Be Better!

Where did all the jobs go?

In the 60's and 70's you could walk into firms and ask for a job! There were few retrenchments and one would work their way up the ladder and serve a tenure of a few decades.

These days however, we're always having this conversation:
John: How did she get that job!?
James: She knew somebody on the inside. 

Many of the best jobs are not even advertised and between the rising costs of looking for a candidate and strict deadlines, its easier to work with referrals.
 
There is a very real need to network and sometimes we need more than a college degree for our cv's to get a second look! 

The cost of qualifications and training has skyrocketed and job security is a rare commodity. 

Companies are continually restructuring and downsizing while labourers are continually changing jobs. Loyalty from both parties still exists but each party's individual goals, aspirations and visions take precedence.

Are you the best? 

We have to become better than everyone else. There is little differentiation between job seekers in terms of qualifications and experiences. How then do we set ourselves apart? We get so caught up in adopting the identities of our employers that we often lose sight of who we are as individuals. I'm all for company allegiance, vision and living its values but we must not lose sight of the simple truth that we are still individuals. Especially when we can leverage that individuality by providing our employers with a wider range of skills!

At the core of our corporate relationships, just like any two businesses working in synergy, we exchange our skills for a monthly salary and other job related benefits (such as location, decent working hours and other perks that play a role in this exchange). As such, we need to see ourselves as individual businesses that operate in a larger realm and treat ourselves as our very own business.

We are all our own brands!

...and like any brand, we need to develop, market, and grow our personal brand equity. 

  

But to do one better than this definition let that 'perception' be based on reality. 

Decide on what your 'personal brand' represents and work on building onto those strengths.

In the last four years I've gone from:
- working in a local gym to living abroad; providing me with unique life experiences.
- starting a blog; thus honing my writing skills (hopefully).
- becoming a lecturer; improving my presentation techniques.
- studying a Bcom degree; expanding my knowledge.
- Changing industries and moving to a large corporate; learning about business dynamics.

Every thought, every decision and every action has been an investment that increases my brand equity and provides my employer with even greater returns! Each of these campaigns have come to fruition with the long-term crusade of self-improvement in mind.

Commit yourself to constant self-improvement and be the person that a company hires not just because of a cv but because you're an individual with a plethora of skills, contacts, diverse experience and thinking with a high value personal brand equity.

Build your brand!

On a side note, here's some food for thought:

The only real dating advice that I can give anyone is: self-improvement.