Annena Aikins

Quick Tips for Writing A Great Bio

Are you trying to write your bio but having trouble deciding what to include in it?  Since your bio is a self-marketing document that people will read when trying to get to know you better, you want to make sure you send the right message.  A good way to gather your thoughts about what to put in your bio is to answer these questions:

1. Who is my audience?
2. What issues or problems are affecting my audience?
3. What accomplishments or activities in my career are relevant to my audiences needs?
4. What am I doing now to help solve problems for my audience?
5. What is my message to my audience?
6. How am I unique or different from others in my industry?

The answers to these questions should provide you with a good foundation for your bio.  You should have enough information to fill out the body of a one-page bio.  Remember you do not need to tell the audience your complete work history and all of your academic achievements.  Just focus on career and educational highlights that are most relevant and that will build credibility.

SELF MARKETING 101

BRANDING TIPS FOR CAREERISTS AND ENTREPRENEURS

I am helping a client recruit for an open position and after scanning through 150 resumes out of 223 submissions I am completely UNDERWHELMED!  In a "normal" economy this job would likely attract up to 20 - 30 resumes, however I have received a whopping 223 and still counting.  Now, with so many people out of work, you would think that some would step up their game and dazzle me a little and make me want to give their resume a good hard look. 

HOWEVER, I have been getting lazy errors:

• A person with a Bachelors in English had misspellings in his cover letter

• Over 60% of the resumes or cover letters had typos

• Between 20-25 people listed the WRONG job title

• Approx. 30% - 40% of the submissions lacked cover letters (which was requested in the job announcement)

• Several people submitted resumes with OBJECTIVE statements that said they were looking for specific types of positions, other than the one that they were applying

• Some applicants included odd statements in their e-mails, like - "I can't attach my resume because my trial Word subscription expired" 

Many submitted resumes with these types of errors while lacking the required experience or education. 

Often recruiters will consider applicants who lack some of the preferred education or experience when that person provides a compelling reason of how they can compensate for not meeting the requirement.

If this was a class - Self Marketing 101, 99% of the class would fail.  How can this be?  The economy is bad, people need jobs.  So why do I have to repost this position (that has no benefits) when I received 223 resumes and counting?

THE PERSONAL BRANDING LESSON

In this economy, more people are applying for a limited number of jobs and business owners have a smaller pool of buyers for their services.  One would say there is greater competition, however I disagree.  There is just more people clogging up the channels that lead to the opportunities - BUT THEY ARE NOT COMPETITION.  Most of the people applying operate the same way, they look the same (on paper), they act the same and they make the same mistakes (as pointed out above). 

LESSON #1 - GET NOTICED, STAND OUT IN A CROWD

Only 2 people out of 223 (.008%) decided to write something catchy in the e-mail subject line to standout.  With that many people applying for a position, a recruiter will not have the time to review every single resume.  So, if you do the ordinary and write only the position title in the subject line, your e-mail looks like everyone else’s and may not get opened.

This lesson also applies to ENTREPRENEURS who are marketing and networking - doing the same as everyone else.  You have been to the network luncheons where everyone gets up and has 1-minute to say something about their business.  DOES ANYONE EVER SAY ANYTHING MEMORABLE? Think about it, unless you have an immediate need for a particular service, you are not going to remember all the bank representatives or insurance agents who stand up and say the same thing...

"My name is Joe, and I have been selling insurance for 5 years.  My insurance company has some great products that could save you money..."

THE OPPORTUNITY - by developing your brand and understanding your unique qualities you can draft communication materials and elevator pitches that are memorable and are different.

Your brand can be something directly related to your profession, like being a super caring and nurturing doctor or unrelated like being a naturally funny person who also is a salesman.

For example, Joe our insurance professional gets up and tells a joke (as long as he is funny) or makes comedy apart of his 1-minute sale pitch.  He also makes it apart of his communication materials and delivers the same message (with comedy) consistently at every opportunity.  Eventually, people will remember him as the funny insurance guy, so when the need to buy insurance arises - guess who will come to mind?

Likewise for CAREERIST, if you are trying to get an interview for a position that tons of other people are applying for, then use your gifts to get noticed.  Make the recruiter want to look at your resume by being creative with your e-mail subject line, e-mail message and cover letters.  Tell the recruiter how you are unique and make them interested in learning more about you.  A word of caution, get creative but don't go overboard and scare the recruiter, you still have to make a good impression and prove that you are the right person for the job.

To be continued...

 

Protecting Your Brand On-line

A good reputation is worth its weight in gold.  Serious entrepreneurs protect their brands fiercely because a good rep will bring you business and a bad one will cause you to lose it.  It is important that your on-line identity is consistent with your brand message.  People will “Google" you when they want to learn more about you, especially if they are considering doing business with you. Having undesirable personal information on social networking sites can cause damage to your brand. 

Kirsten Dixson and William Arruda authors of Career Distinction dedicated an entire chapter to protecting your on-line identity.  They suggest that you Google yourself regularly and clean up anything that can tarnish or contradicts your brand.  Reputation Defender helps people clean up their on-line reputations. 

Check out Kirsten on the Today Show, talking about On-line Identity Etiquette.

 

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Finding Your Business Niche

In business, I like the ideal of specialty shops.  I think having a niche business is a good way to build a strong brand and successful business.  People will go an extra mile and spend a couple of extra dollars to buy from their favorite bakery or deli. 

Consumers are sick of the cookie cutter ideal of business.  People want something unique, fresh and different. 

With a good business plan, you can turn your special talent or skill into a thriving business.

I found this clip about specialty cup cake shops that are doing well in this economy, check it out.

Great Small Business Ideals

There are companies both large and small that are thriving in this economy.  Mary Kay Cosmetics Consultants are among the many that actually reporting that business is booming.  Women want to look good even in bad times.  If you are good at sales and like make up, this might be an ideal way to make some extra cash.  Get it started by throwing a pamper party - invite friends and family over for free facials, mini-makeovers and food!