Lindsay Olson

Personal Branding Lessons from the Late King of Pop

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This is a guest post by Chris Perry. Chris is a Gen Y Brand and Marketing Generator, a Career Search and Personal Branding Expert and the Founder of Career Rocketeer, the Career Search and Personal Branding Blog.

Being an avid fan of Michael Jackson, his music, his moves and his effect on the evolution of music itself, I was truly sorry to hear of his death on June 25th.

However, all of the recent media attention and tributes to his life and his music career made me realize how effective his personal branding efforts were throughout his career and how powerful his personal brand has become as a result.

While personal branding did not exist in its now-better-defined form when Michael first started to shine in the Jackson 5, Michael, like all musicians, did encounter the need to build up and protect his reputation in order to continue to rise to greater levels of fame and success.

Michael Jackson was a personal branding genius with respect to music and dance.  He never ceased to push the limits with his look, his dress and his new moves and dance routines, and he continued to produce hit after hit in the height of his career, thereby totally revolutionizing the industry.

Despite multiple factors that detracted from his overall personal brand, including his eccentricities and the legal allegations against him, his natural strengths and promotional efforts in music and dance were so overwhelmingly powerful that they have almost overridden any negative memories of him.  Regardless of whatever personal problems he grappled with, I have respect for his personal brand and the unique and differentiating value he brought to the table throughout his life.

What are some lessons you can learn from the late King of Pop about personal branding?

1. Establish your own personal brand by identifying your true strengths, values and goals and by combining them into one-or-two-word personal brand and supporting brand pitch or statement. Remember, Michael Jackson was the self-proclaimed King of Pop; however, because he always reinforced that claim with his unique strengths, hit songs and musical and dance performances, that′s how he will always be remembered.
2. Make yourself present and be heard on each and every stage on which you play a role.  No one had any doubt when Michael Jackson entered the stage, because he made himself known and promoted himself and his personal brand through his performances.  Make yourself, your strengths and your personal brand known whenever you enter "the stage" through your performance and actions.
3. Be consistent in all of your personal branding efforts both online and offline and both professionally and socially.  This includes your one-or-two-word personal brand, your appearance, the look of your online social networking profiles, your performance on the job, your contributions at and outside of work and more.  MJ′s peculiarities and the legal allegations against him unfortunately weakened the social side of his overall personal brand; however, his professional side was so strong that it frequently compensated for the personal.  Imagine how powerful your personal brand could be even on a more local scale if you remain consistent across all of the spheres in which you choose to exist and be active, both publicly and privately.  Declare yourself, and then be what you declare.

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Job Seekers′ Tips for Recruiters

This is a guest post from Chris Perry at Career Rocketeer.

In this industry, you will see a lot of articles from recruiters, employers and career experts providing job seekers with advice on how to improve their job search and/or on how to present themselves better as candidates; however, you don′t often see as many articles from job seekers and career experts providing tips and advice for recruiters and employers on how to improve the recruitment, interview and hiring process.

I have asked job seekers and career search experts from across the web for what they consider to be the top tips for recruiters and employers today′s job market. While I could not include every tip from all of the contributors, I have selected and compiled the best and most unique ones in this list to share with you today.

• "I think the most frustrating thing for job seekers I've talked to is that when working with a recruiter, they don't feel like they're talked straight to. The process of working with a recruiter feels opaque. What job is s/he recruiting for? What jobs are available? Is this a real opening or one posted by a recruiter to harvest resumes? Recruiters who are open with job seekers about the process and whether the jobseeker is wasting his/her time will earn the respect of their candidates." - Rachel Kaufman, MediaJobsDaily
• "Share an outline of your process. Job seekers hate mystery. Letting them know at the very beginning what to expect and what happens when can save you immense time and energy and can help them feel more in control. You don't have to do this verbally each time. Create a short, bulleted email that outlines how the process typically works for your clients or at your company, and on what time frame. Since each job request is not alike, note the places where exceptions typically occur, too (for example, "our marketing roles typically take longer to fill due to the schedules of the hiring team"). This level of professionalism up-front will go a long way toward reducing unnecessary questions from job seekers and having fewer followup calls for you."  - Darcy Eikenberg, CoachDarcy.com
• "Tell me I'm not a fit during the interview. Interview processes that drag on even when there is clearly no fit is a waste of everyone's time. If you sense this - stop the interview. I won't be offended - if you are looking for something else, say so, thank me, and let's both move on." - Tony Deblauwe, HR4Change.com
• "Job seekers are realistic and understand that companies receive hundreds of resumes, so if we actually receive an invitation to interview, trust me, we prepare like mad.  While job seekers are expected to be polished and polite, the same should be said of employers and interviewers.  Several friends of mine have been on interviews where the interviewer seemed to know nothing about them, as if the resume had been placed in front of them for the first time (or they admitted to misplacing it and asked for another copy).  Job seekers have obviously taken an interest in the company and put time aside to learn about it, so it can be a bit of a hit to the ego if interviewers haven't at least spent a few minutes reviewing the qualifications that landed them the interview.  While job seekers can't afford to be as selective as in the past, the decision to join an organization also relies on the impression the employer makes as well." - Kristin Davie, Cap and Gown Countdown
• "Don′t forget the human side of the equation. Be responsive and follow up in a timely manner. Providing feedback to a candidate will help them to improve for the next role or interview, even if its not with you.  It is understandable that you get hundreds of calls, emails and faxes, but for those select few that you are working with that do not make the cut, it is important to continue to provide feedback so that they can grow." - Terrianne Small, TerrianneSmall.com Justice League: The New Frontier
• "Choose your words carefully when communicating with the candidate. If there was a misunderstanding or error in the interview that caused the candidate not to be moved forward, and you are met with surprise, do not say sarcastically, "This is not up for negotiation." This is why the letter or email works best. If it is truly not up for negotiation, and you don′t wish to correct the mistake, then email or send that letter. Don′t get into a protracted conversation with the candidate. This is why you must take accurate notes during an interview process. When the interviewer does not take detailed notes, how can you prove the candidate′s input? Risky from a legal point of view, not to mention miserable for the candidate." - Cindy Morgan-Olson
• "Recruiters are busy people juggling multiple job openings and numerous candidates for each opening.  It is very easy to let communications start slipping as the workload fills up and deadlines loom.  However, for the job candidate, it is essential to be kept up to date on the status of the opening, as well as any other details about the employer or the opportunity as they arise.  I have experienced personally (and also hear all the time from colleagues), the frustration of not knowing the latest news about an opportunity or what my part may be in it.  It is very easy for a job candidate to be discouraged and/or demoralized about an opportunity because a certain amount of time has passed with no word, especially in today′s crazy job market.  If that is simply because the recruiter was negligent in communicating status, an opportunity may have been lost for the candidate to do more research, preparation, etc. during the lull in activity.  That could affect the ultimate outcome of the process." -  JR Rodrigues, JobHuntExpress.com инцессы

Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this compilation of tips!

Chris Perry is a Gen Y Brand and Marketing Generator, a Career Search and Personal Branding Expert and the Founder of Career Rocketeer, the Career Search and Personal Branding Blog.

Photo credit: A God's Child