Selling

I saw Paul Kenny at the first Business of Software conference, and then had dinner with him, chatting about sales. I actually had our company bring him in for some training and he was back last year again at the Business of Software. I’m not sure he’s coming again, but he’s a great speaker, and this video is worth watching:

Paul Kenny at the Business of Software

Most of us don’t want to sell, but we need to. Not often, especially for technical people, but there is one time when we need to:

When we are looking for a job.

You need to sell yourself. Think about how you sell your skills, your capabilities, and keep that in mind when you watch the video.

If you are in the software business, consider going to the Business of Software on Oct 4-6, 2010. It’s a great conference to learn about what others are doing.

Being Real

I wrote last week about marketing yourself for a new job, or at your current employer for some reason. I got a note from someone that they didn’t feel comfortable putting on an act.
I agree with that. Putting on a front for a job isn’t a good idea, and it can end badly. Look at a few people that haven’t been honest on their resumes (George O’Leary)
The Modern Resume isn’t about putting up a front, or a fake persona that you try to back. It’s about showcasing your talents and focusing on certain areas of your career that you ensure employers take note of.
Not a writer? If you start to blog to get a job, or show what you’ve been doing, guess what? You’re a writer.
The same thing happens in other areas as well. You become that person. You gain those skills, and those skills become a part of your career.
The only way you would be disingenuous about would be if you presented things on your resume or with your documentation that aren’t true.
When you build your modern resume, you are highlighting the things you have done, and documenting them. Not putting on an act.

Tie It Back

I gave the Modern Resume: Building Your Brand presentation last week at the SQL Saturday #22 - Pensacola event and had about 30-40 people come see it. I got some good responses, but there was one interesting thing that came up.

I have talked about how it helps to prove value to your manager when you attend training or a conference. You tie back something you learned/used to your job. You specifically show your boss where something matters.

I’d say that you ought to do the same thing for your brand. When you learn something at an event, from a book, from a blog, make a note of it. Give the person/event credit that helped you, and give your interpretation. Do that enough, and all of a sudden you look like a real go-getter that is worth hiring.

My Anonymity is Fading

I’ve done a good amount to raise my profile over the years. Not with that intention, but as I’ve tried to be more active in the SQL community, writing more about SQL Server, my profile has raised.

Today I saw Dave Winer posting on Twitter about the Google home page change (there’s an image there) and then said that when he searched for “Dave” he was on the first page still.

So I tried it and typed “Steve Jones” into Google and hit enter. My first result page is long, longer than I remember and I had to scroll, but I actually had two results on page 1.

You can see the second one above, with another right above this for my SQLServerCentral blog.

That’s amazing to me. It’s kind of cool, but I think I’d prefer to be buried on page 10. Where do you show up?

Marketing yourself

One of the things that needs to be a part of your modern resume, is a way that you market those things you do for your career. Whether it’s the book you’ve read on your specialization, a class you took, a blog you wrote, or a speech you gave, at some point you need to introduce some marketing to let others know what you’ve done.

I’m fairly humble, and uncomfortable with awards and recognition. I don’t like talking about what I do, or have done, most of the time if it’s self-promotion.

However the place where it is appropriate is where you can, and should, is when you are trying to get a new job, or impress your current employer. If you are a consultant or contractor, then this is almost constantly, but if you are an employee, you need to learn to do this when it matters.

That’s not every day or every week, but it does mean that you need to prepare every day or every week by documenting you efforts, blogging, volunteering, etc. and having that effort ready to show when you look for when you need it.

Plagiarism

It seems to rear it’s ugly head more and more these days. Once again I found some content from my site republished on another site, without permission, and without a link.

I can’t speak for others, but if I knew you were plagiarizing content, I wouldn’t hire you. I believe in second chances, but if i were interviewing you, I’d question you on it, and I would definitely rate you lower than other candidates. I’d also realize that I need to interview you harder since I would suspect that any of your accomplishments in the past might not be your accomplishments.

And if I were pressed for time to hire, and couldn’t quiz you harder than the average candidate, I wouldn’t hire you.

It’s that simple, at least for me. If you’ve copied content, then my trust in your abilities has been lost, and I would need to rebuild that trust. Which means extra work on you part (and mine) and likely a lack of good assignments, important assignments or projects, more supervision, and lower bonuses.

Don’t copy content, and don’t plagiarize. It doesn’t do your brand any good.

Networking Online

How do you network with people online in your career field? It’s surprisingly easy, and I’ll give you a few ideas that I use.
1. Comment on people’s blogs. You ought to read blogs, even if you don’t write, and when you see something interesting, comment. If you do so regularly, you’ll be building a contact.
* Note – Make your comment thoughtful. Don’t comment to comment.
2. If you have a group on Twitter or Facebook, where people post a status. Respond to something that you find interesting. Another type of comment that builds a bond.
3. Engage in a discussion or debate in a forum online. If someone posts a question, or you think there is more to add, something to correct, or you would like more information, respond. The back and forth that I’ve seen in many forums has built some fairly strong friendships. Even among people that have never met in person.
It’s not hard, and it doesn’t have to be a daily thing, but it ought to be a regular effort. Take some time every week, just a couple 15 minute sessions a week and flip through the places that attract you online and engage people.