News Release
U R A BRAND - Ben Franklin Award winner for Best Career Book 2007 – has practical ideas and tactics for new grads, executives stuck in the mid-level and entrepreneurs trying to build a business.
Corporate icons, star athletes and entertainers - they all have what it takes to be in control and in demand - a unique brand. Brand strategy expert Catherine Kaputa takes strategies and tactics straight from the playbook used by Madison Avenue advertising executives and applies them to your most important product - You.
Her new book, U R a Brand, How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success (Davies- Black 2006) just received the Ben Franklin award for best career Book 2007 from the Independent Publishers Association. It also received a bronze medal in the IPPY awards for best career book 2007, and was a finalist for Career Book of the Year 2007 from Foreword magazine.
“The first thing you want too do,” Kaputa counsels, “is to think of yourself more strategically and creatively. And never is this more true than for new graduates who don’t have much or any job experience. So, it’s critical to think beyond your transcript to position yourself well."
Here are some ideas for new graduates:
1. Think beyond your actual job history and coursework
Most people woefully undermarket themselves, particularly new grads. They just think in terms of specific skills they’ve learned and job functions, not what they actually know and can do.
If you have participated in a group classroom project, you are skilled in "cross-functional team collaboration." Place it prominently on your resume. Do all your papers on deadline at 3 am? List "performs well in demanding, competitive work environment" as a key trait - it’s an attribute highly sought after in many industries. Do your best thinking with three things going at once like my son? Then you’re "proficient in processing large amounts of information and juggling multiple projects at once."
2. Keep a Brag Book
Most people fumble when an interviewer asks them about job accomplishments and achievements. And it’s even harder for new grads because most think they haven’t done anything yet.
Failing to market yourself well in a job interview is less likely to happen if you keep a "brag book." Keep a notebook or file of accomplishments, complimentary letters and emails, newspaper clippings, and successful school assignments.
You can even put important job or even classroom projects in a case study format, outlining Challenge, Action, Results, to dramatize your achievements. Put a positive comment a boss, colleague or professor in quotes at the top or bottom of your project "case study." That way you’ll have a ready prep document to review along with the research you’ve done on the company. And you can leave it with the interviewer at the end of the meeting as a memorable leave-behind.
3. Tell a Story with Your Resume
Don’t make your resume a laundry list of jobs and skills. Think of telling a story about Brand You. A resume that sells you must focus on a message and use action words to bring your self-brand story to life.
Put a positioning statement at the top that defines you and the value you can bring in an interesting way. Follow it with a succinct list of key skills and knowledge areas. All the detail in your chronological list of jobs, internships, awards and courses should relate to each other. The body of the resume should tell a cohesive and intriguing story about you and what you’ve done, and of course, it must be relevant to the job you are seeking.
4. Break Ground on Building a Network
You’ll find the more people you know, the more opportunities will come your way, and the more help will be there when you need it. After all, business success is about accessibility. And networking gives you accessibility.
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June 27, 2007
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Catherine Kaputa
Brand strategist, speaker and author
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U R A BRAND
How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success.
By Catherine Kaputa with foreword by Al Ries.
Ben Franklin award - best career book 2007
Advance praise from
Tom Peters, Jack Trout,
Phil Kotler, Bill Roedy,
Jay Conrad Levinson
Click to find out more
Who We Are
Catherine Kaputa is a brand strategist, speaker and author. She is president of
SelfBrand, a marketing consultancy that works with companies and individuals
who want to unlock the optimum marketing focus and game plan.
Speaking and Workshops: Visit www.selfbrand.com
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