BULLETPROOF YOUR CAREER

THE 3 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF YOUR PERSONAL BRAND:

WHO YOU ARE. WHAT YOU DELIVER. WHY IT MATTERS.
Sally Hogshead, Personal Branding Expert and Author

It is not uncommon to be asked to “tell me a little about yourself’” and/or “walk me through
your career” especially these days. Why is it even more common right now? Most
interviews are via video right now, and frankly many of my clients have noticed that
interviewers come to the calls less than fully prepared due to the myriad of demands and
distractions on them. Opening up with one of these 2 questions buys them a little time! If
you really want to pull them in and get the interviewer excited about the interview, then
preparing a distinctive response will really give you an advantage over other candidates
and will set the tone for a great interview.

YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE---NOW YOU JUST NEED TO OWN IT!

Here are the two biggest issues holding executives back when it comes to this topic:

1. Being in a job search can make you question yourself, no matter how much
confidence you had when you were in your job. It throws you off. You no longer
can introduce yourself as “I am the VP of Marketing at XYZ” and, let’s face it, for
many people---your job is a big part of your identity. So, when you are at a
networking event, and you begin to introduce yourself, there is this nanosecond
of a hesitation—which then activates the part of your brain that associates
hesitation with danger, and the next thing you know, you find yourself unable to
give a succinct and powerful response. Most often, what happens next is that you
 find yourself going into an explanation that misses the mark.

2. You know who you are---you took a department or an entire company and
turned it around---you grew a team of future leaders who trusted you---you
grew businesses---you made an impact. But you also left your ego outside the
door. You didn’t look for the spotlight. You didn’t take credit. ou just did your
job. And, to top it off, you made the biggest impact when you were in your zone
of genius—that is—when you were doing what you do effortlessly—that thing
that makes you think, “but doesn’t everyone do it this way,” but it came so
naturally to you that you don’t think it is a big deal.

TO OWN YOUR GREATNESS, YOU MUST GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD

One thing I know for sure is that to own your greatness and to really provide attention
grabbing answers to these questions, you must get out of your head and away from the
bullet points on your resume. The best exercise to do just that is by completing my Career
Story Prompts document. You can find it here (just click on the blue box with the 3 dots at
the bottom of the far right column, and you will be able to download the document)
http://bit.ly/careerstoryprompts.
HOW DO I USE THE COMPLETED CAREER STORY DOCUMENT?
1. Complete the full document, then step away from it.
2. Go back later and reread the document. You will most likely find that you have
more details to add.
3. Now, use the information you have unearthed to help create your introduction,
to develop a cohesive and succinct way to answer the two questions. Don’t
worry about length at first, just take the content and right your “career story—
from your heart – not your head! Your resume should have the metric driven
results from your roles, so in most instanced you do not need to incorporate that
into your story. There are some exceptions. If you are interviewing for a role
where the description really hammers home the fact that they want metrics, you
can include those, but not a litany of them, just those with the highest impact.
 Because while they many want “metrics” they will remember stories! Here is a
commercial that I share in my all-day workshops that really shows the impact of
a story: https://bit.ly/ExperienceThePowerofStories and the quote below
really conveys the power of stories as well.

Storytelling may seem like an old-fashioned tool, today — and it is.
That’s exactly what makes it so powerful.

Life happens in the narratives we tell one another. A story can go where
quantitative analysis is denied admission: our hearts.

Data can persuade people, but it doesn’t inspire them to act; to do
that, you need to wrap your vision in a story that fires the imagination
and stirs the soul.
Harrison Monarth, Author – The Confident Speaker

4. An additional way to use this document is to revisit it whenever your
confidence has been shaken! It will be helpful to remind yourself of the how
you got where you are today and the impact you have made.
5. This is a lifelong document, so continue to update this as you think of more
details and be sure to update it for every new role

SAMPLES
You will find a sample for answers to each question/request at the end of this
document.

The opening paragraph shown in blue on the first sample was used in introductory emails
and served as a brief way for my client to open up a conversation to introduce herself when
networking. The first sample answers the question, “tell me a little about yourself” and the
second answers the request, “please walk me through your career” in a way that is succinct
but they provide highlights the candidates careers in a way that gives a cohesive picture
and provide some details to open up a good dialogue. My client also used many of the
sentences, paragraphs and soundbites in emails and cover letters.

Once you have a good basic framework for each question, you can customize it slightly for
specific interviews.

REMEMBER – WHEN YOU CONFUSE YOU LOSE
AND A CONFUSED MIND ALWAYS SAYS, “NO”.

I am not a big fan of the so-called “30-second elevator pitch.” I don’t think anyone wants to
be “pitched to.” Here are some statements I have heard at networking events:

I’ve done a lot of different things in my career.

It’s hard for me to describe my career!

Earlier in my career I was in XYZ industry, and then I moved from there to a
completely different role and industry, and for the last 5 years I have been in another
new industry and role, so I can really do anything. I just want to work with great
people.”

Those statements lack clarity and will confuse whoever you are speaking with and they will not
be able to take action to help you. Here are some examples of a way to start an introduction
that is memorable and clear:

I am the branding and marketing leader companies hire when the future of their
business Is on the line.

I am the CIO who effortlessly melds together disparate systems, cultures, teams,
agendas, and priorities and produces one united, responsive technology platform that
is the engine that fuels growth.

“Companies hire me to break down silos, rebuild quality, and take their global
manufacturing sites from a point where they are barely able to deliver and turn those
sites into world-class manufacturing partners. I usually walk in the front door to start
my new role when their best customers have thrown up their hands and walked out
the back door.”

“HR can lead the way and drive the culture, engagement and relevancy of the
workforce, or it can be relegated to a box checking, paper pushing, progress inhibitor.
I am the engine, not the caboose. I have always been out front, creating and
orchestrating a people strategy that is in harmony with the business. But I have also
often inherited a skeptical if not hostile group of stakeholders who greeted me with
 crossed arms and raised eyebrows based on their prior experience. That just brings
out the best in me.”

SAMPLE: TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF

(It is estimated to take about 1 minute to read 300 words. The sample below takes just under
1 minute. This is meant to be a framework that you practice so that you can deliver it
conversationally rather than sound like a “speech.)”

ON THE BUSINESS SIDE:

I have repeatedly and successfully transformed people, processes and organizations in diverse
global environments while ensuring that everything aligned operationally to support today’s
needs and tomorrow’s challenges.

I’ve built cohesive, collaborative, globally dispersed teams, managed exponential growth and
global expansion, and created efficiencies and industry-leading differentiators.

And, I have succeeded in my roles because I persevered regardless of the obstacles, and I
impacted both the operation and the ability of the people in the firm to keep up with the pace of
growth and change.

I grew up in Houston, but I always wanted to live in Eastern Europe. So, after obtaining my degree, I
moved to Prague with nothing more than a fearless, adventurous spirit, a good education, and the
desire to learn everything I could about the country and the people.

I was recruited to a leading retained executive search firm in Prague, and for the next decade, I
spent the majority of my career building the organization from 14 offices in Eastern Europe to 56
offices and a presence on every continent.

I returned to Houston a few years ago to launch. I am leading the firm’s expansion to North America
and have driven revenue growth here by 125% while overseeing all aspects of North America
operations. And, the infrastructure that I have built has also enabled us to provide best-in-class
service to our clients.
On the personal side,

I have settled back into Houston but always have a suitcase packed and a new travel adventure
booked, typically to someplace off the beaten path. And when I am not traveling, I enjoy playing
my piano and volunteering with the Heritage Society of Houston. It is not as dramatic a history as
Prague, but it’s rich in its own way.

SAMPLE: CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH YOUR CAREER?

(The sample below takes just under 2 minutes. And again, this is meant to be a framework
that you practice so that you can deliver it conversationally rather than memorizing it and
having it sound like a “speech.”

I have repeatedly and successfully transformed people, processes and organizations in

diverse global environments while ensuring that everything aligned operationally to support
today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges.

I’ve built cohesive, collaborative, globally dispersed teams, managed exponential growth and
global expansion, and created efficiencies and industry-leading differentiators.

And, I have succeeded in my roles because I persevered regardless of the obstacles, and I
impacted both the operation and the ability of the people in the firm to keep up with the
pace of growth and change.

I grew up in Houston, but I always wanted to live in Eastern Europe. So, after obtaining my
degree, I moved to Prague with nothing more than a fearless adventurous spirit, a good
education, and the desire to learn everything I could about the country and the people. I knew
no one there when I arrived, but I wanted to build a business network, so I created a role
teaching Business English to firms such as PwC, Deloitte and several other corporations.

The exposure from this work paid off, and I was recruited to a leading retained executive search
firm and for the next decade, I focused on building the organization from 14 offices in Eastern
Europe to 56 offices and a presence on every continent. When I arrived there, the 5-year old
firm was a true entrepreneurial company with ambitions to grow beyond their Eastern
European roots, but with no systems, processes or infrastructure for successful scale-up. I was
a good match for the ambitious firm because I have a roll-up-your sleeves and just get it done
style that was needed to match the pace of growth and the limited resources.

As the Global COO, I have built a fully integrated firm and put the critical systems, processes,
technology infrastructure and global workforce in place to support revenue growth of 315%
and EBITDA of 27%.

After almost a decade overseas, I returned to Houston a few years ago to launch and lead the
firm’s expansion to North America and have driven revenue growth here by 125% while
overseeing all aspects of North America operations. The infrastructure that I have built has also
enabled us to provide best-in-class service to the lifeblood of the growth---our clients.

As I tackled each new challenge presented by the non-stop growth and expansion, I evaluated
each situation by first digging below the surface to uncover the root cause of the issues. With
that clarity, I could bring innovative thinking, and then crafted and executed well-documented,
sustainable strategies. This has included a bold move to the Maldives where we have a team of
over 170 people supporting our consultants and clients on a global scale; centralizing shared
resources globally; and continually scaling all departments to facilitate consultant revenue-
generating activities. 


I thrive on setting new standards of excellence, on bringing order to chaos, on building lasting
change and leaving a roadmap for sustainable, continuous improvement. My mantra is
simple, “there is always a way.”

 Make Your Next Career Move
THE RIGHT ONE!
ARE YOU READY TO BULLETPROOF YOUR CAREER?

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breakthrough consultation calls.
FOLLOW THIS LINK TO SCHEDULE YOUR CALL TODAY
https://bulletproofyourcareercoaching.as.me/lasersession

Here’s what you will walk away with from our coaching session:

1. We will attack the #1 challenge you are facing right now in

your job search.

2. I will identify hidden challenges that may be slowing your
progress.

3. You will leave the call with your biggest challenge solved,
and you will be renewed and reenergized for your search.

Interested in learning more about my 12-month “From Onboard to

Bulletproof” program? I created this program to make sure that you
get off to a strong start once you land in a new role, and to ensure that
you stay “ready to be ready” for what’s next, even with limited time.

By the end of the program, you will have a custom strategy, plan and
tactics you need to Bulletproof Your Career and Secure Your Financial
Future . . .for life! Reach out to me at
pat@bulletproofyourcareer.com to learn more.