What Do You Know about the Brand ‘You’?

Personal branding is essential, whether you are just starting out in your first job, or moving up a rung on the career ladder. It’s something you need to work on so when you ask yourself the question, “Who am I?” you’ll know the answer and be able to communicate it clearly and concisely.

Some people confuse their personal brand with their “elevator speech.” The term “elevator speech” trivializes an important process that will help you understand exactly what makes you stand out from the crowd.

Your brand influences how important internal and external audiences, including your boss, your customers and prospects perceive you and what they think you have to offer them. Another way of understanding branding is that it’s the words you would want people to use in describing you.

Branding is what sets you apart from your competition. Let’s look at the brands of some famous companies and people. FedEx, for example, is positioned as the company that you can rely on to deliver your package by 10:30 tomorrow morning. Absolutely, positively. Google is the leader in search, and continues to be. The advent of new competition has hardly made a dent in its market share….

Screwed: 400 in Montgomery, Alabama

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

Today’s total: 781

In the Montgomery Alabama School District, 400 jobs may be cut due to decreased funding from the state for the next fiscal year…Yesterday, New York’s St. Vincent’s Hospital laid off 300 workers in order to prevent closure…In Tulsa, Oral Roberts University announced a “rightsizing” plan to lay off 50 non-faculty positions across several departments…In another round of school budget cuts, Stafford County announced plans to eliminate 31 employees by April 1…Throughout the Jackson Health System, hospitals prepare to announce widespread layoffs today, though the numbers are still uncertain…

Screwed: 500 in Jordan School District

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

Today’s Total: 1,141

Utah’s Jordan School District will lay off 500 teachers and staff as well as increase class size to compensate for the decline in budget… Sacramento Transit is expected to announce a specific number of layoffs today, though 300 workers are said to be unemployed by the summer… New York’s Empire Aero Center is planning 203 layoffs by this coming May… Vestas Americas, the sales division of the Danish wind-turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems, is terminating 114 U.S. jobs…

Screwed: 350 at Textron

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

Today’s Total: 572

In Providence, Textron Inc. plans to eliminate 350 jobs this year, shrinking their workforce by 24% since December…The Syracuse School District scaled down from a proposed cut of 400 jobs to 150 jobs for next year, and budget disputes are set for May this year…Yesterday, Dartmouth College announced layoffs of 38 non-teaching employees effective this Tuesday and then another batch in April…In Austin, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. cut 34 jobs from its Burnett Road plant.

Screwed: 750 at Bank of Scotland Ireland

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

Today’s Total: 2,262

The Bank of Scotland Ireland, owned by Lloyds Banking Group, is terminating 750 positions, effective completely by this coming July… SAS Scandinavian Airlines is planning to cut 650 full time jobs as part of a cost reduction plan… The Somerdale Cadbury plant at Keynsham is terminating 400 jobs between March and July, even though Kraft had assured workers that they would keep their jobs… Nokia is laying off up 285 workers from its Salo plant…

AA for Recession Victims

“Hi, my name is X, and I’ve been feeling a little bit screwed by the economy.”

“Hello, X.”

It’s not likely that such a formal introduction will take place when a support group for recession victim gathers this Thursday at 9 p.m. at the Odessa Cafe in Manhattan. But the group, a Meetup titled “WTF Now?“, does take its inspiration from other aspects of Alcoholics Anonymous, according to organizer Chrissy Rossettie.

“My boyfriend goes to AA and gets a lot out of it,” she says. “So I thought, ‘Why not have a support group for unemployed New Yorkers?’ If nothing else, I’m hoping that it will provide a forum for people to vent and blow off steam, and maybe feel a little less alone and lost.”…

Screwed: 300 at UPS

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

Today’s Total: 701

After announcing a layoff of 1,800 administrative positions, UPS may furlough as many as 300 pilots starting in May…in St. Louis, Trans States Airlines will lay off 150 service representatives and baggage handlers by April…In Tennessee, Mapa Spontex plans to eliminate 132 jobs from March 19 until sometime in June…Non-profit Adelphoi Village is closing a facility in Pennsylvania and laying off 70 workers by April…In New York, the Katonah-Lewisboro School District may lay off about 25-30 public school teachers this week, and 55 teachers in total, due to budgetary concerns about future mandatory raises resulting from teacher’s union contracts…

How to Get to Brand You

You know the score. It’s all about personal branding these days. You know what to do: the blog, the Twitter account, the Facebook page, the … you know, the branding stuff. You need a job, and to get it, or that fat yet elusive raise and promotion, you have to distinguish yourself. With branding.

Hold the phone, there, sweet pea. Before you go all Seth Godin on us, take a moment’s pause. Just a moment – well, OK, I lied, more like several moments. And get clear on just what kind of brand you’re communicating to those prospective and current Powers That Be.

What the Heck Is a Personal Brand Anyway?

A lot of folks are writing about personal branding without a clear understanding of what that is. So let’s clarify our terms first.

A personal brand is not just the way you present yourself. It’s not merely your self-image. It’s that, and a promise you make to others – a promise that you’ll deliver on that image. That you’ve got the goods to back it up. In short, your personal brand is an assurance that your ego isn’t writing checks your skill level and experience can’t cash…

Screwed: 1,607 in Chicago

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

Today’s Total: 2,311

Chicago Transit Authority laid off 1,607 unionized workers intheir decision to cut nine express bus lines and provide less frequent bus service…GNAC plans to eliminate 554 employees and three offices due to loan losses…In Michigan, Consumers Energy will lay off 80 unionized workers by the end of this month…

Want to Work at a Startup? Does Your Startup Need Workers?

Talk about upside potential.

In the recession, lots of entrepreneurs have had to bootstrap their startups. They’re dying for talent, but can’t pay salaries. Meawhile, there are lots of smart people willing to work for, um, “alternative” compensation (i.e., equity, low pay, or nothing), because they want to build their resume, take a shot at a startup or just do something with their unemployed selves.

Enter JobNob.

Our smart friends at JobNob bring the two sides together. They have held eight successful mixers in Silicon Valley for job-seekers to connect with startups, and they’re brining the show to New York on Feb. 9…