Career Management

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one minute wonder Write down the name of someone you really admire in your career. Now think about what their beliefs are about work. What is different from the way you think about your career? Could you adopt some of these beliefs? Which of these is most likely to make you successful?

1 Do you know anyone who has successfully risen to the sort of position you want to be in? Do you know this person well enough to ask them about their experience? If they are senior within your company could you ask them to mentor you or coach you?

2 What resources do you imagine you will need to fulfil your goal? Think about your role model. What resources did they draw upon to achieve what they wanted? Is there anything similar you could go out and get that would help you?

3 If there is no obvious person in your life who could perform this role for you, then look around. Have you seen anyone on television or elsewhere, either in your own country or abroad, who you can emulate or learn from? What do you imagine they would advise you to do as a next step?

Learn from role models you know personally or from public life.

Market yourself (#ulink_d058ad36-5927-538a-8046-a36b6eea6916)

The ability to market yourself is a vital career management skill. Most roles inside and outside your organization are probably not advertised. Your chances of promotion may depend on the contacts you make and the strength of your reputation. How can you best sell yourself to employers?

3.1 Brand yourself (#ulink_bd58e00d-e371-593c-ba3e-952b1ed30068)

How do you want to define what value you bring to an employer? Think about your USP – your Unique Selling Point. This is marketing jargon used to describe the features of a product that make it valuable and different from other products on the market. What is distinctive and valuable about you?

Think about some of the top brands in the world. They all have something special we associate them with. What comes into your mind when you hear the names Ferrari, Shell, HSBC, Qantas Airlines, for example? It might be reliability, efficiency, value for money, glamour or excitement perhaps. Large companies spend a fortune making sure they sell consistent messages about what values they represent, and that’s one

case study Joe was working for several years in a large financial company managing a small team and specializing in documentation. He wanted to progress but found there was little demand for documentation specialists. He then decided to redefine his job title on his CV. Instead of calling himself a documentation specialist, he gave himself a broader label (changing his brand) – a professional manager. Soon he found that agents were putting him forward for jobs that he hadn’t been considered for before. He eventually found a new role in the retail sector.

of the reasons they are so successful. These messages are their brand, and the message which stands out most is the unique selling point. What’s yours?

• You are unique. It doesn’t matter what kind of career you have, you bring meaning and passion to a job based on your unique combination of interests, values, experience, ambitions and vision.

• You are a brand. Your brand is the elements of yourself that you choose to promote openly. So, for example, maybe you are very structured and organized with a background working in charities and business, and at the same time you are creative and innovative.