What's worth more?

• 400 LinkedIn connections you barely know or 3 who will drop everything to help at a moment's notice? 
• Receiving birthday wishes on Facebook because your network has been prompted to do so, or getting a hand written card from a good friend? 

Less is more in these cases. In your race to have more friends to aid your celebrity persona you may be losing touch the importance of quality relationships. 

Quality relationships start with genuine interest. Valuable relationships feel good, and are not based on a numerical calculation. 

If you have the choice to have 5 or 200 relationships, start with 5. The depth, quality and sustainability will yield more than you can imagine. 

What are your marketing choices?

I love asking this question to businesses and individuals.

My passion to sustain the Connecticut Re-Employment Group often leads me to think of how the job seeker can better "shop" themselves to find the right job that fits their personality.

Seekers first encounter what I will call structural choices. They are resume writers, career coaches, labor experts etc...who can help them with the tools needed to delve into the wild world of job hunting.

The next set of choices revolve around how to market yourself. What is your story? Who should you tell? Who can help you? Where should you go to tell your story? Should you stay at home and use social media? Is your strategy proactive or passive? Is your strategy yielding results?

CREG is a choice you can consider when you conduct your personal marketing. The CREG "philosophy" suggests being proactive, exploring the uniqueness of your personality through an enjoyable and introspective process, and assessing all of the choices available to promote the entity of YOU.

Make the choice to join us on July 19th. If interested, join us on LinkedIn.

Why should I "connect" with you?

On LinkedIn?
For a cup of coffee?
For a drink at happy hour?

Why do we connect with others? Is it obvious, or is the agenda hidden?

I have changed my personal LinkedIn policy relating to connections. Thankfully I receive invitations to connect with others on a consistent basis. Often they are people I don't know. Here's the new policy.

If you ask to connect with me we agree to a simultaneous phone appointment. Why? So I can speak intelligently about my new friend...if someone asks. I have not known how to handle this situation and often hit "accept" and go on to the next thing. I realize that not knowing my new connection is a lost opportunity. How hard is it to review your new connection's profile and put together a list of questions? It's not hard. Phone appointments may lead to other things depending on mutual interest.

One last favor. If you wish to connect, please tell me why in your invitation. I don't discriminate and would like to initiate a relationship with a basis of openness and trust.

Can we change the hiring paradigm?

Those who participate in the Connecticut Re-Employment Group on LinkedIn have seen this subject come up in the past few weeks.

It's important to think of the goal when contemplating change. Job seekers want access. Access to the right people, often hiring managers or recruiters. Access to the right people that will allow them to engage. Engagement means conversations...asking questions and sizing up each other's credibility. It's the basis for all relationships, whether you're at a Town Hall meeting, a Little League banquet...or a job interview. There's no guarantee that you will find work by just getting access. On the flip side, you will get nothing without it.

Businesses are simply a collection of people. IBM, GE, Apple, Chrysler. Call them what you want. They function effectively when they accumulate the best people with the right attitude.

A paradigm shift is needed to allow job seekers more access. In 2012 the resume is still the primary standard of measurement of one's skills and character. Fair or not, that's the way it is. The world is changing and with the evolution of social media we are entering a phase where the resume is going to present itself in other forms.

Now, and in the future there will be an emphasis on establishing an online brand. An online brand is a reflection of who you are today, not a summation of the past 25 years. Are you smarter today than you were 6 months ago? How about 15 years ago? Are you inspired today by the same things that inspired you in 2002? Have you changed careers at any point in your life? When you answer all of these questions ask yourself....am I getting a chance to make these points in my resume?

The basis of the Connecticut Re-Employment Group is to build relationships with people you can help (and vice versa), create a personal brand using tools available and finding ways through your expanding network to showcase your current skills and abilities. This is a first phase of chipping away at the hiring paradigm.

Here's the next piece in changing the paradigm that I hope will reinvigorate the CREG brand. Let's find ways to increase access to hiring managers and recruiters. Step one is connecting the CREG brand with local businesses. Specifically local businesses interested in playing a role in helping the unemployed by hosting meetings. This process is underway. Your thoughts and ideas are always welcome.

Here's where I see CREG in 6 months (or sooner). In addition to having businesses host meetings, participants can request to demonstrate their skills and abilities to the audience. The audience will consist of business owners, hiring managers and recruiters. Imagine that? Rome wasn't built in a day. Making changes to the hiring paradigm will take some time.

Are you on board? Am I nuts? It wouldn't be the first time. I hope that you will embrace this process!

Double your Facebook "Likes" in 30 days

My friend Marcia LaReau is relatively new to social media marketing. Her business, Forward Motion LLC teaches the principles of career management. In a recent 30 day stretch Marcia had the good fortune of doubling her Facebook "likes" on the Forward Motion page. I was curious to know how she did it and she was willing to share her process:

1. She reached out to friends on LinkedIn and Facebook.
2. She contacted her existing clients and those she has worked with in the past.
3. She invited her friends and clients to "like" her by sending a personal note to each person while promising to post content that would be beneficial to job seekers, the underemployed and the disenchanted members of our workforce. 

My favorite comment from Marcia was that her network told her they were "anxious to help her". This reminds me of a critical aspect of marketing...it helps when your business is perceived as credible and authentic.

Here's what I take from Marcia's strategy. She has made a weekly marketing commitment to touch those who have been a part of her life. She understands the opportunity to engage by using social media. She honors the fact that too many marketers bombard their prospects with useless information. She provides relevant content that can be shared with several desired demographics that she serves. She knows that her quality content will be shared with others leading to more potential "likes".

This formula will allow for consistent growth in both "likes" and in revenue.

You are welcome to share your social media engagement success stories.

The reason I love social media

I have given this a lot of thought and here's my conclusion for why I love social media:

I love conversations!

This may not sound like a revelation to you. I will make my case by constructing the elements of an effective conversation:

• Asking questions
• Listening
• Gathering information
• Re-stating others' observations
• Genuine interest in the person and subject 
• Mutual respect
• Discussing solutions or reasons to continue the conversation in the future

Conversations occur throughout the day. How many include all of these elements? Do people talk at you...or speak with you? 

The Connecticut Re-Employment Group on LinkedIn has grown to 500+ members. The number of posted discussions has not grown as the group has grown in size. I see this in other online groups as well. People struggle with initiating conversations. Social media has exposed this issue. 

Social media is a place to work on our conversations. We don't have the advantage of being face to face, but the opportunity to delve into conversations online is greater now than ever. Quality conversations lead to a higher level of engagement and ultimately quality relationships. We have our own reasons for building relationships. Let's take advantage of these powerful communication tools. 

If you like this post...let's have a conversation! 

Do you initiate, react or stay silent?

Since the inception of LinkedIn in May 2003 we have seen a spin off industry of experts who teach LinkedIn classes. Are you new to LinkedIn? Do you want to learn advanced techniques on LinkedIn? There's something for everyone who has a craving to understand this social media network.

LinkedIn has surpassed 100 million members and continues to grow. The percentage of users who initiate or react to content is much smaller. I call this "eliminating the social" from social media.

As a branding advocate I emphasize proactive behavior. I can post a profile on LinkedIn and hope that the masses find me...but that is not likely. How do we teach people to initiate and promote versus having a passive approach?

In Remarkable Personal Branding we focus on initiating and promoting. The LinkedIn world is waiting to hear from you...and your pursuits will be aided by your connections if you give them the chance to help you. When you determine your passions, unique attributes and personal mission you will be able to proclaim what it is that you want to be known for. You will have laid the foundation for a proactive mindset.

What is keeping you silent on social media? Let us help you break down the barriers and develop a remarkable brand!

And the survey says...

I posed the following question to the LinkedIn/Connecticut Re-Employment Group online community:

When you hear the term "personal branding" what is your reaction?

1. It's a central part of my career development plan. 
2. It makes sense and see how it may help...I don't have the interest to work on it. 
3. It's an abstract concept that is confusing. 
4. It's a marketing scam. 
5. None of the above. 

Most that have commented so far agree with the first answer and have provided the following commentary...

"Your brand is with you every minute of the day in every aspect of your life." 

"It needs to be projected through your actions in work, personal life and relationships to build trust and integrity." 

"We are always exuding something to those around us, we may as well proactively understand better, who we are and what we best have to put forth---to express our greatest impact." 


These comments are from individuals who see the true value of their brand. Others are in the lack of interest/confusing concept stage. My mission is to continue the dialogue and engage the believers...and skeptics. 


Please share a comment on your feelings about personal branding. 

Choices

How did you choose your doctor, lawyer, hairdresser, plumber, masseuse?

In title they are all the same. But they're not!

When you shop your talents do you have this mindset? "with all due respect to my competitors, they are not me!"

Outraged at the thought of saying that? If you are you are in dire need of developing a personal brand.

Personal branding is ignored by some because they don't see themselves as one of a kind. In life you can make few guarantees. One guarantee that is undeniable is the fact that there is only one you. Get used to it and relish it.

Join Remarkable Personal Branding on LinkedIn to begin the process of acknowledging your uniqueness and building a brand.