Personal Branding Lecture Notes: (1 & 2)

Introduction to Personal Branding:

- In today’s competitive marketplace, merely having good grades and extracurricular activities
isn’t enough to stand out.
- The key to standing out is showcasing your unique and authentic self to recruiters, both in
person and online.

Step Up to Stand Out:

- Your brand is your reputation, your calling card, what you're known for, and how people
perceive you.
- Delivering your brand consistently creates a memorable experience and opens doors to
opportunities.

Why Your Personal Brand Matters:

- Your personal brand helps you understand your unique skills, strengths, and passions.
- It's a chance to tap into your values and passions to find your purpose.

Making Your Plan:

- Identify your strengths, maximize them, and uncover what makes you stand out.
- Chart a course for your career based on your strengths and goals.

Soar with Your Strengths:

- Identify and focus on your top strengths to position yourself for success.

Weaken Your Weaknesses:

- Recognize weaknesses and work on mitigating or managing them.
- Understand the importance of knowing both strengths and weaknesses.

Tap into Your Values:

- Your values serve as your personal compass, guiding your decisions and behaviors.
- Aligning your activities with your values reduces stress and ensures you spend time on
meaningful pursuits.

Pursue Your Passions:

- Integrating passions into your life and work leads to greater engagement and productivity.
- Passions can be harnessed to re-energize, problem-solve, connect with others, and improve
overall well-being.

Define Your Purpose:

- Your purpose is your vision of what you want to achieve, combining values, passions, and
actions.

Building Your Brand and Making an Impact:

- Giving back aligns with your values, passions, and purpose, and showcases your strengths.
- Use your personal branding journey to guide decisions on how to use your time effectively.

Conclusion:
- Take action by seeking opportunities that align with your values, passions, and goals outlined
in your personal branding journey.

Managing Conflict (3):

Office Politics:
- Strategies used by individuals to gain personal advantage or support for their cause.
- Can adversely affect the working environment and relationships.
- Can be positive (networking) or negative (manipulation).

Inevitability of Office Politics:

- Power differentials exist.
- Competition for promotion creates conflicts.
- Individuals seek to influence decisions.
- Limited resources lead to tribal conflicts.

Navigating Office Politics:

- Savvy leaders manage politics realistically.
- They build strategic networks.
- They read situations adeptly.
- They control impulses before acting.
- They leave a positive impression through honesty and integrity.

Building Strategic Networks:

- Quality and diversity of networks matter more than quantity.
- Networks should bridge different groups and organizational lines.
- Effective networking provides insights, support, and intelligence.

Reading the Situation:

- Politically astute managers are perceptive observers.
- Social astuteness allows for preparation and adaptation based on surroundings.
- Pay attention to nonverbal cues and practice active listening.

Determining Appropriate Behavior:

- Exercise impulse control; not every thought needs expression.
- Composure fosters ease in difficult conversations and gains support.
- Pay attention to reactions and consider pausing before responding.

Leaving a Good Impression:

- Build trust through honesty and sincerity.
- Lack of integrity weakens relationships and credibility.
- Authenticity and integrity inspire confidence and influence.

Making Politics Work FOR You:

- Accept the reality of office politics.
- Develop strategies to deal with political behavior.
- Observe, understand, and navigate social networks.
- Use relationships positively to promote yourself and your team.

Employability Skills (4):

Definition:
- Transferable skills needed to make individuals 'employable'.
- Essential qualifications for many job positions.
- Sometimes referred to as soft skills, foundational skills, work-readiness skills, or job-readiness
skills.

Categories of Employability Skills:

1. Essential Employability Skills:

- Organization, dependability, positive attitude, perseverance, task completion, seeking
information, flexibility, understanding dress code, personal hygiene.

2. Foundational Skills:
- Friendliness, respect, responsiveness, asking for feedback, handling criticism, conflict
resolution.

3. Interpersonal Skills:
- Reading and understanding, listening, following directions, clear expression, technology
proficiency.

4. Problem Solving & Critical Thinking:

- Working with diverse backgrounds, sensitivity, responsibility, teamwork, ethical behavior.

5. Ethics & Legal Responsibilities:

- Integrity, adherence to rules, professionalism, maturity.

6. Professional Skills:
- Continuous learning, initiative, industry knowledge, alignment with company goals,
understanding co-workers' roles.

7. Leadership:
- Coaching, risk-taking, negotiation, motivation, efficiency, team-building.
8. Communication and Interpersonal Skills:
- Clear verbal and written communication, active listening, presentation skills.

9. Valuing Diversity and Difference:

- Appreciating diversity, considering different needs.

10. Problem-Solving Skills:

- Identifying key issues, analyzing implications, finding solutions.

11. Critical Thinking Skills:

- Making decisions based on evaluation and analysis.

12. Initiative and Self-Motivation:

- Generating new ideas, taking personal drive, and not waiting for instructions.

13. Working under Pressure and to Deadlines:

- Managing stress and meeting deadlines.

14. Organizational Skills:

- Planning, monitoring progress, meeting deadlines.

15. Team Working:

- Collaborating effectively with diverse teams.

16. Ability to Learn and Adapt:

- Enthusiastically learning from mistakes, adapting to changes.

17. Numeracy:
- Using numerical data and mathematics effectively.

18. Technology Skills:

- Proficiency with computers and relevant software.

19. Negotiation Skills:

- Achieving win-win outcomes through clear expression and consideration of others' feelings.

20. Leadership:
- Influencing others toward goal achievement, showing confidence and social skills.

21. Personal Development:

- Having a positive attitude toward learning and development.

22. Self-Management:
- Working independently, staying organized, meeting deadlines, delegating tasks.
Development Opportunities:
- Various methods like coursework, volunteering, work experience, and internships can help
improve employability skills.
- Continuous learning and embracing change are essential for personal and professional
growth.

Writing an Effective Resume (5):

Contents of a Resume:
- Identification
- Education
- Continuing Education
- Work or Professional Experience
- Volunteer Experience
- Activities
- Computer Skills
- Professional Associations
- Optional Sections: Objective, Special Skills and Abilities, Reference Statement

Characteristics of a Successful Resume:

- Focuses on skills using action words.
- Easy to read and understand.
- Visually powerful and free of gimmicks.
- Ideally one page, or at most 2 pages long.
- Grammatically correct with checked spelling.
- Formal style.

Resume Faux Pas:

- Avoid typos and grammar slips.
- Ensure truthfulness and appropriateness.
- Use a computer for production.
- Present data in chronological order unless functional.

Functional Resumes:
- Based on competencies or skills.
- Used for career changers or those with unconventional work histories.
- Deprioritized specific job details.

Scannable Resume:
- Use clear bullet points and labels.
- Avoid excessive abbreviations.
- Keep the design simple.
Basic Checklist:
- No errors in spelling or grammar.
- Neat, clean, and professional appearance.
- Length ideally 1-2 pages.
- Well-organized layout with effective use of white space.
- Important titles emphasized with appropriate font styles.
- Action verbs used for accomplishments.
- Results quantified whenever possible.

Writing an Effective Cover Letter:

Rules:
- Provide enough information to interest the reader without overwhelming.
- Research the company and address the letter to a specific person.
- Answer an ad if you meet at least 50% of the required skills.
- Mention any referral appropriately.

Contents:
- Personal details and contact information.
- Date.
- Recipient's details.
- Greetings.
- Paragraph 1: Introduction and mention of enclosed resume.
- Paragraph 2: Overview of relevant work history and skills.
- Paragraph 3: Confidence statement and contact information.
- Paragraph 4: Appreciation.
- Closing, signature, and typed name.

Successful Interviewing Skills:

First Impressions:
- Focus on punctuality, attire, physical contact, eye contact, smile, and minimizing fidgeting.

Characteristics of a Successful Interview:

- Preparation, presentation, and content.

Preparation:
- Research the job and company.
- Review job requirements and know your resume.
- Visualize success and bring necessary materials.
- Be prepared to provide behavioral-based examples.

Interview Presentation:
- Be responsive and organized in answering questions.
- Maintain eye contact, smile, and express confidence.
- Pay attention to body language.

Leave the Baggage at the Door:

- Avoid personal issues and refrain from criticizing organizations.

Interview Content:
- Listen carefully, understand behavioral-based interviewing, rehearse answers, and focus on
accomplishments.
- Turn weaknesses into strengths.

Behavioral-Based Interviewing:
- Prepare STAR examples (Situation/Task, Action, Result).

Sample Questions:
- Provide specific examples for various scenarios.

Technical and Soft Skills:

- Highlight both technical and soft skills.

Interview Follow-Up:
- Avoid common mistakes and send a thank-you note.
- Prepare references if requested.