attention, without overwhelming the listener.

Picking one thing can be tough, but it’s important. As one of my client’s said, working through the exercise, “It’s like my whole career – skills, experience, knowledge is summed up in this one project. It just doesn’t feel right.”

That may be true, however, in networking, and asking your friends, etc. “who do they know, who…” it is important to be clear and focused. Sharing ONE story helps people get an idea of what you can do for someone. It also helps them easily share your story with their connections. And your network becomes your personal sales force.

Challenge: Create your sound bite. Be focused. Share a benefit-driven story that demonstrates your expertise. Tell how your network can help you best.

Want step-by-step help to network like a rock star? Check out my book, Rock Your Network® and rebuild your network in 5 minutes a day online or off.

© 2018 Wendy Terwelp | Wendy Terwelp speaks about social networking, F2F networking, personal branding, and career development. Want raving fans, referrals, and even happier, more engaged employees? Book her here: https://www.knocks.com/speaking/

 

10 Secrets of a Results-Getting Resume

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

1. Clearly define your career focus. “Candidates have to be focused,” say Executive Recruiters. “The biggest complaint from employers over the years has been ‘We didn’t hire so-and-so because she or he didn’t know what they wanted.’”

2. Be specific when stating your achievements. Qualify, quantify or “dollarize” them to demonstrate that what you offer a prospective employer can easily recoup their investment in your salary. Use the CAR method to help you recall your achievements: Challenge, Action, Result.

3. Use action words and statements. “Responsible for”… is out, “Developed; Directed; Achieved; Coordinated, etc.” is in.

4. For people with 20 or more years of experience: “Do NOT write that into your resume,” said one staffing CEO. “Put a BENEFIT STATEMENT into your resume – something that speaks of how you 1) made the company money, 2) saved the company money or 3) streamlined procedures. Years of experience is immaterial and may indicate that you are just ‘old.’ Companies want to know what kind of a contribution you can make to their success – not how many years you’ve been working.

5. Differentiate yourself. When you review your current resume, can you simply put someone else’s name on it? Or does it clearly differentiate you from your competition and brand you as “the one” for the job?

6. Communicate your value and put key points “above the fold.” One recruiter on LinkedIn told me he reads 200 to 300 resumes a DAY, seven days a week. You have GOT to stand out! Address the unspoken question early on: “Why should I hire you?”

7. When responding to a job posting, be sure you clearly read the ad and assess your qualifications. Companies don’t have time to meet with unqualified applicants. According to one finance recruiter, “Candidates must be an exact match before a company looks at them.”

8. Create a Twitter-worthy value statement about yourself. That’s in 140 – 280 characters or less. This can become your brand statement used on social networking sites, when networking, and during interviews. Here’s mine: “I work with rock stars at work who want to win gigs, promotions, and salary bumps.” This gets people to say, “Tell me more!” That’s your goal.

9. If you know someone at a company, give them a call. Networking is the No. 1 method used by candidates to get jobs. In SilkRoad’s 2017 Source of Hire Study, employee referrals were the No. 1 source for external hires at companies.

10. Think creatively in how you distribute your resume. In a 2016 survey by Lou Adler, CEO of Performance-Based Hiring, 85% of job seekers land jobs through networking. Want more networking tips? Get “Rock Your Network® for Job Seekers.”

© 2003 – 2018 • Wendy J. Terwelp • Opportunity Knocks™ • All Rights Reserved.

Wendy Terwelp works with high potentials through the c-suite. Her clients regularly win promotions, salary bumps, and gigs that are a right fit for their brands and goals. Schedule your strategy call today and learn how Wendy can help YOU be a rock star at work!

Reputation = Currency

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Rep = Currency

Enhancing your visibility and personal brand the right way can advance your career. Your personal brand is either by default or by design. A default brand is one that others assign to you. A default brand sounds like: Gertrude is always late. Herman doesn’t follow through on projects.

A well designed personal brand is one you choose for yourself; you control and manage your personal brand through your actions. How do you take control?

First, you’ve got to know where your brand currently stands. Google yourself. Are the search results you? Or someone with too similar a name? For those results that are you, do they reflect how you wish to be perceived today for your current career goals? If not, check out these tips.

To find out how you’re coming across at work, take a personal brand survey. Ask three people whose opinion you respect what three words come to mind when they think of you? What do they feel is one of your greatest strengths? Were the results what you expected? Do these results reflect how you wish to be perceived at work? If there were pleasant surprises, what can you capitalize on? (Check out Bob’s story.) If feedback was not what you’d hoped, what can you do to stand out and be a rock star at work?

Next, take action. What’s one thing you can do to enhance your brand this week?

Results: When I conducted my Stand Out be a Rock Star at Work! program at a young professionals organization, I got a call a few months later from the executive director.

“Wendy, I’ve got something to share with you,” she said and shared the following:

While visiting a client company’s site and a dynamic, polished woman walked up to her. She realized it was K*, a member of the young professionals organization.

“What’s with the new look?,” the executive director asked K.

K said, “It was Wendy’s personal branding workshop. When we did the branding exercise in Wendy’s class, people thought I was shy and quiet. That’s not me! I thought I had to be boring to fit in with my new corporate job.”

“This is me,” K said, grinning with confidence and pointing to her new haircut and sharp attire. “By being more ME, I’m on track for a promotion.”

A promotion also equates to higher visibility in the workplace along with a salary increase.

I love it when I hear success stories from an organizer about someone who attended my workshop. Had K not assessed how she was coming across, she wouldn’t have known to make the change. And she took action to transform her career by design, not default. You can too.

Coaching Challenge: Which of these actions will you complete in the next week?

Want to kick your brand up a notch? Let’s talk. 

*Name pseudonym.

© 1998 – 2016 Wendy Terwelp | All rights reserved.

 

What Career Success Really Looks Like

Wendy Terwelp 2 Comments

In today’s world of work, the only guarantee is CHANGE.

The old days of staying with one company for decades, working hard, and waiting to get recognized and promoted are gone. Senior leaders have more and more responsibilities – and more and more people reporting to them. They can’t possibly track all the fantastic things you do.

Now more than ever, it’s important to take control of your career in order to reach your goals.

Don’t wait for someone to promote you, give you assignments or choose you. Promote yourself through your work ethic, visibility, project contributions, follow through, internal and external networks, and continuing training. Set meetings with your boss to keep them abreast of your contributions and value to the organization.

According to data from a survey by CEB, a management research firm, 6% of Fortune 500 companies have stopped using annual performance reviews and forced rankings in favor of ongoing feedback. In 2015, Deloitte and Accenture also dropped performance reviews in favor of ongoing feedback. This is a trend going forward. Business researcher Josh Bersin estimates that about 70% of multinational companies are moving toward this model, even if they haven’t arrived quite yet.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics shows the average person changes jobs 12.4 times during his/her lifetime via 2021 report. Career changes ranged from 3 to 7 depending on the survey.

Now more than ever it is mission critical to take an active role in managing your career and personal brand.

Coaching Challenge: Track your hits. Set a meeting with your boss. Communicate your value. You got this!

© 2016 – 2021 Wendy Terwelp | All rights reserved.

Revealing Your Personal Power in the Workplace

Wendy Terwelp 4 Comments

1. Brand-Building Treasure Hunt

  • Ask 5 people you trust to tell you what they think your three greatest professional strengths are, and then ask them what three to five words come to mind when they think of you.
  • Choose One Word that best represents you and create a story that demonstrates one of your greatest strengths using this word. This can become a powerful networking tool for you.

2. Develop a “Me File”

  • If you’re employed, track your achievements, kudos from your superiors, projects you’ve worked on, ideas you’ve generated into fruition, programs you’re proud of, employees you’ve developed into leadership roles, and more. This will aid you’re next performance evaluation, next promotion or next career.
  • If you’re not currently employed and want to return to the workforce, track your volunteer achievements, leadership roles, fundraising events, and related activities. These can turn into valuable, marketable skills for your job search.

3. Get Paid What You’re Worth

  • Do your homework on your company.
  • Find out about your company’s competition.
  • Keep track of your achievements, projects, and other “outside the scope” of your job activity.
  • When documenting, be specific. List quantifiable results.
  • When the performance review is set, let your boss talk first.
  • Present your case diplomatically.
  • Don’t take maybe for an answer.
  • When given a time/date for the raise or “consideration” to kick in, follow up.

4. Acknowledge co-workers, customers, etc. positively for their contributions.

  • Go deeper with your compliment, instead of “Great job!” Try, “Your enthusiasm and proactive solutions will be an excellent contribution to our project.”

5. Have solutions prepared BEFORE you talk to your boss about a problem.

6. In staff meetings, actively participate, take notes, listen closely, provide ideas or solutions, and ask questions. Be visible.

7. Build your personal brand and your internal networks.

  • Who needs to know about you? Communicate your value in a positive, authentic way.

8. Smile when you speak on the telephone so the caller can hear the enthusiasm in your voice.

9. Dress professionally and carry yourself with confidence.

10. Develop your own personal sound bite (a 30-second commercial about yourself and/or your business) to use when meeting new people or at networking events, conferences, or other social gatherings where people ask, “So, what do you do?”

11. Always communicate positively, powerfully, clearly, and concisely.

© 2002—2020 Wendy Terwelp | All rights reserved.