“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” is a phrase I hear often. It is a cry of despair by people who have been in the job search for much longer than they want. Their assumption is, “Since nobody has offered me a job, I must not know the right people.” On closer look, nothing could be further from the truth.

For many of us, it’s more comfortable to quietly spend hours and days applying for jobs than to enlist others’ help to make a connection. Applying for jobs can sometimes be a bit like playing the lottery. While it may be uncomfortable for many of us to let our friends, family, and acquaintances know we are looking for work, it just takes one person you know to give you a lead that makes all the difference - introducing you to your future employer or providing some vital information to assist in your job search.

To illustrate, let’s assume I’m the General Manager or Owner of a company and one of my best employees has given their two week notice. The first thought in my mind is not, “What should my employment ad on monster.com say?” I don’t want to spend unbudgeted money on advertising. I certainly don’t want to wade through dozens of resumes in hopes that a few will yield prospective employees. And, I dread offering the job to the wrong person. No. Most hiring managers ask, “Who do I know that can do this job?” Or, “Who do I know that will know someone that has the skills and qualifications.” These questions are the key to finding your next job.

Send out your resumes and fill out those applications too. But, spend more time getting known. Tell everybody you know what you are looking for and what you have to offer your next employer. The more your job search strategies focus your energy on getting KNOWN as a resource, the faster you’ll find the job you’re looking for. So, what really matters in your job search is, “It’s not what you know, it’s who knows you.”

- Doug Anders
Career Counselor & Resume Writer
www.purposeworks.com

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It isn't just for corporations anymore. Everyone has a talent or a gift to offer up to the world. (Yes, even you.) A CEO I know has a talent for risk taking. He took a risk - laying his money down and believing in his skills – creating a thriving company and 50 jobs for Oregonians. A woman in Corvallis loves to cook. In her kitchen, she created tasty sea salt seasonings – now she markets them on www.earthandseasalts.com. Her gift to her business is the belief in her creations. Risk taking and belief are their trademarks.

Why does a trademark matter?

Identifying your own personal trademark and being able to communicate it is the key to your career pursuits. People are often able to say things about themselves in resumes, cover letters, and interviews like “strong organizational skills”, “I’m good with people,” and the like. But, just about every job seeker will say some variation of those things. You want to stand out from the crowd! If you really want prospective employers, potential investors or future customers to take notice of you, it’s important for you to convey your unique competitive advantage. Identifying and marketing your trademark will help you do just that.

Trademark Identification Process

What is the one thing you contribute to the world, no matter where you are or in what job you work? For clues about your unique contribution, ask yourself and others the following questions:

1. In conversations with people who are familiar with your work, ask a question like, “What do you perceive to be my biggest contribution on the job”?

2. Think back over your history as an employee or volunteer. What kinds of problems did you notice and solve? What was the outcome or impact of your efforts? Sometimes your impact is measurable, such as increased revenue, reduced overhead costs or production time saved. Sometimes the difference you made wasn’t as measurable but it had an impact on others anyway, such as improved employee morale, increased customer satisfaction and/or repeat business.

3. Look through past written performance evaluations or recommendation letters. If certain positive comments reoccur throughout, note the recurring theme. What did you do to earn their positive regard? (If you have difficulty answering that question, ask someone who might know that answer.)

4. Look at things you do well and enjoy doing, both at work and during leisure time. Sometimes particular abilities, such as resolving a conflict between two people or estimating the time and resources it will take to complete a project are your forte.

If you can’t answer some of these questions right away, don’t panic. Moving forward, resolve that you will keep track of your accomplishments and contributions. When someone compliments you, write it down. If you have trouble identifying what is noteworthy, writing it down anyway. You can always decide later whether or not to use it.

The important thing to remember is that you identify your personal trademark - unique contribution(s) – and figure out how to communicate it to the world, whether it be for an employer or fuel to begin your own business or creation.

Doug Anders
www.purposeworks.com
541-338-3196

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I use to have a car that met an early demise at the hands of my daughter, Sarah, on the Ferry Street Bridge in Eugene, Oregon. The accident ripped the entire front end from the Ford Taurus. The concrete median on the bridge was in pretty bad shape too. Thankfully, Sarah survived without a scratch…and, so did the back bumper. As I walked away from the wreckage, I saw my favorite bumper sticker one last time. It read, “Remember Who You Wanted To Be.”

I put that sticker on my bumper as a constant reminder to me that I had dreams, dreams that I forgot about, but still wanted to realize. A lot of people told me they loved that bumper sticker. I knew it was because they could relate. When they read it, their memories flickered across their minds eyes of childhood wishes to be a fireman, a ballet dancer, an astronaut or something less romantic. For me, I always remembered the week I learned how to read. I sat in bed reading my first grade Easy Reader books and thought to myself, “I want to be a writer when I grow up!” Life had different plans for me – or so I thought.

Life takes us down many roads with flaggers cautioning us to slow down and be reasonable. Detours force us to turn right instead of left. How many times has this happened to you? It has happened to me so many times I can’t count them on two hands. That dream of writing articles and books that changed people's lives fell to the wayside - while I raised children and went to college to get a job in a field that would guarantee I could pay my bills.  These were definitely important and created value in my life, but wasn’t my dream of becoming a writer important too?

We can find our way back to our self and remember. Remembering what we wanted to be doesn’t mean we will drop everything right now - like quitting a good paying job without an action plan – or that what is “now” doesn’t have importance. Remembering doesn’t mean that we have the same dreams anymore either. Dreams definitely change. Remembering just gives us an opportunity to be conscious about our decisions, instead of letting our environment (other people or circumstances) make our decisions for us.

That bumper sticker reminded me that I wanted to be a writer and that I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. Writing this blog is being a writer! And, I feel like joining PurposeWorks is giving me the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. (I think I’m going to get that sticker and slap it on my bumper again. I really miss it.)

What are your dreams and desires? How about taking a moment to remember and write your dreams down?

 - Heather McBride, SPHR
Career Counselor and Resume Writer

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