141:  Professional Branding in a Career Change with Jenn Smith

Today on the Career Clarity Show we are excited to feature Career Clarity coach, Jenn Smith, as your host! A note from Jenn: It is an honor to be here to talk about one of my favorite topics: professional branding in a career change. 

We’re digging deep into what a professional brand is, how to build and refine your brand, and finally, how to bring your brand to life. Just like a good business and marketing strategy, you must understand what makes you valuable, what differentiates you and why someone would hire you. I’m going to break down some recommendations on how to showcase your brand in your job search. 

Show Notes:

• Professional brand workbook download
• Ultimate Guide to Transferable Skills
• Hard & Soft Skills – What They Are and How to Show Them Off
• Branching Out, A Guide To Refreshing Your Brand
• Want to learn more about our strategic framework for successful career change? Download The Roadmap to Career Fulfillment ebook right here!

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Transcript

Lisa Lewis Miller  0:04   

Welcome to the Career Clarity Show. If you want to create a career path you’ll love, you’re in the right place. I’m Lisa Lewis Miller, career change coach, published author and your host, and each week, we’ll bring you personal transformation stories, advice and insights from experts about how you can find a more fulfilling, soulful and joyful career.

Jenn Smith  0:30  

Welcome to the Career Clarity Show. I’m Jen Smith, Career Clarity Show coach and your host for today’s solo episode of the podcast. It is an honor to be here with you today to talk about one of my favorite topics, which is professional branding, specifically when making a career change. So we are going to talk through what a professional brand is, how to build your brand, including your transferable skills, how to refine your brand, and then finally, how to bring your brand to life. Before we get into the content, I wanted to share a quick story. My first job out of college was with Frito Lay, which is part of PepsiCo and I was a frontline supervisor in a potato chip factory. And I worked the overnight shift. So making potato chips in the middle of the night was not my dream job out of college. Although I learned more about running a business in this role than any other job, mostly because I didn’t want to be the one to call my boss at three o’clock in the morning when I couldn’t make a decision. So I worked at Frito Lay in various manufacturing and distribution roles for four years. And then I started to contemplate the big what’s next question. So after discussions with a lot of people and networking, and a lot of overthinking, I decided that I wanted to make a major pivot into human resources. And so when I first decided to make a career pivot from operations management, into human resources, my manager told me, No, I didn’t have the standard HR education. I didn’t have the appropriate work experience. And I didn’t have the right network. But I did have a positive and creative mindset. I did understand the business from the ground up quite literally. And I did have the scrappiness to roll up my sleeves and do whatever it took to make this change happen. So I built on those skills to gain the experiences that I needed. It wasn’t easy. And then a lot of extra work, ambiguous projects, and very difficult jobs along the way. One of the things that the company valued in HR leaders was union experience. And I have never worked at that point, I had never worked in a union environment. So I ended up taking a job as an operations manager within a union environment. So I switched locations and got some experience in a union environment. This was the worst slash most difficult job I’ve ever done. But the location of this role was at our regional headquarters, where our HR vice president was located. And I knew that if I took this role, I not only would get that union experience, but I’d also expand my network and be able to have counterpart in HR that I would work with. And that person eventually came became my mentor. And so doing this extra and not so fun work showcased my eagerness and proved my ability to want it to be an HR and to be successful in HR. I gained that union experience, I built my network. And lucky for me, when a junior level HR role role opened up at a location that no one else wanted, it was literally in the middle of nowhere, they gave me a chance and the rest is history have spent 15 plus years in human resources and talent roles since then. So my intent was sharing this quick story is to shine some light on first, transferable skills and experience. It’s a difficult concept for a lot of our clients to get the hang of. So hopefully this story shows shines a little bit of light on that for you. And then also I feel like if I can make this kind of a change in my career Early in my career, you can do it too. So as I mentioned, we are going to talk about three main objectives, one, building your brand, what is your professional brand and why it’s important when making a change. refining your brand, which is where we dive into your transferable skills, and then bringing your brand to life. So I’m going to make some recommendations on how to showcase your brand in your job search. Just like a good business and marketing strategy, you must understand what makes you valuable, what differentiates you and why someone would hire you. So positioning yourself as a high value hire from the very start begins with your brand.

So I know that professional branding is kind of a buzz term, but it really is an important piece of career, especially when making a change. It’s about differentiating yourself and standing out among the crowd. And the best way to stand out is to be yourself, there is no one else out there like you. And I will tell you from being on the inside as a hiring manager, an HR leader, a recruiter, companies want to hire humans, they do not want to hire robots, they do not want to hire corporate jargon, they want to hire humans. And so that’s where your brand comes in, it showcases who you are and what you stand for. A special side note here, your professional brand is not your job title. So a lot of people begin by thinking that their brand is their job title. And in reality, when you think about that, your job title does not make you unique. Your job title does not tell people what you stand for. Your job title doesn’t even showcase where you stand in a hierarchy. And not to mention a specialist at one company is completely different from a specialist at another company. So when you think about what you want to be known for, my guess, is that it’s not simply your job title. So what is your professional brand, so it is a combination of how you see yourself and how others see you. It’s the way in which you are recognized and remembered in your career. And it’s a result of consciously bringing your unique qualities and skills together for a purpose. And when you’re making a career change. It’s a balance of where you’ve been with where you want to go. And so your unique brand, no one has your skills and experiences from your career. And it’s really going to bring together your value and position you as that high valuable hire. So what do you stand for? When thinking about your professional brand? What do you stand for is a big question. And one of the ways that I like to work with folks in determining this is to start with the end in mind. So imagine your future self in your next best role. And then think about how does your future self spend your day? Who is in your professional network? What skills do you have? What are you achieving in your career? What do you value most in your career? So visualizing yourself at a time of peak success will help you both define who you are, and what you stand for. So the second thing to think about when defining your brand, are what are the three things you want someone to know about you when they first meet you. So for me, I want people to know that I am on a mission to help career minded professionals align their head and their heart to their career, and enjoy a radiantly happy and healthy career. I want people to know that I have insider insights and experiences as an HR and a talent acquisition leader. And I want people to know I care. I love this work. And I want to help as many people as possible, find work they love. So those are the three things that I want people to know. And I hope that it comes out in every interaction that I have with people. I get it. This is hard. It’s not easy. It’s not something you can whip up in five minutes. But putting the time and energy into this now will support your search and frankly, your entire career. And so once you have an idea of this overarching career story, what you stand for and what you want to be known for, it’s time to clearly articulate your brand. So it resonates and is memorable with other people, ideally, your top companies. And to do this one of the best ways to do this when you’re making a career change is to leverage your transferable and experience, skills and experiences.

So as I mentioned before, I know that transferable skills and experiences is a place I see a lot of job seekers get stuck. And it makes sense because you’re in your head all day long and it’s hard to take a step back and showcase what you have to offer so transferrable skills and experience are the skills used in one role or industry that can also be useful in another role, a new company or a different sector. So transferable skills can be hard skills, such as like competencies like bookkeeping, or accounting. They can be soft skills, which are, you know, traits, like empathy, or they could even be leadership skills. So quick example. And this is kind of an extreme example, but I think it’ll paint the picture for you. So if you are a dental hygienists, let’s say, cleaning teeth is a critical hard skill, but it most likely will not transfer to anything else. However, a dental hygienist likely has amazing customer service skills and the ability to make patients feel safe and comfortable, which is highly transferable into a new role or a new industry. So in order to identify your transferable skills, there are three steps. So first, you want to identify the skills that you need in your next best job. So dissect 10 different job descriptions of the role that you’re looking to go into, talk to people who do the work, understand what skills and experiences are needed to be successful in your next best role. Then what you want to do is think through how you’ve done all of those skills and experiences at work or in your personal life, volunteer work counts. And then from there, you want to summarize the skills and experiences that you have. And that will serve you in your new path. So it’s almost like drawing on a piece of paper, you have a column of the things that you need, the skills and experiences you need, and then the skills and experiences you have and then relating the two. To give you a boost, I have a handful of in demand transferable skills that you might want to consider. So just in today’s world of work, there are a couple things that that are in demand a couple skills that are in demand that I wanted to share with you. So being agile or adaptable, can you roll with the punches, so to speak, because there has been a lot of them over the last couple years, companies are looking for people who can adjust and thrive in response to change. The second one that I came up with here is self motivated or independent. So are you the kind of worker who complete your projects, even when there’s a challenge? Or can you complete your tasks and projects without even being asked to do them? Especially working from home, being self motivated, and independent is a huge skill. And I know a lot of folks that I work with working remote or having flexibility in their schedule is definitely something they’re looking for in their career. So if you can highlight this on your, within your brand on your resume, your LinkedIn profile anywhere people are going to encounter your brand, that’s going to showcase that you can get the job done without even being asked. Problem solving is basic. But companies hire candidates who can solve problems, they are posting a job, they want to hire you because you can solve all of their problems. So having that eagerness to find fresh solutions is critical in today’s working world. The fourth one I came up with here is resourceful. So again, especially with folks wanting to be virtual or working alternate schedules, or whatever it is, companies want people who can find innovative ways to overcome obstacles and get results. And then finally, tech savvy. So this one goes without saying so everything from even when I was operating manufacturing equipment in, you know, the manufacturing world, those PLC screens, you have to be technically savvy for those working from a home office and being able to figure out when there’s glitches, all of that is super important and essential in today’s working world.

The other thing around transferable skills is that a lot of functional skills are highly transferable across industries. For example, I worked in human resources in food and beverage manufacturing. And then I moved into technology distribution, and then I moved into biotech. So those functional HR skills are transferable across three industries. Same thing here. So someone who is a great account manager can manage accounts in the fashion industry, or the EdTech industry. Someone who is a rockstar accountant can be an accountant in the healthcare industry, or in the publishing industry. They’re highly, highly transferable. So once you’ve identified your transferable skills, you’re going to want to showcase those skills throughout your Search. So now that we’ve identified our brand, we understand who we are and what we stand for. We’ve got our transferable skills and experiences identified, it’s time to refine our brand. And so when you think about refining your brand, it’s really about distilling it into words. So words matter. And you want to keep that in mind as you’re thinking through this step. So you don’t want to use words that are dull and overused, you want to use words that make people want to jump in and learn more, especially if we’re talking about a resume or LinkedIn profile. So if you’re having trouble coming up with brand words, one of the things that’s super easy is to phone a friend, you could just call or text somebody or email them and just say, hey, so and so I’m working on, you know, refreshing my professional brand, can you share five words that would describe me and just see what they say. And then you can bring, you know, ask a couple people and bring those back and analyze them and figure out the words that are going to jump out at people and that really resonate with you. Another way to approach this is by getting to know the companies that you want to work with. So this helps you understand the company’s personality, you can look at words that they use to describe their company and their employees. And if those words resonate with you use them make it easy for that employer to know that you’re the perfect person for the job. And what I recommend here is narrowing your list to five words. And then you can use those words as you bring your brand to life, which is what we’re going to talk about next. So now we’ve just to regroup, we built our brand determined what we stand for understand our transferable experiences and skills. We’ve refined our brand by identifying our brand words. And now it’s time to bring your brand to life. So the question to think about here is, where might others encounter your brand. So think about all the places to showcase your brand. And then the trick here is to make sure you’re telling a consistent story. So for example, resume and LinkedIn, I’ve mentioned a couple times here. And the reason I mentioned those is because when I was a recruiter, I would get a resume. And the first thing I would do is click into LinkedIn. And so now I have someone’s resume and their LinkedIn profile side by side, I’m getting a full picture of this person. And I want to make sure I understand who they are, what they stand for, and what they’re looking for in their career. Some other places you could bring your brand to life is in networking, or informational interview conversations. So telling people really succinctly who you are, what you stand for, and what you’re looking for, is a great way to start a conversation, people are going to want to help you when you’re job searching, they just have to know how to help you. And so when you define and refine your brand in this way, it’s very easy for you to share, share that in a conversation. Your cover letter is a great place to showcase your skills and experiences and tell a story about how you plan to use your transferable skills and experiences and add value to the team. I know that there are a lot of thoughts about cover letters. I always say if you have the opportunity, especially when you’re making a change if you have the opportunity to share your story in a cover letter. Why wouldn’t you so use that as an opportunity to showcase who you are, what you stand for, highlight those transferable and skills and experiences you never know.

Interviews are a great way to highlight your transferable skills and experiences and to let people know about your professional brands. We’ve talked about LinkedIn a little bit. Obviously, LinkedIn is your electronic profile if you’re working in the professional world. And so ideally, your brand is going to jump out when someone encounters your LinkedIn profile. And then you might think of other social media platforms. So if you’re a writer, you know, maybe you’re on Twitter, or if you are an HR professional and involved in different associations. Maybe you have profiles on Sherm or other organizations that you want to make sure your brand comes to life in those places, too. So I want to talk through again, I mentioned the resume on LinkedIn, I want to talk through each of these really quickly, just to give you an idea of how you can bring your brand to life and each of these places. So LinkedIn, I personally believe that LinkedIn is more important than your resume. I know this is a very controversial statement. And not all professions are on LinkedIn. I totally get that. So if you’re a classroom educator, or maybe you work in the restaurant industry, you might not use LinkedIn as much as the professional world, but for those that do, this is your place to meet other professionals virtually. And I love the mission statement of LinkedIn, which is so simple, but it’s to connect the world’s professionals and make them more productive and successful. That’s it. It’s not Facebook, it’s not Instagram, it’s not Twitter is a professional network. And LinkedIn does a great job of keeping it professional. And so I know a lot of people use LinkedIn just for that easy Apply button, it’s very tempting, or we’re doomed scrolling, you know, your your feed there. But LinkedIn can and should be much more of that. And so a couple places that you can highlight your brand is obviously on your profile. And the top places are your first your photos. So as humans, we are wired to look for faces, it adds personality behind the words, and it is the first thing people are going to see when visiting your profile. So having an engaging photo that showcases who you are and what you stand for, is ideal. You don’t have to spend a lot of money, you can take this with your iPhone on a on a tripod, and you know, sitting in your favorite workspace, whatever it is, but make sure you have a clear visual of yourself. Background banners are something a lot of people miss on their LinkedIn profile. But you can also bring your brand to life by having a really smart background photo. So you know, you could do something related to your industry or related to the role that you’re interested in.

So your headline on your LinkedIn profile is like a newspaper headline, you want to capture the reader’s attention immediately. It’s only 120 characters, so you have to get creative. But this is an opportunity to represent and differentiate yourself. So you want to include those brand words, you want to pinpoint exactly what you do. And you want to showcase any unique skills that are passionate about the role or the industry that you want to go into. So for example, mine says Career Coaching consultants, and then former talent acquisition and HR leader. So those are the two big things I want people to know when they see my LinkedIn profile. You can also get some ideas from others out there. So check out some mentors or colleagues or anyone that you’re interested, you know, in checking out to get you some ideas, I saw a few good ones, I went through a training and saw a few good ones that that said, data center tech by day, photographer by nights. So that one sounds like somebody has a side hustle, which is kind of cool. And then I saw pilots at American Airlines had connecting people to the world by piloting Boeing 750 sevens. So I thought that was really compelling and interesting as well. So you’ve got your photos, you’ve got your headline, and then your about section. So I see so many profiles that don’t even have anything in their about section. This is your time to shine. This is your place to showcase who you are, what you do, why it matters to you and the impact you want to have. So that is your those are the top places on your LinkedIn profile. Now let’s talk about your resume. There are four key places to easily highlight your resume or highlight your brand on your resume. And you want to keep in mind that your resume is a story. You’re not just regurgitating your entire work history. It’s a balance of where you’ve been with where you want to go. So same thing as your LinkedIn profile, you want to have a headline on your resume. And this can be again, similar to a newspaper headline, the easiest thing to put in your headline is the job title of the job you’re applying for. And you can you know, find that either in if there is a job description, or if there’s a general job title type, like customer success manager, whatever it might be, that you’re looking for, go ahead and put that as your title. I love including a professional profile on a resume. This is a great place to add a subheading and include your brand words. So if someone was going to be say, a creative director, so they’ve got their name and their title, Creative Director in their headline, then they can use some more brand words for their professional profile. So maybe they’ve got a subheading that says, creative strategist thought starter, cutting edge concepts. So those are really engaging words that showcase that this person wants to be at the forefront of all things creative. It’s a perfect place to leverage your brand words. And then you can even include a couple sentences about who you are and what you’re looking for.

The third place on your resume is your related work experience. So this is where you highlight your transferable skills in and experiences, you do not need to include your entire work history, you can include just what you need as it relates to where you’re going. That’s why this is related work experience, showcase your transferable skills, showcase your transferable experiences. And then the final section on your resume is your skills and expertise section. So I love including a skill section on your resume, it’s such an easy place to build your brand. And again, words matter people are skimming your resume. And when you can articulate your skills, your transferable skills, right there on one page, it really brings people in, it’s a place to show your hard skills, your leadership skills, and your soft skills as it relates to the job you want. So now that we’ve talked about a few places to bring your brand to life, I want to make a special note about consistency. So the number one mistake I see people make with building their brand is consistency, you must tell a cohesive story across all the platforms. So my favorite analogy for talking about the importance of consistency is related to party planning. Now I have to preface this by saying I am the worst party planner, I would much rather have a spontaneous backyard barbecue than plan something extravagant. But nonetheless, I have found that this is a good example. And it seems to resonate. So if you’re planning a party, and you wish to have a theme for this party, you are likely going to pick one theme. So maybe it’s a backyard laidback gathering, or perhaps it’s a 70s disco party, you’re going to have one or the other. Can you imagine combining both of these themes into one party. So you might end up with some great stories and probably even better photos, although it wouldn’t make much sense and it’s likely going to cause confusion to your guests. Same thing for a recruiter who has your resume that says you’re a social media manager, and then head on over to LinkedIn where your headline says video game industry guru, creative blogger, digital marketing specialist, it’s just kind of jumbled. Of course I get that social media manager might be under the umbrella of digital marketing. Although it’s not a consistent story about who you are and what you’re looking for. Again, most recruiters are going to use your resume and your LinkedIn profile side by side and they must tell a cohesive story. Alright, so now it is time to summarize. Your professional brand is a result of consciously bringing together your unique traits, your skills and experiences and it positions you as a highly valuable hire. You build your brand by thinking about your future, in your next best role in identifying those transferable skills and experiences. You refine your brand by identifying your brand words, and then you bring your brand to life through consistent application wherever people are going to encounter you. Again, transferable skills can be hard skills, they can be soft skills, or they can be leadership skills, and your brand should be consistently showcased where others are going to find you. I realized that this can sometimes be easier said than done. So I pulled together a few articles and resources that we will have in the show notes for you. And with that we are bringing today’s episode to a close. Thank you again for joining me on the Career Clarity Show today. And as always, you can find the notes from today’s episode at get Career Clarity show.com/podcast. Talk to you next time.

Lisa Lewis Miller  29:24  

And that’s a wrap. Let us know what you thought about today’s episode. Leave us a review on Apple podcasts. Because not only can your stars and word to help us find great guests and topics to feature on future episodes. Your input also helps other people find the resources they need to discover the work that lights them up. And make sure to check out my book Career Clarity Show finally find the work that fits your values and lifestyle. For the link to order it go to GetCareerClarity.com/book And don’t forget to get your other tools resources and helpful goodies at GetCareerClarity.com/podcast Thanks again for joining us for the Career Clarity Show today. And remember, if you don’t love your work, we should talk because life is too short to be doing work that doesn’t light you up. Talk to you next time