In the days of the Industrial Revolution employers looked for employees who could perform particular tasks. It didn't matter who you were or what your style or approach was. The question was just simply, could you do the task and how quickly could you do it with as few errors as possible. The skill was essentially interchangeable among people. As a result, employees could be viewed as commodities, with little or no need to distinguish between people for any reason other than skill level. This approach carried through into the post-Industrial Age and it still affects the way people think to this day (For example, is your resume just a collection of facts about past accomplishments?).
The challenge for people today is that employers are looking for someone who can do more than just a specifically defined task. Whether you're a cashier, a statistician, accountant or programmer employers are look for people who are creative, customer service oriented, brand ambassadors and more. Employers are looking to understand you - Your Personality. Your Style.
Why do you need to show more than just your skills to prove you're worthy of the next step? For starters we are all company sales representatives now. Even if you're not directly in sales, anytime you interact with others - clients, conference attendees, etc. - you are representing the company and everyone you work with. Your actions, beneficial or harmful to the business, can spread like wildfire on social media.
Take for instance this video of an airline steward:
How would you convey the value this steward brings to the company and it's clients? How would you describe that value in a resume? The standard resume that most people write, filled with facts of past performance and lacking personality would miss the exact point of why you might want to hire (or not hire) this person. He has a particular style that will work great in some environments and poorly in others. In order for him to be happy and successful, he needs to make sure he's both accepted and rejected by the right companies.
The industrial age job description would look like:
Provides safety information to passengers, locks door, provides beverage service.
Just the facts. Just do the job. Almost anyone could do it.
The new job description might look something like this:
Engage all passengers with preflight safety information by creating a interactive sing along, locks door, helps passengers feel at home and at ease with friendly beverage service.
It incorporates the same facts as well some more about the person. What makes his style more engaging. More likely for management or a recruiter to notice and engage with. This is part of what personal branding is all about.
Whether you are currently looking for a promotion, new position or not you need to first understand your value beyond the tasks and skills you have and how others perceive you. You are more than a simple collection of skills and past accomplishments.
A great way to get some feedback to help you describe yourself in this way is to get feed back from others. The 360 Reach Personal Branding Assessment let you get feedback from others anonymously. Both a free and a premium version are available. Find out which is right for you.
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