Personal Branding the Concert Pianist Way

Most of us have heard so often that it’s important to have a personal brand that we’re sick of it. The overuse of the term is beginning to devalue it. I’m not a box of cereal; I’m a human being, you might say.

That is true. And it is increasingly difficult to find a differentiator as the competition for jobs and consulting assignments is so fierce. Maybe it’s because we’re looking at ourselves as a business. We’re using dull and dry terms to describe ourselves: team player, proven track record, top producer. They don’t exactly leap out and grab someone by the throat.

But a review in The New York Times last week of two young pianists got me thinking that we should be looking at it in a different way. The Times music critic began: “Many young classical musicians feel pressure to stand out.” Well, who doesn’t? It’s not just pianists; everyone in this tough economic climate is looking to stand out. But it was another sentence that really got my attention: “It is not enough to play an instrument – or sing or conduct – brilliantly. You have to search within yourself and define your artistic identity. Your performances should convey what you believe in, what excites you.”..

Screwed: 500 at Vodafone

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 887

Vodafone will make 500 job cuts throughout the UK as efforts to cut £1 billion in company costs…In LA County, 300 Los Angeles Supreme Court employees will be handed notices by March 16 about subsequent unemployment on April 1st…In South Carolina, the Union County School District plan to layoff 30 employees by next year…In California, the Calaveras Unified School District will hand out pink slips to 24 teachers by March 15…In other school layoffs news, the Dinwiddie School Board in Virginia decided on a budget cut yesterday, resulting 23 layoffs, including 10 teaching positions…In Texas, Sigma-Herron laid off 10 workers in a pharmaceutical plant this morning.

Making Lists in the Downturn

They say successful people make lists. What do you want out of life and how are you going to get it? What are your top qualities? Who are you valuable to and why? Yada yada. What happens when lists aren’t all about doing things right? We look at six lists and find out…

Screwed: 100 at BAE Systems

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 293

BAE Systems plans to layoff 100 workers in Ohio after losing contract deals… In Arkansas, Commercial Metals Co are cutting up to 60 jobs by April 29… Eastern Maine Medical Center plan to lay off about 50 employees by March 19… Meanwhile, Kingsburg District Hospital in California announced plans to cut a nursing unit and lay off 50 employees… In New Jersey, South Orange Maplewood School District will be laying off 29 employees in the coming months… In Morristown, 4 city employees were laid off yesterday…

5 Reasons to Love Your Dog in a Downturn

True friends are there for you through both good times and bad, and when the chips are down, you find out that dog is indeed man’s best friend.

In a recent study of 400 Americans, a majority stated that their pets’ emotional support and non-judgmental attitude are key to helping them survive challenging times. Whether it’s financial struggles, job loss, or general anxiety, your dog’s got your back:

Provides structure: In an uncertain economy, the steady presence of your dog is invaluable. You may not have a job to be at every morning, but your dog still has to be walked and won’t let you wallow the day away in bed. Your best friend brings out the best in you. Not only will you get some exercise and possible human interaction, but you’ll be more likely to stay on track with your job search efforts…

Screwed: Possible 4,000 in LA

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 5,214

Due to the devastating budget of Los Angeles, as many as 20 percent of all public library staff will be laid off, as well as 15 percent of the police force, culminating in possible layoffs of 4,000 city employees… In Toronto, Aveos Fleet Performance Inc will be laying off 1,000 airline machinists in the next few months… Chicago Transit Authority handed out pink slips to 99 employees over the weekend, marking the last batch of 1,067 CTA employees without jobs… In California, Salinas City may lay off 40 city employees as part of a proposed balanced-budget plan… In Ottawa, Caesars Windsor plans on cutting 45 jobs… In Nevada, Carson City may face a job cut of 30 employees due to a budget deficit…

Screwed: Possible 23,000 at NASA

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 23,816

Obama’s proposed budget for NASA may cost as many as 23,000 jobs, from 9,000 “direct” space jobs and 14,000″indirect” hotel and restaurant positions…IBM Australia‘s decision to outsource to India and China may cause 800 local jobs…In California, Menlo Park City School District will lay off 8 teachers in the process of reducing funding for art, physical education, and Spanish programs…In Virginia, Monticello plans on cutting city funding for its police force today and phasing out the department entirely by July 1, and laying off 8 police officers in the process…ABC News will be cutting 20 percent of their news staff due to the impact of new technologies in the industry…

Screwed: 1,600 at Davie Yards

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 2,354

Davie Yards Inc., a Canadian shipbuilder, is planning 1,600 employee layoffs to begin on Monday while it files for creditor protection… Chicago Public Schools will be laying off 500 employees by mid-March… Las Vegas faces 171 city layoffs by July 1 unless labor unions agree to concessions… In another round of layoffs, Sunrise Senior Living Inc. will terminate 30 jobs this year…

Screwed: 52 at Pfizer

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total:

In New York, Pfizer announced yesterday a job cut of 52 employees by April 21…The Oregonian gave pink slips to 37 workers yesterday, primarily from the news department…At the Rhode Island School for the Deaf, all 35 teachers may face unemployment for not meeting qualifications required by federal law, and the state has asked the school to submit a new staffing plan by June 1…In Wildwood, NJ, 30 city employees received layoff notices yesterday…Meanwhile, in Ithica, NY, Steuben Glass will layoff an undetermined number of employees by this summer as part of their restructuring plan.

Screwed: 1,000 at NYC Transit

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 2,500

NYC Transit has announced the impending layoffs of 1,000 employees… Florida’s Jackson Memorial Hospital may be forced to cut 1,000 jobs and vacant positions in he face of a budget shortfall… ABC is looking to lay off up to 400 employees, or 20 percent of its staff, and is offering voluntary “separation packages” to all full-time non-union employees…