Sell the Sizzle, Not the Steak

Hi there, readers!

Since early 2008, I have been giving a presentation I put together called “Sell the Sizzle, Not the Steak: Personal Branding Debunked.” I came up with the idea behind the presentation for a conference in Atlanta that I used to attend when I was an undergrad.  Great conference (all about business leadership), but quite honestly, most of the presenters were Baby Boomers who were dry and couldn’t relate (or so I felt).

I decided to put something together that would not only be entertaining to the students I would be presenting to, but would actually help them (hopefully) in their post-undergrad endeavors; be it seeking employment or applying to grad school.

Sell the Sizzle focuses on creating and maintaining a brand for yourself, focusing on the Internet and on social media, in particular.  In today’s world, employers are online, and you better believe that when you apply to work for them, they’re checking you out as best they can using Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

I’ll share tidbits of my presentation with you all as time goes on, but today I just wanted to offer a few quick tips to clean up your online presence; make  yourself more appealing and hire-able, if you will.

• Facebook
  • Facebook’s privacy settings have changed.  If you haven’t read them, click here and brush up.
    • Adjust your privacy settings accordingly, and keep in mind that once you put something online,  you no longer own it.
  • My number one rule of thumb: What would your grandmother think?
    • If grandma wouldn’t approve of what you have posted on your Facebook page (comments, pictures, etc.), chances are your colleagues, professors, peers, and potential employers won’t be impressed either.  Tweak your profile as necessary.
• Twitter
  • Check out my previous post, Beware of what you tweet, for more info on Twitter and how you can very easily get yourself into trouble
  • Use Twitter to network
    • Search for people who share similar interests as you and who may have connections to employers you may be interested in, take advantage of every opportunity and follow every rainbow!
    • Communicate with people, even if you don’t know them.
      • Chances are, they’ll appreciate the fact that you are eager to learn and doing everything you can to achieve your goals.
  • Share information
    • Don’t just sit and listen-in on the conversation, contribute.  Conversation is key, as is the sharing of knowledge, so share links to articles you find interesting, or even to your own blog!
• Email
  • Make sure you create a professional, easy-to-remember email address for yourself and use it for your job hunt.
  • A screen name like “blondeqt” will most likely not get you hired.

That’s it for now, folks… stay tuned for tips on starting and maintaining your own  blog/website, tweaking your resume, and more!