One of the toughest questions to answer is, “tell me about your self?”  It’s so general that you may not know where to begin.  Thus, most people fall back into their comfort zone and simply recite the information that’s listed on their resume.  Unfortunately, that’s not what the person doing the hiring wants to hear.  They’re much more interested in finding out about the person behind the resume jargon. What makes you tick? How well do you work with others? How will you handle adversity or a new environment? What’s your leadership potential?

With so many bright people competing for the same positions, how you make your resume and qualifications come to life is essential if you hope to secure a desirable position? One way to do this is by creating a memorable, personal brand statement (PBS). A successful personal brand statement makes an emotional connection with the people they come into contact with. It makes them say things like – “WOW, “Interesting”, or simply, “I like him/her.” Your resume and cover letter is not going to have this kind of impact. Only YOU can – and you do this in the form of a story.  Stories are memorable. Stories create connections for people. A good story allows the person doing the hiring to clearly see the benefits of extending you an offer.

To begin, jot down a couple of adjectives that best describes who you are. For example, are you energetic, very organized, or maybe a team player? There are dozens of words to choose from. If you have a tough time being introspective and honest with yourself, ask your friends, co-workers, a boss or teacher.

Now think about a story that supports one or a combination of these words. The story should be no more than 1-3 minutes in length and should give an example of what the words you’ve chosen actually mean to you. For example, a college senior recently used the word resilient at one of my events. She described how she made over 750 phone calls, over a 6 month period, to arrange a family reunion where many relatives had not spoken to one another for decades. The result – more than 75 people reunited in Florida! Talk about not taking no for an answer (BTW – This story landed her a job.).

Some final thoughts…Companies are looking for people that exemplify: good communication and people skills, leadership skills, a positive attitude, a team player, and people who are adaptable and can handle unexpected challenges. Knowing this, do your best to build your personal brand story to satisfy these appetites. I’m not saying be phony or make up stories. Just make sure your PBS is relevant and transferable to the needs of the workplace.

Lastly, they don’t want to hear your, “life story”. Keep it simple and concise. Most importantly, practice, practice, practice. Your story should be said with confidence, passion, and a smile on your face!

Want more? Send an e-mail to events@jointap.com and bring Eric Barron, TAP’s president, to your institution for a 90 minute presentation on creating a memorable Personal Brand Story.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 at 5:05 pm and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.