26.

Articulate Your Brand

Let's work on how to state your attributes. This applies to when you're speaking about yourself or creating your résumé. For example:

• Fluent in Spanish, Mandarin, and English.

“Fluent” means you can speak, read, and write in the language. “Business fluent,” as I describe it, means that if an employer hires you and puts you on the phone with a client in Shanghai, you know Mandarin well enough to close the deal.

• Proficient in Abode Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Quick-Books.

Add whatever software is specific to the field in which you work—or the field in which you want to work. The first programs you list should be those of most value to the people in that field. Microsoft Office should come last because you're supposed to know it and almost everyone does (unless of course you're applying for an office job where MS Office will be the program you primarily use). Say “proficient” instead of “knowledgeable,” as the employer is not interested in what you know but in what you can do for his or her company.

• Produced at least a 10% annual increase in sales for the last two companies for which I worked.

When you speak—or write—about yourself, avoid generalities. Focus on the following:

• What you do.
• What you've accomplished. People are not that interested in how hard you worked or the process you followed.
• What quantifiable results you achieved—and how they affected the bottom line.

Business people want to make money. How you can help them do that is less about what you know (your education) and more about what you can do (your work experience). I will always choose an experienced professional over someone who's studied something but not actually done it. After all, who would you rather hire? A chef—or someone who has read a cookbook? Remember: The combination of skills, experience, and performance you offer is unique in the world. I have worked with hundreds of people over the years and have yet to find two who were exactly alike.

Your brand—your reputation—always precedes you. When you're being considered for work, it's what people think, remember, and say about you that determines whether you'll get a meeting.

While I was working with a film production company, the producer, Jim, and the director, Debbie, were talking about editors they might want to work with. Soon, Ralph's name came up. Their conversation about him was brief:

Jim: “What about Ralph for the editor's job?”

Debbie: “No. He's a pain.”

Needless to say, Ralph was never interviewed.

Often it's unconscious, but the people who meet you, spend time with you, work with you—your family members, friends, and co-workers—are always cataloguing your behaviors. While friends and family are more forgiving, the impression you make determines how willing others will be to put in a good word for you, recommend you, or provide you with leads in the future.

Make sure that anyone you spend time with has a good feeling about you. They won't stick their necks out for someone who may embarrass them in front of a business associate and close off that relationship for themselves. Like it or not, you're always on display, always auditioning, and must always be “on.” You're always performing.