Recently I wrote asking your goals for the future, have you given this any thought? If you are setting your goals, have you been thinking about how to achieve them?
setting course
As each of you finish up you college career it is time to start thinking about where you go from here. Many of you have done internships within your area of study. Many others are already sending resumes out to start the job search. While others still have a few more years of college left. But even if you are in the latter group, it is not too early to start building your brand.
What do I mean, “Building my brand”? I have spoken in passing about how the work environment has been changing over the past number of years. Employees are much more transient, employers are much more careful about bringing on “extra” labor, and the time of the 30 year gold watch is over. This is a good thing. Working with a company for 30 years is not really good for you or the company. Things get too easy, too familiar. The challenge is gone and the drive for excellence turns to satisfactions with mediocrity.
But what this means to you is that you need to continually evaluate your goals. Keep looking ahead and setting your course toward these goals. Always evaluate your skills and your deficiencies in those skills. Look for ways to better develop your talent so that you are ready for that next step when the opportunity arises.
Now about that brand; to be in position to see these opportunities and to have positioned yourself to be considered for these opportunities you need to have your brand out in the world. As your career develops, your brand needs to reflect who you are.
Let me rephrase this. Your brand is out there and it does reflect who you are. Is that what you want potential employers or customers to see? You are spending time out on the social network platforms, I know you are, and every future employer is going to see everything you are doing. Does this mean that you should stop using these forums? Not at all. You need and should be out there talking to your friends and having fun. Just be aware of how and what you say.
Now I am going to tell you that you need to use the fact that employers are checking up on you to your benefit. You should be developing you brand. In doing so, you will be demonstrating to the world that you are serious about your career, about your life and about your future.
We can talk later about the tools and the strategies to build this portfolio, but for now I will just say be yourself, be honest and be aware.
photo by tiarescott
