Be the Entrepreneur of Your Career

November 2009

If the summer months were any indication, this holiday season is likely to be slow when it comes to generating new business or job leads. Which means that this is the perfect time to map out your plan for 2010.

Before you get that tryptophan-induced lethargy that lasts until New Year's, set some goals and get going on your personal marketing plan. You don't want to wake up with a career hangover on January 1. Instead, be ready to go with an energized campaign for the coming year.

To do this, take an entrepreneurial approach to your career. This may mean becoming an entrepreneur. At the very least, it means acting like one, something I discuss more in this recent Star-News article.

bluefeet is working hard this holiday season to be sure clients are ready for 2010. Workshops will run in both November and December, so sign up now. Check online for dates.

What Would Nike Do?

Can you imagine Nike, Coca-Cola or Apple putting out a press release groaning about the crappy day they've had? Or giving the world a blow-by-blow of a messy divorce? Or just complaining about the neighbors? If you had your own business, would you do this?

Of course not. In fact, when bad things happen to companies, they do their best to mitigate any news about it. Especially the companies that know the value of their brand.

But people post things like this into the universe every day, sometimes several times a day. And a search of your name, which every recruiter will do, could reveal this less-than-flattering information.

Make sure your social media content is consistent with your brand - you on your very best day. Use Twitter, Facebook and Linked in to promote your brand, not tarnish it. It may be possible that 140 characters, used wisely, can get you where you want to go. It did for one person in this NPR story.

Become a Real Business

Perhaps you've been hedging your bets by picking up a little consulting work while you look for a job. Something to keep some funds coming in until the real thing happens.

Demonstrate your professionalism by becoming a real business. I don't mean incorporating or other issues of legal structure, although you can do that. I mean marketing yourself like a real business - with a logo, Web site, collateral material, elevator pitch, case studies.

True, there are people who have managed to make a living with barely even a business card. They get all their business through word-of-mouth. But I can tell you from experience that if you want the high-level gigs, you need to look like a high-level consultant. LinkedIn is good, but a smart-looking pdf or Web site will give your connectors something better to share about you.

The more credible and professional you look, the more comfortable someone will be spreading the word about you. A Web site, brochure or, at the very least, a unique business card, is the like having a smart, new interview suit for your marketing content.

Career-Change Inspiration

What do astrophysics and finance have to do with each other? They both involve math, but it isn't entirely obvious why an expert in nuclear fusion would make an outstanding financier or go on to become a top executive of one of the world's largest companies - Citibank.

But Hamid Biglari communicated how his skills would transfer, which is how he made the jump from the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory to big business.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article: "He had no business experience, but cold-called management consultancy McKinsey & Co. to ask for a job. He managed to sell them on his analytical skills and understanding of complex predictive computer models, which were then beginning to be used in finance to assess risk. They hired him as an associate, and Dr. Biglari made partner in four years, soon leading McKinsey's investment banking practice and Ph.D. recruiting program."

Look beyond your last title or job, and dig into what it took to do that job. Break it down into your skills and talents. That's what you really have to offer.

Build Your Own Buzz

Have you ever noticed how you start hearing about politicians before they seek office? They begin raising their profile and creating buzz. Then, by the time they announce that they're running, you already know about them.

This is career marketing for the gainfully employed, and for the person who wants to have control over their future. One major lesson of the recession is that you can't leave your personal marketing until the day you need a job.

The solution: Raise your profile now, and keep it up. Be visible, both inside and outside of your company. Write articles. Speak at industry meetings. Be on committees. Mentor and be mentored. Connect to those of your ilk and those outside your profession.

In short, become known. Then when it's time for a new job, either inside or outside the company, you'll already be on the list.

Get Your bluefeet Ready for 2010

Last spring I wrote about getting ready for 2010. Here it is already. The bluefeet workshop and private branding packages are designed to help those who are job seekers, consultants and those doing both. Find out more in this press release or at the bluefeet web site. It would be my privilege to help you discover what makes you so special and tell the world all about it.

Find out more