No single job hunting skill outranks knowing how to interview successfully. When pilots fly, they step through a rigorous preparation checklist before each take off. Apply the same procedure in landing a job. The choice between a job interview being a picture-perfect three-point touch-down and a gruesome crash-and-burn is totally up to you.

Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door does interviewing head to toe, but this seven-point checklist will go a long way toward scoring your precious at-bat into a base hit.

• Do your homework. An interview is an exam. Thoroughly research the firm on the Internet. Use all of your personal contacts to learn about your potential boss and this person’s likes and dislikes.
• Think timing. Often timing is something beyond your control, but, if you have the chance, influencing two factors can prove powerful advantages. If a company will see a roster of candidates for a particular job, it’s often better to be considered in the middle or toward the tail end of the process. Sure that’s a risk, but companies also usually have a better idea of what they want once they’ve seen several candidates. If you’re on the docket later, they’re also more likely to have a fresher impression at decision time. Another consideration: If you’re definitely a morning or evening person, you may not want to broadcast that fact. That said, you still may want to schedule your meeting for the time of day you really shine.
• Check out a company’s reception area and an interviewer’s office. If company softball trophies dominate the lobby . . . or if the exec’s bookshelves are lined with dog-eared copies of the complete works of Peter Drucker, that should tell you something.
• When you go to an interview lunch, forget the grub. You’re there to land a meal ticket, not to wolf down a free lunch. Eat a power bar before you go.
• Don’t pressure the prospect company for an immediate decision. Showing a sense of urgency never hurts, but an increasing number of job offers hinge on at least two sets of interviews and often more. Think of yourself as a guest in someone’s home. You want your host to eagerly invite you back to continue your conversations.
• Anticipate a dialogue. Always come to the interview armed with intelligent questions about the job and the company. Ask the interviewer about their most important experiences at this firm. Not only is this politically smart, you can also learn key cues about the person’s values and motivations. Somewhere in the conversation, there’s bound to be small talk. It’s up to you to make that small talk big by being up to speed on the latest business news, industry trends, and – increasingly – personal technology you need to do your job.
• After the interview, do two things immediately: (1) key in or record your debriefing of what you learned in the interview, and how you believe it went well . . . and badly. (2) Then handwrite (and personally deliver to the receptionist) a thank you note for the person who interviewed you and why you are even surer now you are the best person for this job.

What if you sense the pressure and scrutiny grow in an interview? Take it as a compliment. Always remember, the closer you get, the harder they’ll look.

Author:

Harvey Mackay is the author of the New York Times #1 bestsellers Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive and Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt. Both books are among the top 15 inspirational business books of all time, according to the New York Times. In total, Harvey’s books have sold 10 million copies worldwide, been translated into 37 languages and sold in 80 countries. Harvey is a nationally syndicated columnist for United Feature Syndicate, whose weekly articles appear in 52 newspapers around the country. Toastmasters International named him one of the top five speakers in the world. His latest book is called Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in The Door.

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Today, I spoke to Heather Cabot, who is the Founder & Publisher of The Well Mom, and the Web Life Editor for Yahoo!. In this interview, Heather explains how she came up with her brand, how she transitioned from a job at ABC News to being a mom, the communication skills that she gained at ABC to establish her new career, and more.

How did you come up with the idea for The Well Mom? Do you consider it your personal brand?

I came up with the name and the concept for The Well Mom after an inspiring lunch with a longtime friend and successful entrepreneur (Grace Niwa of Niwa PR and New Asian Cuisine) about 3 years ago. I was telling her that it had been a year since leaving my network job and despite some freelancing, I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do next professionally. I had been interested in wellness and motherhood and was even thinking about getting certified as a fitness trainer to build a business around moms when Grace asked me why I wouldn’t want to write about it instead? She encouraged me to investigate the mom space and consider doing a newsletter and maybe a book. On the way home, I started thinking about the monthly “well baby” visits to the pediatrician and the fact that despite all the changes I had been through, once I was discharged by my own doctor 6 weeks after giving birth, that was pretty much it until my next check up. (This is the norm for most new mothers and one of the reasons it is so important for family members to be familiar with the signs of PPD.)

Thankfully, I did not suffer from postpartum depression. But I definitely struggled with my identity shift to motherhood and the transformation of my life (body, schedule, career, friendships, etc) and I had been craving some “well mom” support and follow up – especially during that first year of motherhood. That’s how it happened. I do consider it my personal brand and personal mission. I also represent Yahoo as a digital trends and lifestyle expert and there is great synergy in that I often get to research and discuss topics which focus on ways to use technology to streamline, simplify and enhance our lives.

Was it hard to go from your ABC News anchor job to being a mom? What do you miss?

I had a very unusual transition because my husband took a new job in Los Angeles right after the twins were born. We moved from NYC when they were 11 weeks old. So I had new parenthood, a new city and a new identity to contend with all at the same time. It was very hard. I think I really missed covering the news most during the presidential campaign. It was the first time in more than 15 years that I was watching a major election season unfold from the sidelines. On the other hand, it was wonderful to know that I would be home to vote (and bring my kids to the polls!) and that I could actually watch all the coverage I wanted and read everything as a citizen. Along the way, I was lucky to meet some fellow ex-TV newswomen turned full-time moms who totally related to what I was going through. That was helpful. My husband was and continues to be a constant support.

After having twins, how did you change your career to adopt to your new situation?

I looked for opportunities that would enable me to use my reporting and writing skills without having to be on call 24/7. Once I let go of the idea that I had to return to a network correspondent slot or local news anchor job, etc., the world opened up for me. I started building my site, learning about web navigation, SEO, intellectual property and privacy law and suddenly, I was invited to represent Yahoo. Shortly after, I was approached to write a weekly blog for The Huffington Post. The new career just kind of came together and it continues to evolve. And by the way, I have met the most inspiring and amazing people since launching The Well Mom. The people I have met have been the BEST part!!!

What does it mean to be a “well mom”?

“A “well mom” is someone who knows that to be the best caregiver you can be, you’ve got to care for yourself.”

Whether it’s scheduling in exercise every day or packing yourself a sandwich because you know you won’t have time to eat or making time to see a friend for a walk or coffee, or saying to your partner, “Can you please watch the kids for a half hour while I run out to do X for myself,” a “well mom” makes herself a priority. I will admit, I am just as guilty as the next mom of not doing this enough. I really launched The Well Mom as a pep talk for myself just as much as everyone else. It is HARD to remember yourself when you are juggling everyone else’s needs. Some weeks I do better than others. As I write this, I am recovering from a bout of strep throat.

What communications skills did you master as an anchor that have helped you in your new career?

I think the best advice I ever got about on-air presentation was from a voice coach I worked with while I was at ABC. Her name is Priscilla Shanks. She reminded me that at the end of the day, even if you have the “best” voice, the “right” look, the “most impressive” resume, none of it matters unless you’ve got confidence in yourself. You’ve got to own it and project that to the audience. Looking back, it sounds like advice for the American Idol contestants. But it really is true. Self belief is the key to success — especially in front of the camera. I think raising my children has helped me gain immense confidence in myself and also has helped me let go a little more and have fun. She was right on.

As a communicator, I think it is essential that one is steeped in the subject matter one is talking about. Know your stuff. I don’t memorize talking points or a script when I’m being interviewed. But I do a tremendous amount of research and preparation and get very involved with the editorial process. I approach my work as a spokesperson the same way I did when I was reporting. And if I don’t know the answer to a question, I don’t fake it. I’m honest and say, that was a great question, I’ll have to get back to you — but what else would you like to know?

——
Heather Cabot is the Founder & Publisher of thewellmom.com, a weekly e-zine that empowers and inspires moms to better care for themselves in mind, body and spirit. She also serves as Web Life Editor for Yahoo!. Cabot has spent more than 15 years as TV reporter and anchor. Prior to founding The Well Mom, Inc., she co-anchored World News Now and World News This Morning, the overnight and early morning network news broadcasts for ABC News. During her tenure at ABC News, Cabot also reported for Good Morning America, World News Tonight, ABC News Radio, abcnews.com and served as a national correspondent for 200+ local ABC affiliate stations around the country and international partners including the BBC and NHK. While at ABC, she covered major national news events including, the hunt and capture of the DC. She’s also a contributor to The Huffington Post.

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I shot a video recently where my first boss said I was “a bit of a mess” out of college. Some people have asked if I was offended by that statement and the answer is absolutely not. For starters, it’s the truth, but – more importantly – if I hadn’t been such a disaster when I entered the workforce, I probably wouldn’t have discovered the path I’m on now.

If you’re curious, here are just a few of my rookie mistakes:

• I wore blazers over tube tops in the office… and thought I was being chic.
• I showed up late.
• When I did arrive, sometimes I had wet hair and/or no make-up.
• I turned in work plans in French Script font.
• I hung out with an office smoker and accompanied her on “breaks” that lasted 15-20 minutes at a time.

Sad, I know, but here’s the catch. I was lucky enough to have a great mentor who saw potential in me and took the time to help me become a better, more polished professional. One of the biggest lessons I learned from him at the time was the art of “Gene Kelly Dance Steps.”

You may not know who Gene Kelly is but, suffice it to say that in the Golden Age of Hollywood, Kelly was considered the best dancer in the business. However, he wasn’t actually the best dancer. Others in the industry were more naturally gifted, but Kelly stood out because he was a tireless student of “the incremental edge.”

The incremental edge is a series of seemingly “little” things that build up over time to make someone outstanding at what they do. For Gene Kelly, it was the perfect crease of his pants, a signature tip of the hat, a “look” to the camera, etc. that added up to make his dancing appear effortless.

As a young professional, my career really turned a corner once I picked up the art of Gene Kelly Dance Steps. I obviously wasn’t tipping any hats in the office, but I did begin to:

• Send handwritten thank you notes
• Keep a pristine work space
• Dress like someone with a future at my company
• Turn in assignments early
• Adopt a new, professional-looking font choice
• Extend small courtesies to coworkers, e.g. offer a favorite caramel latte, refill the copy paper, knock before barging in, stand when being introduced, etc.

None of these actions – if taken alone – would have done much to improve my negative personal brand at the time but, collectively, they were very powerful in overcoming the initial perception that I wasn’t taking my career very seriously. And that’s the point of the incremental edge. It’s not about grand, sweeping gestures. It’s little things that, when taken together, equal big success.

Author:

Emily Bennington is the author of Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job. She hosts a popular blog for career newbies at www.professionalstudio365.com and can be found on Twitter @EmilyBennington or via email at ebennington[at]msn[dot]com.

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Like the title and subtitle of your book, each chapter title can help you sell more books while building and promoting your personal brand.

Each chapter title provides you with a valuable opportunity to convince prospects that your book offers excellent value, while reinforcing your subject area expert position as a valuable resource to help prospects solve problems or achieve desired goals.

Experienced authors pay as much attention to choosing the right chapter titles as they do to choosing book titles and subtitles.

Chapter titles can play a make-of-break role in a prospect’s decision to either start a relationship with you by purchasing your book or putting your book down, or clicking away, to see what else is available.

Learning from the successes of others

One of the best ways to learn how to write a successful book and build a strong personal brand is to learn from the successes of others. In this case, I recommend taking a look at the current edition of Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson’s Writing that Works: How to Communicate Effectively in Business.

This is the 3rd edition of a classic that has sold over 110,000 copies during the past 20 years. After all these years, Writing that Works is still within the top 20 book in its field and has never been out of print since it first appeared.

What makes Writing that Works so successful?

Like many books, it has wonderful content, concisely communicated in a friendly and engaging manner. But, often, that’s not enough! Many good books don’t sell a small fraction of the number of copies of Writing that Works that are sold each year.

One of the most obvious differences that sets Writing That Works apart is the caliber of the chapter titles.

Each chapter title is an benefit-oriented advertisement that provides another reason to buy the book!

Examining Writing that Works’ chapter titles

Let’s take a look at some of Writing that Works’ chapter titles:

• Memos and Letters that Get Things Done
• Plans and Reports that Make Things Happen
• Fund-raising and Sales Letters that Produce Results
• Recommendations and Proposals that Sell Ideas
• Writing a Resume–and Getting an Interview
• Writing for an Audience: Presentations and Speeches
• Making it Easy to Read

Notice, in each case, that a description of each chapter’s topic is paired with the benefit that readers will gain from the chapter.

One of the first things that prospective book buyers do in person, or when viewing a book online, is to click the Look Inside or Search Inside links which permits them to view the book’s table of contents and back cover.

Hint: When exploring books displayed at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com, get in the habit of clicking the Look Inside or Search Inside links attached to the image of many book covers. You’ll be able to view the front and back covers at higher magnification, as well as read the table of contents and sample content.

Conclusion

Don’t take chapter titles for granted! Don’t just tell what’s in each chapter, use the chapter title to tell why the chapter is important and how the chapter will benefit the readers. Think of each chapter title as an additional advertisement, or sales pitch, for your book. If you do this, your book’s table of contents will become a strong sales tool by itself, attracting search engines and readers interested in using your book to solve a problem or achieve a goal.

Author:

Best-selling author and book coach Roger C. Parker, helps business professionals plan, write, promote, & profit from a brand-building book at his daily writing tips blog. His next book is #BOOK TITLE Tweet: 140 Bite-Sized Ideas for Compelling Article, Book, & Event Titles .

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Today, I spoke to Larry Myler, who is an author, business strategist, and consultant for clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. For much of his career he has energized companies with new, concrete methods for reducing expenses and increasing revenues.  His latest book is called Indispensable By Monday. In this interview, Larry talks about his start-up experience, how his personal brand has opened doors, his view on social media, and more.

You’ve been involved with six start-ups — do you find any similarities between one start-up and another? Is every new venture unique?

I have had an interesting career in that each start-up I have participated in has been in a different industry.

• In some ways each new company has been unique: Industries have their own distinctive products and services, customers, economies, competitors and success measures.
• In other ways every startup is the same: No matter the industry, earnings must outweigh expenses, you have to find the right people for the right positions, customers must feel like they’re getting more than they expect, and—as a business owner— you had better love what you do.

You consult some pretty significant corporations — what is the biggest thing that they’re missing in their strategy and vision?

Without fail, leaders at the top of large organizations don’t know everything they should/could know about what’s happening lower in the org chart. As a result, customers are not served as well as they otherwise would be, employees easily fall into the role of victim, costs are higher than they need to be, and revenues are lower than they could be.

How has your personal brand enabled you to connect with successful companies?

As a consultant, all I have to show prospective clients are my past successes in helping companies become more profitable. Nothing else matters. While my brand is augmented by my book, past results form the foundation of who I am perceived by the market to be. Ultimately, I’d secretly like to brand myself as “The Profit Guy,” but it’s a little too gimmicky, so I’ll stay away from that one.

How do you see the role of social media and networking in developing a personal brand? What about in promoting corporations?

The web has opened up a whole new world which is available to even the least socially-minded segments of society. It has evened the playing field between those who have money and those who don’t; and it offers a never-before-available possibility of exposure and personal promotion to anyone who engages it. What we find, however, is that most people don’t fully comprehend the power and reach of this digital realm, much less how to access and take advantage of it. The holy grail of personal branding is to get third party, respected sources to say about you what you would want said about you. The internet not only makes this possible—it makes it easy!

What about in promoting corporations?

Remember when it was acceptable in business to not have a website? That didn’t last long. Now your organization has zero credibility without one—and it had better be a great one. The same can now be said about companies who don’t play an active role in the collective conversation that customers are having about them. Corporations must be proactive in putting the right content into the proper channels, as well as responding to changing customer preferences that can be discovered more quickly than ever before through those channels. To sit back and just watch what happens without playing an active role is the kiss of death, and will become more so in the days to come.

What does the future have in store for personal branding, do you think?

Who we are, and what others think they know about us (our skills, accomplishments, weaknesses, claims to fame, potential, personality, etc.), will be made available to more people in greater detail because of the connectedness of our world…maybe. It’s all up to us. Those who will be the most successful at creating positive personal brands will gain that success in two ways: First, they will master the art and science of moving information through the internet; and second, they will create valuable intellectual property that they give away for free. If you can establish channels and then insert valuable and free content into those channels, then you can monetize your brand in wonderful and lasting ways throughout your career.

——
Larry Myler is an author, business strategist, and consultant for clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. For much of his career he has energized companies with new, concrete methods for reducing expenses and increasing revenues. Larry has been involved in six start-ups, and is acutely aware of the nuances of business that lead to success. Larry’s new book, Indispensable By Monday, extends his expertise and vision to employees at all levels, teaching them how to add financial value to their employers—thus protecting their jobs in hard times, ensuring promotions in good times, and helping them rise above the competition in any job-seeking crowd. Larry has a BS in psychology from Brigham Young University, and an MBA with an emphasis in international business from the University of Utah.

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The rise of personal branding has thrown a giant wrench in the norms of how to manage the workforce. Many companies have been caught flat footed and are jumping to the wrong conclusions when it comes to managing the modern employee. Do not let this happen to you or your company.

Here are some questions to ask yourself about managing personal brands in the workforce.

1. Do you encourage your employees to build their personal brand?
2. Do you create a culture of restriction or freedom?
3. Are you helping your employees to succeed?
4. Do you understand the business value of social networking?
5. When was the last time you initiated a business relationship online?
6. Are you a know it all, or are you constantly learning?
7. Do you understand how personal branding allows you to gate jump?
8. When was the last time you wrote a guest blog post related to your field?
9. Do you read blogs related to your field?
10. Do you know if you have an employee with a powerful personal brand?
11. Have you Googled every one of your employees to see what you find?
12. Are you leveraging your employees with powerful personal brands?
13. Do you understand the concept of free exposure?
14. Do you believe social media and business belong together?
15. Are you a visionary or an order taker?
16. Does your organization understand how blogging WILL create exposure?
17. Do you understand that conversations are happening online everyday already?
18. Are you more interested in maintaining the status quo?
19. Are you aware that your market is changing?
20. Do you believe that if you create your own personal brand you will rise further, faster at your company?

Questions are one of the most powerful ways to get ideas flowing and to help you understand the connections in trends. These questions should have made you think differently about conventional management practices that will begin to work less effectively in the future.

The workplace of the future

Create a culture that is positively intoxicating and draws unique talent to it. Then do everything possible to provide flexibility and freedom to your employees. Encourage your employees to build their personal brands. Make coming to work fun and enjoyable. Bring the human side to your company and I guarantee that you will see better performance if you do.

Author:

Chad Levitt is the author of the New Sales Economy blog, which focuses on how Sales 2.0 & Social Media can help you connect, create more opportunities and increase your business. Chad is also the featured Sales 2.0 blogger at SalesGravy.com, the number one web portal for sales pros, the professional athletes of the business world. Make sure to connect with him on Twitter @chadalevitt.

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I’ve been building my personal brand for two years. I’ve tried various methods including social media networking, blogging and regular commenting (my resolution was to comment daily on all popular niche blogs!). While all the three tactics are highly effective (when done properly and thoroughly), per my experience there is nothing as effective for self-branding as guest posting.

With no other marketing tactic will you be able to build your online visibility as quickly and effectively.

Why guest posts are so effective for self-branding

1. Most A-list bloggers accept guest contributions (look at Mashable, Problogger and many other).

Why? Because a guest post is a fresh insight and free quality contribution that will be also promoted by the guest blogger – which means free content, free traffic and free time (that the blog owner might have spent writing the post). It is not easy to get through to the high-profile blog like that but it is quite possible: all you need is some solid post idea and a good pitch.

Yes, you will need to spend a considerable amount of time negotiating and creating the post – but the outcome is well-worth it. After the post goes live, you will be amazed at how much traffic and recognition you will get.

2. Position yourself as an expert in the niche

By commenting, you are just a reader (“one of”), by being active on social media networks you are “one of” many friends; by guest blogging you are the author, a person to respect and to look up to.

People will learn your expertise and you will be amazed to see your name being mentioned much more often and your words being cited on major industry resources.

3. Reach new audience

While posting at your own site you can also achieve a lot, at some point you will find it not easy to experiment, attract new readers and get fresh feedback.

By guest blogging, you expose your content to a totally new community which means better exposure, more inspiration and higher reach.

How to find guest posting opportunities

Looking for blogs that accept guest posts is both time consuming and seldom highly effective. Here are a few tips to help you:

1. Look among your current contacts

This is the easiest way to start guest posting. This is probably less effective than posting to a totally new website (because you might have the same audience as your blogging friends) but this way you will learn to adapt to various blogging atmospheres and “feeling” various types of readership.

2. Search Google

Google has tons of guest blogging opportunities for you. However to make sure you make the most of your search, check out these somewhat Google search tips I shared a while ago.

3. Take advantage of forums and blogging communities

In the era of web 2.0, being active on a number of social media communities is a must for building your brand. Any of them requires engagement, so my best advice is not to try to be everywhere at the same time. Try to focus instead.

Niche networks and forums can be a good choice because they are (almost) clutter-free (and thus require less time) and tightly targeted to the area of your expertise.

You may also be willing to check out the forum started by me. It is only targeted to people interested in guest posting and it’s called My Blog Guest.

It is probably the best choice only when you plan an on-going guest blogging strategy because it does require some time to get to know the members, read rules and learn how to use it:

Be sure to learn guest posting etiquette

Guest posting concept is based on the mutual benefit: if this basic concept is broken, it won’t work. So before you start, be sure to learn the general rules and decide if you will afford the time and commitment.

Previously, I’ve already listed some worst guest blogging mistakes you do not want to start with:

• Don’t ever focus on yourself and/or your by-line . Be genuine in your effort to provide quality and build long-lasting relationships. Remember that you are building reputation in the first place;
• Don’t try to republish your guest post on several blogs: this is a great way to ruin your reputation and built contacts;
• Don’t build links – build your brand.

Now, to conclude, just go ahead and give the tactic a try. When done right, gust posting will do magic to your personal brand awareness and online reputation management.

Author:

Ann Smarty, an SEO consultant, blogger (and guest blogger!) and social media user.

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I recently attended an Internet conference here in Israel that included a session about online reputation management. One of the speakers in that session, my friend Shira Abel, discussed how to react in a branding crisis. Her advice was intended for companies, but as you’ll see, her main points are just as relevant for personal brands.

Reacting in a branding crisis

Shira’s talk focused on the story of Blake Robbins. Blake was a student at Lower Merrion High School and was disciplined by the school for “improper conduct”. That in itself is not so unusual but what really made the story so newsworthy was how they caught him.

Like every other student at Lower Merrion, Blake had been issued a laptop. What Blake didn’t know was that Lower Merrion had installed software on these laptops that let them remotely activate the webcam so that they could see (spy on?) who was using the machine. Using this capability, the school was able to watch Blake live at home while he broke their rules (supposedly- they say he was doing drugs, his lawyer says he was eating candy).

After being disciplined, Blake sued the school for invading his privacy and the story hit the media, going viral on social media.

The school eventually apologized for not having told parents about the spyware – that was officially intended to catch laptop thieves (17 laptops were actually recovered using the software) – but by that point, people were already selling t-shirts poking fun at the school and Lower Merrion’s reputation was tarnished.

What we can learn from this, according to Shira’s presentation:

He who breaks the story controls the story

Regardless of whether Blake’s actions were worse than Lower Merrion’s error, he was able to tell his version of the story far and wide before Lower Merrion even realized what was going on. By then, he had already set the tone and the school was on the defensive from the start.

If you’ve made a mistake that could ruin your personal brand, come clean as soon as possible. Go public with your guilt before anyone else can expose you. Like Blake, being first to tell your story means that you can explain what really happened with your interests in mind instead of being defamed by someone with their own intentions and a version of events that might not even be true, making you look worse than you should.

Being first to come out also means you can choose the most appropriate time and place for your announcement, so that the people who are most likely to be impacted by it will make the discovery in the least brand-damaging way.

Turn a loss into a win

Depending on how bad your mistake was, the way you handle the reaction can not only prevent brand destruction, it might even lead to brand growth.

At the time of this writing, I’m having a problem with a local company that signed me up for their service without my permission. Worse, when I complained to their customer service department, their reaction was to agree with me but to try and sell me on the service so that I would stay with them. Unbelievable! As I told them, “the best thing you could do right now is to solve the problem. That would build my confidence more than anything else because then I would know that if I ever wanted your service and had any subsequent problems (as inevitably happens), I could relax knowing that you would take care of it.”

It’s not what happens to us but what we do with what happens to us

Similarly, individuals are often best judged by how they react when things go wrong. Outing yourself first shows intellectual honesty and can increase your credibility at a moment when it should otherwise drop. Admitting your error builds trust because more than ever, people will think that you can be counted on.

Shira’s conclusion was that you need to Control the Noise, but I’ll take it one further: if you can control the noise around your mistakes, it will begin to sound like music.

Author:

Jacob Share, a job search expert, is the creator of JobMob, one of the biggest blogs in the world about finding jobs. Follow him on Twitter for job search tips and humor.

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Most people don’t know I have a full-time job in public relations, outside of all the career-related activities in which I’m involved. I went to school for public relations. All the jobs on my résumé are in public relations. Yet, I’m probably much better known in the career space.

Why is this and is it what I want?

Public relations has always excited me. That’s why I was one of the few people who went to college knowing exactly what I wanted to do the rest of my life…or did I?

An iota after I started my PR career, I was thrown into the role of a hiring manager – and fell in love again. And, rightly or wrongly, I’ve spent much more time on my career expert personal brand over the years than I have on my PR one.

I don’t talk about my full-time job often because I find it confuses people (not the job itself but the fact that I do something other than provide career advice). But, even as I strongly contemplate switching gears into the career space 100% of the time, I find myself torn.

Have I been doing myself a disservice this entire time?

On March 1, several colleagues and I launched my second business, MyPRMatch.com. I just can’t seem to break away from my first love. Part of the reason I’m transitioning is the numerous problems I see in the industry every day, at least one of which I hope to solve with MyPRMatch.com.

But what about my brand? Have I neglected the PR side of me publicly for so long that my brand isn’t strong enough to push this thing out there like it deserves? I am, after all, the most senior PR professional on our team. I feel like a lot is riding on me to make this work.

So how do I (you) bounce back?

Luckily, I don’t feel I’m starting completely from scratch with my PR brand. It’s been there all along, I just haven’t properly nurtured it. And I still don’t plan to make it my “front and center” personal brand – that’s reserved for the career expert side of me.

The first thing I’m going to do is set a few goals. (No books this time!) Planning always helps me visualize the path I need to take.

I actually have a few speaking engagements lined up in the next several months, so that’s a great start. I also already have multiple business cards, depending on the situation.

I’m going to review my official biography and decide whether or not I weave my PR background into it or create a separate PR bio altogether. Alongside my biography, I plan to review my social networking presence. Is there something more I can do to present both sides of my personal brand without one swallowing the other?

Look for an update from me in an upcoming post!

Do you have dueling personal brands, by design or otherwise? How do you manage both?

Author:

Heather R. Huhman is a career expert and founder & president of Come Recommended, an exclusive online community connecting the best internship and entry-level job candidates with the best employers. She is also the author of #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), national entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com and blogs about career advice at HeatherHuhman.com.

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Today, I spoke to Rahaf Harfoush, who is a social media strategist, author of Yes We Did, research coordinator for Wikinomics and a contributor on Grown Up Digital. She supported the Obama campaign with regards to social media. In this interview, Rahaf talks about the common mistakes businesses make when it comes to branding and social media, how to conquer the fear most companies have with regards to social media, and more.

In your opinion, what are the most common mistakes businesses and organizations make when it comes to social media and branding?

The most common mistake I see are businesses who think they need to be doing every new thing. They are all over the place simply because they feel like they should be without necessarily considering how much value it’s adding to their overall strategic objectives. Your best bet is to really sit down and think your strategy through. Where are your consumers naturally congregating online? What are they doing there? How would you like to engage with them? These thoughts have to be carefully considered before entering this space, otherwise you end up wasting valuable time and money, not to mention potentially irritating potential customers as well.

Many large companies hesitate to engage their audience online, fearing it will backfire. How do you help them move past that fear and see the value in engagement?

Fear is a natural reaction. We are in a space where information travels so fast and companies no longer have the same type of control that they did with other mediums. The easiest way to show the value of these tools is to show these companies that conversations are already happening about their brand, products and competitors whether they are involved in the dialogue or not. In my opinion, it is better to be involved and know what is being said about you, then to be caught unaware! The trick is to take each comment as a learning opportunity, be ready to hear things that might be difficult and to show a willingness to want to improve your service offerings. The conversation is already taking place, will you risk not being involved?

Are there companies that CANNOT benefit from using social media?

I’m sure there are. Social Media is just an evolution of an existing set of marketing tools. If for whatever reason your audience is not online, maybe SMS, direct mailing campaigns and traditional media outlets might be a better solution. While I believe that every company should have SOME type of online presence it’s up to each individual company to find the right balance that allows them to be visible and accessible to their clients.

You recently attended a conference in Switzerland – what are some personal branding and social media trends that are emerging in Europe?

People are turning more towards social media, however Forrester research reported that Europeans trust blogs and online sources far less than their North American neighbors. It will be interesting to see how these different cultures will impact the evolution of online relationships. This is still such a new field that we are still only just beginning to grasp its potential.

How do you predict future generations will be impacted by the increasing popularity of social networking, location-based networking, etc.?

I think your grandchildren will know you far better then you know your own grandparents. We have created such a rich history of digital footprints that the way we are changing our definition of “identity” to encompass a much broader spectrum of digital tools. What will be interesting is to see how the legislation evolves particularly around the areas of privacy, data ownership and online accountability. I was quite concerned with Italy’s recent conviction of Google executives for Google’s hosting of an inappropriate video. It will be interesting to see how these laws will impact our rights as online citizens.

——–
Rahaf Harfoush is a social media strategist on the rise. Her clients include InnoSpa-Unilever, British Telecom Wholesale, and the Web Foundation. She speaks to corporate and non-profit groups on the increasing use — and vital importance — of online technologies and the powerful ideas of community that animate them. She recently accepted the position of Associate Director of the Global Redesign Initiative at the World Economic Forum, in Geneva. In this role, she will co-lead the development of the Forum’s online community platform. Prior to this, Harfoush spent three months with the Obama New Media team in Chicago. An active member of Toronto’s technology community, she is involved with associations like The Movement, an organization of people committed to collaborating on projects for social good, and The Overlap, a community that combines cross-disciplinary expertise to tackle the challenges of sustainable innovation. Harfoush is the author of Yes We Did, a book about the grassroots groundswell inspired by the Obama campaign. She is the Research Coordinator to the critically acclaimed Wikinomics and a contributor on Grown Up Digital.

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