I’ve just read Career Distinction: Stand Out By Building Your Brand, and just posted my review at Amazon. Still, I wanted to post a slightly more detailed review, along with links, here on my blog. This book is great! An instant classic! I believe it sets the new standard for career management.
Here’s my extended review:
Way back in 2001, when I and other career professionals were conducing career workshops for outplaced individuals, it was often a useful exercise to ask participants to consider themselves as their own unique “Brand You.” Taking tips from Tom Peters’ work, we found ways to enhance traditional job search approaches and tools to help our clients stand out. Still, we lacked a comprehensive system to make personal branding a completely effective career management strategy.
Interestingly, in that same year, William Arruda founded Reach Communications Consulting, and got to work establishing a highly-effective personal branding process called 1-2-3 Success! In this new book, after dispelling branding myths, the authors discuss the phases of the process; as well, they provide access to a downloadable workbook which further supports:
- Extracting, or uncovering, one’s unique promise of value based on the combined results of introspective exercises and of the online 360Reach Personal Branding Assessment (which is included in the price of the book);
- Expressing one’s brand through various career marketing tools; and
- Exuding one’s brand throughout one’s professional environment -- and including ways to nurture one’s professional network.
The value of having access to this process and these tools easily exceeds the price of the book. Yet, there is so much more in this remarkable volume. First, the authors make a compelling case for the role of branding in their examination of radical changes in the world of work. They then go on to establish four principles of the career distinction mindset:
- Stand Out: Stand For Something;
- Be Your Own Boss;
- Forget The Ladder: It’s A Ramp; and
- Think Like a Brand.
Taken together, these principles further support the case for personal branding as the most effective approach to career management and success…
… but wait, there’s more!
Given recruiters’ increasing use of Google to identify prospective talent or to make decisions on job candidates, the authors leverage (Brandego Founder and Reach Branding Club Co-Founder) Kirsten Dixson’s expertise to help the reader begin to take steps to manage his or her career online. “Assessing Your Online Identity” walks the reader through the steps of determining his or her digital profile. Then, “Building Your Brand in Bits and Bytes” discusses practical and accessible ways to create an on-brand, online presence using blogs, web portfolios, and online networking.
Overall, I believe this book will become the career management standard. Everything in it is fresh, relevant, and thought provoking. Best of all: it works! Whether you begin applying its lessons on your own, or (ideally) invest in working with a certified Personal Branding Strategist, you will put yourself squarely on the path to more career distinction and to owning your success!
Contact me if you want to work with a personal branding strategist. I would be happy to discuss my new special personal branding packages or my more comprehensive offering.
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