Inside the Interview

You’ve completed the first steps. You researched, tailored your resume and cover letter, once again, to apply to a position that best matches your skills. Days later you receive an email to coordinate a call-back with the Human Resources department for a 30-minute interview. Afterwards, you receive a congratulatory email. You have been selected to interview in the next round with the Director. Now what?

Things to make note of when meeting with the HR representative or Recruiting agency:

Who will you be interviewing with? (Name and title/position)
When is the interview? (If remote, ask for the time zone. If in-person, ask for the address.)
Will this be a remote or in-person interview?
Will you be reporting to this person if hired?
Thank the representative for the opportunity to interview.

If you already read Best Interviewing Practices 2021, I will assume a few things moving forward. If you have not read the previous blog, click on the link above to catch up.

As a quick recap, we discussed common questions asked, questions to ask the interviewer, and questions to avoid. Now, let’s talk about the interview itself, how to best perform with all the knowledge we’ve gathered and how to navigate difficult conversations.

Basics you already know:
Arrive early	Research the company	Dress to impress
Research your interviewer	Prepare for common questions	Practice interviewing
Align your skills with the job description	Create a genuine connection	Thank the interviewer

For the full list – click here

How to navigate a 60-minute interview

Let’s go over a few interview guidelines and ground rules. All interviews are conversations between two parties; interviewer (or interviewing panel) and interviewee. However, at some point during the interview the roles are switched and it’s your turn to interview. Even under extreme circumstances, never speak negatively about your previous employer. You may be tempted or even encouraged, do not give in. If the interviewer is late or ill equipped, be understanding. Your reaction and consideration of their limited time will leave a lasting impression.

Goal Setting

Decide what you want out of this phone call; strategize how you are going to market yourself and how you will create an impact. Outline what benefits are most important to you and research compensation packages for the company. Glassdoor and LinkedIn are excellent resources. Identify what you can afford to lose in the negotiation process (remote work, in-office perks, premium insurance, vacation time, sick days, etc.). While it may seem early in the interview process to think about benefits, compensation packages, and salary, it is critical that you have a ballpark idea if and when presented with the question.

Be an active participant in the conversation.
Plan talking points to keep you on point and concise.
Create a “must-mention” checklist.
Identify the critical skills you possess that make you an excellent candidate.
Establish what separates you from other candidates.
Aim to leave a lasting impression.

Part I – The Awkward Welcome

Earlier I mentioned that interviews are a conversation between two parties. Allow your interviewer to introduce themselves and when there is a pause introduce yourself. Restate you name, the job role/position for which you are applying for and thank them for giving you the opportunity to interview.

If there is a long pause, for whatever reason, ask them about their day. Small talk tactics are often live-lines and can create a lasting impression, especially if you find commonalities. However, do no be afraid of a little silence. You are not tasked with creating conversation in every silence gap.

Part II – The Common Questions

Tell me about yourself

This answer might seem like a no-brainer. It should be relatively easy to speak on the topic. You know yourself, right? Based on this information alone, it can be assumed no preparation is needed but we would be WRONG. This open-ended question can easily become a downward spiral of unrelated gibberish. What do they want to know? What is the goal for asking this question?

Use this opportunity to outline your best job-related assets you use in your current job and any recent accomplishments. Depending on your response, it can be an easy transition into the next topic and offer follow-up questions that qualify you for the position. “Tell me about yourself” allows the interviewer to get to know you. You might offer critical information that may qualify you for the hiring process. At the same time, you are using your best communication skills and demonstrating yourself in the best light possible.

Pro Tip: Do not talk about your personal life. When opening up about yourself, keep it strictly to hobbies, job-related traits, and stories that guide the listener to a better understanding of your achievements and capabilities. Outline your answer as a checklist according to the job role. This is a very safe way of ensuring success.

What are your weaknesses? Strengths? Tell us about a mistake you made and how you corrected it.

This question can prove to be a little tough if you have not fully addressed your wins as well as your losses. Being honest with yourself is a key factor in successfully answering this question. The first thing you have to do is to take a step back and ask yourself “what does the interviewer want to know?”

When addressing your weaknesses make sure to mention all that you have done to correct them. Interviewers want to know that you have grown professionally.

Why do you want to leave (or left) your job?

Rule #1 never speak poorly of your current job. Instead, note the things you liked, learned and developed. Mention the reason why you want to move on as growth or seeking new challenges. It is popular to mention all that you have achieved during your employment as well.

What are your salary expectations?

Do the research. This is one of the key items that cannot be done poorly or inefficiently. Often, you can combine your motivation for a higher salary (or a salary worthy of your skills) with your “why?”. Open your mind to the different ways you can negotiate and market yourself successfully while building your case for salary negotiation.

Focus on the market. Identify the highest and lowest salary for your position in your state, city and zip code. Identify skills that enhance your job role.

How to negotiate salary?

Build your case using negotiating tactics
Methodologies
Skills-based facts

Website Research

Glassdoor.com
Payscale.com
Onetonline.org
Bls.gov

Part III – The awkward/difficult questions

Identify any potential challenges you might face with the company and the job role. Get in front of your challenges and setbacks through preparation. Set clear and transparent goals for yourself during the interview. For example make a checklist of potential challenges and prioritize them in your research. How have you managed the gap in skills? Have you taken courses? Received a certification? Being able to identify opportunities to increase knowledge of your skills and experience ahead of time can help regain control of the conversation.

Part IV – Reverse Interview

Support and participate in the same initiative demonstrated by the interviewer. Human Resources Departments are struggling to screen a lot of candidates in very little time. This leaves a lot of room for miscommunication and disconnection. Use this time as an opportunity to fill those gaps.

Part V – Post Interview

Follow-up! Follow-up! Follow-up!

Taking control post interview is key. You did the research, you aced the interview and now … what?Send a “thank you” note within 24-48 hours. Making a positive impression can be as easy as thanking your interviewer at the end of the interview. Apply to other job roles/companies. While it is easy to fantasize about your dream job, don’t have your heart set on one job role.

Applying for jobs can be disheartening and exhausting. Remember to give yourself credit. Take ownership of your growth and power. Take time to recover and evaluate your efforts. And lastly, be accountable for your efforts and evaluate your progress and shortcomings.

I hope you enjoyed this blog on in-depth interviewing best practices. Follow our blogs, re-share, and give us a “like,” we enjoy reading your comments. If you want to reach out to us directly email carol@marchangroup.com.

How to Organize for Multi-Tasking

Working on multiple projects or multiple moving parts within a project can prove to be difficult as responsibilities increase and as deadlines approach. It is assumed by most employers that individuals are equipped with the skills necessary to handle such demands. And the truth is, they are. A lot of people have the skills necessary to perform their day-to-day tasks and to fulfill project requirements. The problem arises when there’s an abundance of work and not enough personnel to delegate responsibilities, which turned out to be a nation-wide problem post pandemic, or not enough training provided to accommodate newfound work as others exit the workforce. The bottom line result is always the same, the problem is found when your job role requires you to work on multiple projects at once.

The Dilemma

A friend of mine recently confessed she’s completely overwhelmed at work. After her company’s many lay-offs there was a surge in her workload and not enough time during her work schedule to do it all. She was forced to absorb her once-was team’s work with no additional resources or pay. While she was venting, I listened and took notes.

Once she finished, I asked her “how do you prioritize your cases/work?”. She shrugged and said “My work partner does not always pull their weight, so I circle back and do additional work on case or do it all myself after if I notice the case has not been worked on a few days before it is due.” I was bewildered to see her frantic and powerless with no actualized plan to complete her work (and her partner’s workload).

The Simple Solution

Earlier in March I wrote a blog titled Organization 101: Setting up for success. It went over a question that is frequently asked through Marchan Group’s inbox.

The #1 take-away is to acknowledging one’s strengths and weaknesses.

For organizing best practices, pinpoint the following:

Preferred method to schedule tasks (calendar task option, post-it notes, timers, etc)
Most productive time of day to achieve tasks/goals
Best structure/routine for success

For example, use your preferred method to schedule your tasks throughout the day. Identify what time is best for the tasks at hand and add it to your calendar (or post-its, scheduler, etc.). And lastly, create a routine to structure the day to yield the most productive and most successful outcome.

The Deep Dive

Organizing has many moving parts, and more than likely will take going back to the fundamentals to truly achieve this task. All projects have a beginning, a checkpoint, a middle, another checkpoint and an end. Creating a calendar timeline with the deadlines (color coded for each project) allows more visibility as to priority and urgency.

However, before we get to the actual projects, we need to prioritize our work station. Our desks must be representative of the workload. Organize your desk before you organize your physical and digital files.

Let’s Get Started

Make no mistake that work ethic plays an important role in creating the perfect mental space to unleash the most potential. Your mindset is your most powerful tool.

Clean Vs Organized

Organize your work station to maintain a productive workflow. A clean desk does not necessarily mean you know where everything is.

Create order, keep it structured for a successful routine and reduce the clutter.

Having multiple notebooks, post-it notes and notepads to keep track of tasks can cause confusion and even clutter. Pick one method to keep track of all your project needs. Take time every day to put things back where they belong, file your papers, and dump your trash, your desk will thank you. Ending the day with an organized desk is a truly wonderful feeling.

Plan Your Day

Plan your day and its process the night before. You will have a better idea of what your day must consist of, including urgent priorities, planning ahead for deadlines, interruptions and breaks. There will be time where some tasks might be pre-fixed in your routine however others can be continuous or variables that can be moved around. As much as we would like to commit to all the things we say “yes,” remember that commitment to a task/project take up energy and time.

Set a daily routine and use it. Routine is the backbone of organization. Taking the time to create a routine, tweaking it to make sure you complete your tasks in a timely and efficient matter. Often times, we create the lists, organize our desks, add the tasks to our calendars, but fail to follow through. Use it or lose it.

Personalize Your Method

Methods to achieve a goal are endless and limitless. Often when we start our day we have a vision of how packed or leisurely our day will be. However, life always throws a wrench our way and we must be prepared to handle it. Make room in your agenda or schedule for “urgent unplanned events”. It is possible to rearrange your day and delegate or move non-urgent tasks. Delegating and learning to rearrange your day based on urgency or deadline will make all the difference.

Additional Tips

We addressed evaluating your urgent and non-urgent tasks. The 80/20 rule says exactly that – learning to prioritize the import and urgent 20% of your tasks will yield you the most productive. It is said that 80% of your outcomes come from 20% of the factors that will produce the best results.

So, how do we achieve this:

–Keep like with like. sensical and logical. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. There are systems in place because someone already went through the problem to find a solution. If something is not working simply edit, update and keep trailblazing.

Think before you commit. Use scheduled time to plan for your day. Look at deadlines, cut off dates, potential road blocks, to better analyze your work load and schedule.

Keep in mind that some methods do not work for your purpose. Best practices are made with specific people and industries in mind. They do not work the same for all. Use what works for you and restructure it when it stops working.

Repurpose, reuse, repurpose again. Using folders and physical file keepers is the greatest organizing trick there is, but there’s no getting around the fact that they occupy space and nowadays everything is digital. Find a way to organize digitally and minimize physical files by using the same techniques (color code, file name organization, etc.).

Command centralize everything. A command center has room for your day-to-day necessities – and only that. Keep templates and basics in one single location. This will help when creating a new project or when delegating. All items will be in very intentional locations, easily accessible.

You’re all set

Remember that organizing is not an easy feat. We already juggle so many things at once, relationships (personal and professional), work, volunteering, personal life, and more. Take organizing your life or work in steps. When you feel frustrated take time to step-away. The best advice I can offer is to plan for the unplanned.

Best Interviewing Practices 2021

Being skilled and qualified is not enough.

It is also necessary to interview very well. Most readers of this blog will fall into one of the following three categories, they are happily employed but looking for better opportunities, they have not interviewed in years and need a quick re-cap on common practices or they have interviewed, multiple times, without much success. We all start somewhere, why not here!

Prepare before the interview

Interviews can be stressful. A little preparation can go a long way to help you prepare and be more confident.

Always perform research on the company (and employee interaction history), employees you will interview with (interviewers), and track any departmental changes. The interview is your chance to demonstrate you are a good fit and how your skills will match up to their job description. I recommend using Glassdoor, LinkedIn company pages, your active LinkedIn network, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Indeed for research.

For salary research, I recommend SalaryList, Payscale, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and SalaryExplorer.

I also trust O*NET OnLine for all industry occupation descriptions, related titles, expected growth outlook, job role demands, skills/knowledge needed, education requirements, and wage and employment trends by state and zip code.

Discover the best way to prepare for an interview with these helpful tips.

Research on the organization.
Dress to impress.
Be prepared, practice more than 1X on camera and/or voice recording.
Be prepared for a panel of interviewers.
Arrive early (even virtually, employers are aware of your log-in time).
Your interview may be in-person, virtual, over the phone, all three or a combination of these.
Practice your speaking skills, eye contact, voice, tone, and body language (and potentially presentation skills).
Reiterate your interest in the position.
Know who you are being interviewed by, if possible, and research them.
Align your skills with the job roles before your interview.
Showcase your strengths and accomplishments.
Identify any potential challenges you might face with the company and the job role.
If you have any gaps in employment, provide clarifying answers.
Create a genuine connection/common ground with your interviewer. Engage in casual conversation.
Prepare answers to common questions.
Create uncommon questions to ask the interviewer.
Thank your interviewer in person. Follow-up with your thank you email within 24 to 48 hours after the interview.
Lastly, practice patience with yourself, trust your brand, and strengths.

What’s changed since your last interview?

We’ve gone VIRTUAL! The last time most of us interviewed we were making sure traffic was calculated into our GPS navigating system or have our public transit (train or bus) schedule beforehand with our estimated ETA. Now, we worry less about arriving on time and more about securing a quiet place with great lighting for our interview. The stress has shifted from travel time to in-home office space. Make sure to follow common virtual interviewing practices for the best outcome.

Fitting in to the company’s work CULTURE is almost essential. In today’s virtual team work environment, it is important to be cognizant of diversity and inclusive work culture to create a welcoming and stress-free environment. During the interview, you will be assessed not only for your skills and accomplishments but also for your emotional intelligence and work culture competencies. It is important to ask what the company’s management style is and what type of background do you feel would be best suited for success in the position. Never be blind-sighted about the work environment you are committing to.

Interview Questions to Prepare For

Tell me about yourself.
Why should we hire you?
What are your weaknesses? Strengths?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years (goals for the future)?
Why do you want to work here?
What keeps you up at night?
Tell us about a mistake and how you corrected it.
What skills do you bring to the team?
Describe a difficult team/project experience and its outcome.
What do you expect to gain from X company?
Why do you want to leave (or left) your job?
What are your goals?
Tell me about a time you found a creative solution for your former/current employer.
What are your salary expectations?
How do you handle stress and pressure in the workplace?
How do you handle difficult clients?

Interview Questions to Ask the Interviewer

What skills qualify a candidate for this position?
Is this a new role? If not, why is this job available?
Can you name a few challenges that a candidate may face in this position?
What training opportunities do you offer to employees?
How long have you been in your role? What is the most exciting part about working in this role?
Can you discuss how your role has changed since you’ve started working for the organization?
How does the company evaluate the performance of employees? Is there a 30/60/90 day evaluation plan?
Is travel required?
Is remote work possible?
How does one advance within the company?
How would you describe the responsibilities of the position?
What does the the typical work week look like?
What are the work hours? Is over-time expected?
How many people are on the team/department?
What type of background do you feel would be best suited for the role?
Does the company provide professional development opportunities?
Do you have any reservations about my qualifications?
Is there anything I can clarify for you about my resume or qualifications?
If I am offered the position, how soon would you like me to start?
What are the next steps? When can I expect to hear from you?
What is the company’s management style?
Do you have a policy for onboarding new members of the team?
How long is the training process for this role?

Interview Questions to Avoid

What does the company do?
What are the requirements of the job?
What other jobs do you have available?
How soon can I apply for another job within the company?
How quickly can I get promoted? Raise?
How do you track the work of remote employees? (vs. How are remote employees managed?)
Do you have security cameras in the workplace?
Are emails and web data tracked?
What is the process before someone is fired? How many warnings before dismissal?
Did I get the job?
Avoid race, gender, interviewer’s family and history.
Avoid “me” questions. These usually involve second interview questions like salary, benefits, holiday pay/PTO, etc.
What are the down sides of this working for the company?
Do I have to work weekends?

These recommendations come from various workshops, client and self experience. If you have any follow-up questions, feel free to comment below or reach out via email to carol@marchangroup.com for a direct reply.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Organization 101: Setting up for success

As part of Marchan Group’s DM Q&A edition, we answer questions sent in to us. A very popular question is one on organization skills for best practice and success.

Here is my response through social media platforms on how to better prepare by first acknowledging one’s strengths and weaknesses.

Once you answer the questions on the image above, it will be easier for you to structure your day based on your personal preferences and maximize for efficiency.

How?

For example – use your most productive time of day and your preferred method to schedule and best structure your day for success.

First, tackle the most difficult tasks of the day when you are most productive.

Use your preferred scheduling tactic to set-up timers to keep you on track, and to check-in on your progress. Break up your tasks into small actions.

Do not reward yourself with a break until you have completed a task.
Be intentional with your down-time.

Make sure to schedule breaks to avoid burn-out and schedule time on Friday to plan for the following week. Also, don’t forget to schedule your downtime to disconnect.

If you have any successful tips on organizing that work for you, feel free to comment or message me.

My Vision for Marchan Group

Originally, I created an “About Me” page on my website with the intention to introduce myself to potential new businesses. However, as my business has grown and evolved, I realized that I needed to improve upon its foundation.

I poured so much into my “About Me” section that I decided to create a post for the purpose of sharing my vision for Marchan Group.

Thank you to every single person that has motivated me to pursue my dreams, quite literally for those who know the full story. I value and appreciate all of you. Here we go.

My Mission

I created this small business with the hope to reach individuals who are looking for more; more resources, more out of their jobs/careers and more out of their one-on-ones. For individuals who are fresh to the workforce scene or well-versed professionals who are looking to obtain skills, resources, attitudes and expectations needed to compete in today’s workforce.

My biggest take-away from my lived experiences goes back to my mother’s constant words on educational wealth. “No one can take your education away from you, it’s a form of wealth you can never run out of,” and she was absolutely right. The biggest investment you can make is to count yourself in! Invest in yourself, you are your longest relationship and like all relationships, this will take commitment, respect and self-awareness.

About Me

Growing up as a second generation immigrant, I did not know what my options were for a career, job or internship. As a matter of fact, I did not encounter the term internship until my senior year in high school, thinking it was a to-do item for my college days. Surprisingly, when I got to college, I found out internships were also available for high schoolers. I felt ashamed, I had encountered my first missed opportunity.

In today’s political and workforce climate, although they are irrevocably intertwined and relatable in a cause-and-effect manner, we need to work twice as hard to maintain gainfully employed. Often times there are no readily available options for resources. And if you are anything like me, you do not ask for help. It is engrained in our culture and upbringing that we should be able to do things ourselves.

Why this, why now

My career post college graduation was not exactly picture perfect. There were flaws to my dream job and career; I did not have adequate experience nor connections to take a chance on me. I believe in working with a purpose and my career path led me to work in education, planning and human services. I have dedicated my professional life to grow in the capacities of organizational, team development and project management through the efforts of relationship management, designing and implementing curriculums. I am truly excited to continue to expand on my passion and life’s work.

I realized there was a gap in navigating the ever-changing realm between searching for a job and job readiness. Did you know that hiring departments, human resources professionals and labor laws are constantly being updated? Unless you are part of the industry, or have the reach within your network, not many people could speak to those changes. With remote work on the table, e-learning for the nation’s children and learning to navigate that platform, where do you find the time to catch up on the latest HR hiring trends? Did you know that simply listing your work experience on your resume is not enough? Which resume opener should you choose: Career Objective or Professional Summary? Should you include a cover letter or is that practice out-dated? How can I get on a recruiter’s radar? What question should I ask during an interview?

So here we are, I decided to branch out and take on a few clients to dedicate myself strictly to improving and aiding the process to allow professionals to reach their next milestone. To fully allow myself to achieve this goal, I created the Marchan Group to have full authenticity and autonomy over my work. A business that reflects my value-driven mission, strong work ethics, creative thinking and commitment to excellence.

I look forward to e-meeting you!

Sincerely,

Carol Marchan

Restructuring During a Pandemic

Finding the light at the end of the tunnel

2020 has definitely been a trying time for everyone. From job loss to garnished wages or reduced work hours, we have all experienced this together. While having a conversation with my good friend, she mentioned how she has never been busier. However with limited daycare and in-school options, along with the added risk of exposure to covid, she has had to make several changes to her life.

When she said “life” it left a concerned feeling within me. Our work hours, and amount of days we work has also shifted to accommodate living during a pandemic. Your basic needs are not being met. Self-care has shifted from a “scarce luxury” item to a necessity. I took a quick vote among my close friends. I asked 10 people if they partake in self-care. Some were shocked that I thought they had the luxury of time to do so. Others thought this must include an upscale business with oils, massages and wine. While they are not wrong, they are also not right.

Self-care has become a person, place, thing, feeling, moment and so on. There is no wrong way to define it. Caring for your emotional and physical self will be reflected in your body, mind, and spirit. Your relationships will renew and flourish. You will experience a boost in self-esteem and health.

Taking time to buy coffee from your favorite coffee shop is self-care as well as taking a long bath while binging on your favorite Netflix show. It is just as important as journaling for a clear mind and healing. Choose your best version of self-care to survive the pandemic.

Self-Care Ideas:

Start a routine for your day to day
Schedule your breaks
Meal prep one day out of the week.
Say “no” more often to add time to your schedule
Go for a walk
Make a new playlist
Declutter
Make a vision board (include your friends virtually)
Start a journal
Say positive affirmations
Drink a glass full of water in the morning
Donate unused items
Refresh your routine
Perform a random act of kindness
Call your family and friends
Make a list of inspiring quotes

Take time to define self-care for yourself and get started. A big part of success starts with your well-being.

Building a Brand 101

Why you need a “brand” and why you need to work on it, consistently, creating brand awareness along the way.

Everyone has a brand, let’s start here. Whether they realize it or not, we establish ourselves through our credibility, our skills and experience and our story.

What’s a story? Think about your favorite person, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it their kindness, their smile, their infectious personality style? It is your favorite memory with that person? Are they your role model? It is their level of energy? How you describe your favorite person is a good start to describing their personal brand and its awareness management; it is their essence, their backbone, their core. By remaining consistent to their story and actions, this person is managing their brand.

Here is your checklist for creating your personal brand:

What inspires you?
Who are your role models? Why?
What do you like to do (passions, hobbies, interests)?
- What is something you did as a child and continue to do to this day that aligns with the above?
- What are you passionate about?
- What do you like to do (that you are not paid for)?
What is your strongest personality trait?
What is your weakest personality trait?
Where is your focus; long-term and short-term?
What skills do you want to nurture; personal and professional?
What is your motivation?
How do you communicate your desires/interests with others?
What is a family story that inspires you?
Whom do you seek to please?
Is there a quote, familiar sayings that you heard growing up that you identify with?

Why do you need a story? Your story is very much who you are and what you want the world to see. Often times we say that networking and getting to know people is the best form of obtaining a new job, engage and distinguish yourself. However, it is not always about who you know, but more about who knows YOU.

I am not referring to who knows your name, I am referring to who knows your essence. I am referring to the individual that thinks of you and immediately sees a brand; a personality trait, clear vision of what you bring to the table (benefits).

It helps create engagement, establishes you as a credible professional in your field, produces your elevator pitch for you (in a nutshell – by identifying your goals, style, personality, values, and mission statement), as well as creating an expectation and experience. This becomes your brand promise.

Examples: People in the industry use soda/pop as an example of brand awareness. When you think of a soft drink, what company comes to mind?

Coca-Cola and Pepsi

When you think of technology, what comes to mind?

Apple and IBM

It is not enough to identify the answers to the checklist above, you have to plan and execute them into actions through constant behavioral adjustments, growth mindset and self-awareness in how we interact with others.

Start working on your personal brand today, its awareness or revamp your brand, send us a message. Your first consultation is free.

Good Reads of 2020

Books I have read this year:

The 5 Frequencies by James Dentley
Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach

Click on the link for a free PDF download from the author.
Radical Candor by Kim Scott
Still looking for my next good read….

Having a Voice at the Big Table: Brand Management

Things to know before we start…

What does it mean to have a voice? Why does Branding matter? During my undergraduate career I had the opportunity to come across a brilliant Latina. She not only taught me about leadership and branding but she helped me create a brand for myself that I could not even fathom. How we see ourselves and how others see us are two very different perspectives.

Tips for Building Strong Brand Awareness

The first step of building a strong brand identity begins with self-reflection.

What unique skills set you apart from the next person?
What is your unique competitive advantage?
What is your Unique Selling Point (USP)?
Can you point to a specific experience that shaped or had a deep impact on your life or career?
What is your story? How did it impact change?
Have a strong elevator pitch (this is not unique to sales positions)

Being silent in a meeting with a head full of thoughts doesn’t create change. Producing a game plan for a solution or creative idea requires a voice. Why? Your idea can fall flat based on your delivery, content strategy, experience and history with the organization, and lastly due to a poor brand.

We have all been there before, we have a great idea but due to little prior involvement, no recognition, lack of appreciation for our efforts, lack of opportunity to take charge of a task, we are not listened to nor seen.

Creating a strong brand helps you establish your professional profile at work without having to reiterate your values, skill set, and experience every single time. The credibility of your brand will precede you.

Check out our blog post on Building a Brand 101.