From as far back as I can remember, commercials for products and brands have been so interesting for me. From the "Where's the Beef?" to "Just Do It", these tag lines are just the tipping point for what marketing does. I'm not here to convince you to throw your business in the ring with big names like Nike or Tesla; instead, I am cheering for the self confidence you'll be striving for in 2023 to set your experience and authority in your niche.
You see, marketing has shifted from campaigns for corporate to the individual branding and curating an experience for their followers. Even rewriting a resume for my Husband last year, I found myself thinking outside the box to make his expert level background phenomenal! Early in our relationship, I realized he could communicate with our Spanish language speaking neighbors with ease, then it slowly dawned on me that he learned that through working 20 years in kitchens. Communication was important and there is no more blended working spaces than entry level food service. The hiring managers for some larger companies really appreciated the blurb "Conversational Spanish" in the merits and awards section of his new revamped resume.
Although, he got a few career positions with it, we decided that they weren't a good fit for him, his goals or our family structure. He held out and quickly, the perfect position that checked off all his boxes came to fruition. In the first few weeks, he felt he was falling into a leadership position, something he wasn't really interested in. When I asked how he felt if bigger roles were presented to him, he shrugged and made a nonchalant comment about not being interested at the moment.
That one little comment was a loaded ball of feelings for me. We are almost ten years apart in age and I have to resolve almost daily that I crave ambition, probably in an unhealthy way, while he has fallen into comfort and is happy where he's at. As part of the working class, we could not be any more different and that's the lifetime work we have chosen to work through together.
Understanding that career paths have a leader and a crew makes it so much easier to swallow. If you are striving to attain a position in your field where you have authority and your creative ideas are taken in to consideration and often even implemented, you probably are also fighting with another leader for your most coveted roles. I have an interesting take on ways you can leverage your ambition to work for you.
Beyond the awards and accolades from your university, what working skills can you highlight to future clients or employers? For me, phrases like empathetic listener, problem solving and leadership are great ways to open communication with a hiring manager on how well you would do for their company.
With college becoming an increasingly more expensive trophy, more young people are opting out entirely. So what are they going to replace a 2-4 year degree with to prove they are worthy of a career position? I have two college age kids with two more coming up the ranks and I have lectured about the benefits of trade school until I am blue in the face. It's not just young adults that are benefitting from trades education. A late 40's aged client of mine took the great resignation route, quit his career as a mail carrier and enrolled in HVAC courses at our local career development center. As he recounts his stories learning from a technician that is likely younger than he, I have to laugh at how humble and hungry for knowledge he is. I just know that all that enthusiasm is emanating to his peers while keeping him on the radar for career fairs and internships.
Hungry for knowledge type people never really go hungry. These trade schools are now offering a plethora of digital education at a fraction of college tuition which means they are attainable, and in 3-5 years, we will be seeing a flood of new employment competition; meaning you have to step up your game. Social media is the perfect medium to emphasize your soft skills, while simultaneously giving a place to hang your education merits and certificates. That's right. I am pro public profiles. LinkedIn is number one for business networking, while Facebook is a think tank of controversial topics that make it easier to be seen and heard. Instagram? Still a beautiful portfolio for solo-preneurs and small business.
YOLO, what's for me will always be, and all the other catchy mantras for throwing caution to the wind. This mindset has given me a life of abundance, while putting good career opportunities in my path.
Just be mindful of what you post.
Make that your 2023 goal.
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