Blog: Terri Horton, MBA, MA

Without a doubt, the process of job search has evolved substantially over the course of the past decade. For candidates that are back on the market for the first time in years, the process of job search can be daunting at best.  One of the most significant changes is how the resume has become more of a function of the application process, as opposed to the primary tool used to garner access to choice interviews and opportunities.

A substantial amount of job search and candidate selection takes place in social networking platforms. This too has evolved as employers opt to post free versus paid job listings  and actively seek out millions of  both passive and active job seekers in these environments. Additionally, candidates with solid professional brands and professional biographies have  access to and can  directly contact decision makers like never before.

To compete in online and social networking platforms such as linkedin.com, the premier professional networking site with over 240 million users, candidates must have a professional biography, an online profile and post personal advertisements to tout their brand and proactively seek out opportunities. The age of active job search without a social networking strategy  has passed. Candidates must proactively utilize both traditional and online social networking sites to increase their odds of securing a position ahead of the competition and to leverage a  relevant presence online.

Are you still conducting your job search without a professional biography and online profile? TLT Consulting Services specializes in personal branding, career reinvention and career marketing strategies. Let TLT Consulting Services help you begin the process of job search with a branded professional biography that you can use to seek out opportunities in social networking platforms. Let TLT Consulting Services, "Show You The Power Of Your Personal Brand!"

Until next time,

Terri Horton, MBA,MA

President

TLT Consulting Services, LLC

www. tltconsultingservices.com

800.793.4308

The power of fear and its impact on our ability to move forward with career aspirations and career reinvention strategies can be profound. However, today's economic climate is such that many job seekers for the first time are now faced with the challenge of having to manage through the process of career reinvention.

Fear is powerful, deceitful and paralyzing and can rob job seekers of their full career potential everyday. In fact, many job seekers have worked in the same functional area or industry for years and have a difficult time realizing and embracing how their experience, background and skills can be repositioned for new opportunities. Moreover, there are myriads of job seekers that would like to launch a career in a new industry or sub-set of their current industry, yet are fearful or unsure of how to begin the process.

As an example, I worked with a client that had over a decade of experience in the field of medical billing. In her role at the time, there were no further advancement opportunities, she had neither a college degree nor a state certification for her field. As a result, she was convinced that if she left, she would not be able to secure viable employment in the field. This was a remarkable client! She was resilient, hardworking, mindful and sharp, yet understandably fearful of leaving. She had years of experience across multiple functional areas, had created value by implementing processes that fundamentally drove business for her employer and was literally a resident expert. I worked with her to create a personal brand and then repositioned her for opportunities in which she could leverage her talent and experience as an expert in the medical billing industry. She was amazed by the fact that, yes, without degrees or certifications, her years of experience and accomplishments had not only positioned her as an expert in her field, but yielded opportunities for teaching medical billing at for profit colleges as well as executive recruiting opportunities with agencies specializing in medical billing placement. This process was both transformational and empowering for the client!

Are you interested in launching a career in a new industry? Have you considered the process of career reinvention? Do you work in an industry that has been substantially impacted the economy and has diminishing job prospects? Is fear holding you back from repositioning or reinventing your career? TLT Consulting Services specializes in personal branding and career reinvention. Let us show you the power of your personal brand and help you begin the process of brand building and career reinvention today!

Until next week...

Terri Horton, MBA,MA

TLT Consulting Services, LLC

800.793.4308

www.tltconsultingservices.com

www.linkedin.com/in/tltconsultingservices

The economic challenges we face will no doubt continue to have debilitating effects on employment levels, consumer confidence, spending and ultimately career choices and opportunities. However, the remaining months of this year still provide opportunities for job seekers, career reinventionists and transitional job seekers. A positive outlook and a high level of confidence will propel those that remain resilient and committed to their search. This week, I offer you a challenge: Irrespective of the challenges we face relative to the job market, will you have the confidence to utilize your personal brand to create and drive your own career opportunities?

You must be confident that the value you deliver is completely evidenced. You must be confident that you are the best candidate for the job, not just because you say so, but because you are an expert in your field, have a solid command of competitive intelligence and can leverage both into viable business or corporate solutions. You must be confident that when you click on the "apply now" button that the sum of your value is concisely packaged and delivered by way of your resume or professional biography to ensure that you will be called for an interview. You must be confident that you are optimizing social media platforms, building a solid online professional network and are capable of directly marketing yourself to decision makers.  You must be confident that when interviewing, you clearly articulate your value experience, accomplishments and competitive edge. You must be confident that when offered a position  you will continue to deliver on your claim of expert status and promise of enviable value. Ultimately, you must be confident that in a economy with a shrinking pool of job opportunities and record numbers of job seekers as competitors, that you are absolutely projecting your best professional personal brand.

The job of your personal brand strategist is to assist you in developing, executing and communicating an authentic and consistent brand image representative of what you stand for, the associated value you deliver, position your competitive advantage and infuse you with the confidence that you need to both attain and sustain the opportunities that you desire. Confidence is what you will need to weather the coming months. Confidence in your solid brand will insulate you from stagnating, from floundering, from diminishing focus and from loosing out to the competition. Whether you are searching for a new opportunity or reinventing your career, confidence in your ability to utilize your personal brand to take control of your career opportunities will sustain you and feed your desire to win and achieve. irrespective of the economy. Are you confident in the marketability of your personal brand? Boost your personal brand confidence level by contacting TLT Consulting Services, which specializes in personal branding, career reinvention and career marketing strategies. Let Us Show You The Power of Your Personal Brand!

Until next week......

Terri L. Horton, MBA, MA

President

TLT Consulting Services, LLC

www.tltconsultingservices.com

800.793.4308

Talent and human capital management strategies are integral to the success of progressive organizations, particularly in the global working environment that is our reality. Organizations that employ talent and human capital management strategies aim to attract, develop and retain the most dynamic talent in the marketplace. When executed successfully, the process is a marriage between the candidate's brand, position requirements and the organization's vision. This results in a win for the candidate and a slam dunk for the organization. Let's talk about why talent and human capital management strategies are important and what a candidate must do to catch the eye, so to speak, of such strategists.

Over the course of the past several months, we learned of several companies, many of which represent iconic Americana with deeply rooted brand identities, struggle to keep their brands afloat amid the challenges of our current economic climate. Many I believe, are in such a tenuous position because of a failure to attract, develop and retain top talent from the highest levels of the organization to the most fundamental. Companies that expect to win and thrive through our current troubling economic environment, let alone the next decade, must seize the opportunity to aggressively scour their workforce and develop internal talent as well as seek out and entice external talent. This must be done across a host of functional areas, geographies, industries, educational backgrounds, experience, perspectives and demographics in an effort to mobilize a talent force that will position the organization to drive revenue, explore new market opportunities and insulate its brand from obscurity and the threat of new entrants.

Years ago, I worked for a company that had been a first in class industry leader for decades. The leadership employed the same strategies and tactics year after year in an effort to grow the business. Generally speaking, the organization encouraged group think, did not welcome creativity, meagerly developed internal talent, recruited exclusively from the same industry, thought little of the competition and believed that its status as an industry leader would never be compromised. As a result, over time, the company lost market share, shed its position as an industry leader and to this day, struggles to attract thought leaders and top talent. Clearly, this company neither embraced nor employed talent and human capital management strategies and suffered as a result. Conversely, most companies today clearly understand that they must attract and retain the best talent possible and actively seek to do so by employing talent management strategists to cultivate a strong pool of talent.

Talent management and human capital strategists seek out candidates in online social media networking sites, on niche job boards, at job fairs and at traditional trade organization networking events, just to name a few. Successful candidates are able to communicate their brand value in written and spoken form, by way of a thirty-second pitch, professional biography and profile and through a dynamic brand-based online presence.

If you are to catch the eye of talent and human capital strategists, you must have a solid and compelling personal brand, market yourself as a progressive thought leader with a passion for the vision of the respective organization and demonstrate the value and connectivity of your diverse experience relative to the position and overall strategy of the organization. Are you ready to catch the eye and garner the attention of talent and human capital strategists? Are you ready to demonstrate that you are the most dynamic candidate for the job? If so, let TLT Consulting Services help you create a professional personal brand strategy that is sure to garner their attention. Let TLT Consulting Services show you the power of your personal brand!

Until next week...

Terri L. Horton, MBA, MA

TLT Consulting Services, LLC

www.tltconsultingservices.com

Email: Brandcoach@tltconsultingservices.com

A personal brand is an individual's equity stake in how one is perceived by a specific target audience. In simple terms, it is how you are perceived by those that you seek to influence. A personal brand embodies the notion of the "it" factor and can position individuals and entrepreneurs as well rounded experts in a respective industry or field. In fact, a strong personal brand speaks to the value you deliver by way of your experience, background, impact, education, industry affiliations, polish and presence, just to name a few. Contrary to popular belief, personal brands can be executed and leveraged successfully across ANY profession, business or entrepreneurial venture.

The development of a personal brand enables one to identify, authenticate, consistently articulate and build brand equity across professional, personal and social platforms. The power of your personal brand will differentiate you from your competition, clearly link and connect you with your target audience and deliver multi-dimensional appeal. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What does my personal brand say about me?
• Is the lack of a personal brand hindering my job search?
• Am I maximizing my personal brand in interviews?
• Do I have a professional bio that touts my professional brand?
• Do I have an online profile on social media sites that reflects my professional brand?
• How does my personal brand impact my business?
• Do my clients connect my personal brand with my product or service?
• Do my business networking partners perceive me as a industry expert?
• Does my personal brand impede my career advancement opportunities?
• Has my personal brand inhibited me from transitioning from one career to the next?
• Was I downsized as a result of my personal brand?
• How can I reinvent my brand and transition into a new industry?
• Is there a disconnect between my perceived value as a result of my poorly executed polished personal brand?...Am I rough around the edges?
• Is my professional social networking suffering as a result of my personal brand image?

The job market is tight and competition is fierce. A professional personal brand positions job seekers for the best positions and highest salaries. Moreover, maintaining brand equity with employers can make the difference between sustaining one's position and being downsized. Finally, job seekers are challenged to survive the process of candidate pool selection amid thousands of competitors. Do you have a marketable professional personal brand? Let TLT Consulting Services show you the power of your personal brand!

Until next week.....

Terri L. Horton, MBA, MA

TLT Consulting Services, LLC

www.tltconsultingservices.com

The economy, the primary topic of discussion on prime time news, across dinner tables and in social circles around the country, is weighing heavy on the minds of many passive and active job seekers. Growing unemployment rates, dwindling perceptions of job security, threats of a severe and long national recession and overall uncertainty about the future, for many, has generated the feeling of being trapped.  Trapped in an economy with a limited number of jobs. Trapped with a body of experience in an industry that has been devastated by our recent economic condition. Trapped in a position that has been  reclassified. Trapped in a position that requires relocation. Trapped in a position targeted for a drastic pay reduction.  Overall, trapped in the fear of the unknown as it relates to the economy, jobs and future career opportunities. 

Career reinvention is often the cure for feeling trapped. The possibility of reinventing your career is empowering. It allows you to take control of your current circumstance and mobilize yourself for opportunities that you may not have otherwise imagined.  Career reinvention can be accomplished by taking stock of your current body and range of experience, creating a personal brand around that experience and then leveraging that against opportunities in other positions, functional areas, fields or industries. Examples of transitional reinventions can be found in real estate, mortgage loan or  financial service agents  transitioning into sales or account executive roles with corporations in other industries. Further examples include transitional reinventions from corporate  manager to adjunct faculty instructor; sales manager to training and development manager; information technology employee to web  designer; physical education teacher to personal trainer; fashion retail employee to image consultant; administrative assistant to virtual assistant; account executive to non-profit fundraiser; medical billing supervisor to executive recruiter; advertising representative to media buyer and the list goes on. Additionally,  any of the above examples can easily transition into alternative entrepreneurial pursuits.  

If you feel as if you are trapped in your current role, what is your solution? Will you take control of your current situation, mobilize your body of experience and begin the process of positioning yourself for career reinvention and broader opportunities? Although you cannot control the state of our economy, you can control the dynamics of your job search and the outcome of your career. Begin the empowering process of career reinvention today...even if you consider reinvention your plan "B".  

TLT Consulting Services specializes in career reinvention and personal branding. Contact us today and begin the process of career reinvention. Let TLT Consulting Services show you the power of your personal brand!

Until next week...

Terri L. Horton, MBA, MA

TLT Consulting Services, LLC

www.tltconsultingservices.com

In a recessionary economy, value and personal brand equity are king as it relates to securing and sustaining employment. So, I ask you, "Do you really need a professional personal brand in our current employment environment? The answer is YES! The bottom line is that employers desire and hire candidates with the most experience, relevant education and value for the organization. More importantly, employers negotiate higher salaries for employees that not only meet requisite requirements, but that also embody the essence of the position, are industry experts, have a solid command of competitive intelligence, are thought leaders and are well networked. The development of your personal brand allows you to clearly communicate such value and positions you to market yourself more effectively to decision makers!

If you are still pondering  the value of developing a personal brand, ask yourself: How do I stack up against the competition? What do I bring to the table, other than requisite or basic position requirements? Do I have a thirty-second pitch that communicates my value? If downsizing were required, why would my boss tap my peer on the shoulder, as opposed to me? Why should an employer select me over thousands of other candidates? Do I understand that a professional personal brand is not a resume, but rather the embodiment of value that I deliver? What have I done recently to develop or drive my competitive advantage? If asked, can I concisely articulate my value? What is my professional personal brand and how do I describe it? In addition to my resume, do I have a professional bio and profile?

These are critical questions that require your attention, if you are to conduct a successful job search, reduce your time among the ranks of the unemployed and get the job you deserve. TLT Consulting Services specializes in personal branding, career reinvention and career marketing. Now is the perfect time to develop your personal brand! Let TLT Consulting Services "Show You The Power of Your Personal Brand!"

Until next week,

Terri L. Horton, MBA,MA

President, TLT Consulting Services, LLC

Personal Branding & Career Marketing Strategists

www.tltconsultingservices.com