Brand You

Recently I read an article regarding job loss and how you can 'bounce back'. I have had friends lose their jobs and seen the various results of it. Myself, I have been blessed to work at the same company for over 20 years. This is no small feat given the job arena these days.

In fact, today's generation can expect to change career jobs 3 or more times in their working life. Much of this is due to new opportunity or the inevitable 'downsizing' that many companies regularly go through. Call a layoff whatever you want, it is still a layoff and people lose jobs and lives are thrown into turmoil.

So what can you do if it happens? The first thing you can do is to 'anticipate your dismissal' by staying tuned to what is going on around you. This does not mean being paranoid about your job performance and rumors. It does mean watching the direction of the company, understanding what is happening at a much higher level. Is the company doing well in sales, in the market place. Is your job vital to the longterm growth of the company. Can you position yourself to be an asset as opposed to an expendable if a layoff occurs? Are you working on improving the market brand called 'you' - more later.

But the inevitable happens and you find yourself on the outside looking in. Just know that you are not alone. Many people go through this so don't be embarrassed to talk about it. Go ahead and 'embrace the situation' because the loss of the job is out of your control now. Its okay to get angry as it is a part of your own healing process. Just get over it and move on, you have a life ahead of you to live.

So now what do you start doing? Well, start by 'choosing your referrals carefully' before jumping into the resume and job application process. If your former employer (direct supervisor) and you are on good terms, ask them what they would say if a potential employer called. If its bad, then you should find someone else to act as a referral.

Remember, you are currently in a sales job and the only brand you have to sell is 'you'. Tom Peters calls it Brand You and its your life and career we are talking about. A good way to think about it is to look at some of the top performers that are known by a single name. Madonna, Sting, Bono, Cher and the list goes on. The name is said and you know what and who that person is. You need to define yourself and sell yourself as you would the world's greatest product.

Now the resume, 'list all jobs on your resume' - even the ones you may have been fired from. But just list the start /end dates and not why you left the job. Use your interview to explain why you left a particular job.

And finally, 'spend your time between jobs wisely' and not in self pity or wild abandon. If you were laid off due to lack of skills, then take the time to learn some new skills. It will certainly help during a new job interview to state, "I have taken the following classes during this time to help improve my skill sets." And know what your skill sets are, you're going to be asked. Knowing your own pros and cons goes back to BRAND YOU and what you can offer to a potential new company.