Self promotion is part of the game of business. Careers, too, for that matter.

The difference between business success and business failure often has more to do with effective self-promotion than with technical competence. So if you want recognition, you must start promoting yourself. Hey, no one is going to know any of your achievements, if you don’t tell them.  (You could bring your mother along to all your networking event’s to boast about your achievements but that’s not a good   strategy. She could get carried away and and whip out your baby pictures, a sure way to downgrade your expert aura.)  Best to exude confidence and….

Learn to tell your own story.

Learn to weave your successes into a pithy story, which becomes as much a part of your repertoire as a handshake. Sit down and write out your story, the times you’ve succeeded, what you’ve achieved, times you’ve made a difference. That’s the story you need to commit to ready memory and weave into all your public speaking—and even your casual conversations with colleagues.

Determine to become a master of the visibility game.

How to begin?

Do you have the right credentials?

I’m going to assume you do.  If not, get them. Whatever hoops you have to go through…. whether it’s more course work, raising your profile through speaking, winning awards or becoming recognized for your achievements, at least in your own circles, do it.  That is your back story and the foundation for your future success.

Find your niche

Christianne Amanpour is known for her reporting of foreign news.  You don’t see her reporting on the Bronx, though I’m sure she could do that as well.  You don’t see her showing off her fresh baked cakes, either.  Just as you don’t see Martha Stewart reporting on tensions in the Mideast. What are you known for?  What’s your passion?

Establish Your Brand

My back ground is in business and as an entrepreneur.  For the past 12 years I’ve been an advocate for leveling the playing field for women.  I could write about art or travel or the five years I spent in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, where I ran a business. But that is not my niche. ( If you want to read a book on San Miguel and Mexico, see Tony Cohan’s Mexican Days, which has been called, ” terribly seductive” and, as he describes Mexico, “intimate, voluptuous-senses driven”. It’s a great subject and a great niche to write about, but I recognize it is not my niche.)

Your brand should be closely tied to your niche

Your brand has to be Brand You. It’s all about you.  But not all of you.  Select and well honed parts of you. Identify what is distinctive about your style and personality and  achievements.  Think Christianne Amanpour and her desert jackets.  Not for her Martha Stewart’s soft, unique colors or 300 pedigreed hens.  Everything from how you dress, how you write, how you present your self, should reflect what is unique about your style and the core of your brand.

I like business stories and business biographies.  You may like children’s stories or crafts or Egyptian history.  Whatever it is that you’re all about, wherever your passion is, make that the core of your brand.

Then get the word out – broadcast your brand.

Network with successful people in your own niche.

Attend networking events with the movers and shakers in your niche. Tell your compelling, engaging story to them, and let them help you tell it to a broader circle.

Start speaking to groups or start your own blog and use both of these to tell your story.  It’s all about networking either in person or over the Net.

Today is the best time to start.

If you have other suggestions or experiences about creating your personal brand, write and tell us!

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Now, more than ever, in these bleak economic times, with many legacy companies either drastically downsizing or dropping like flies, it’s a good idea to have your resume up to date. And, as we’ve said many times, the whole idea is for you to stand out from the crowd, which is getting tougher with so many jobless out there, forcefully expatriated from corporate America.

Dan Schawbel writes a blog on personal branding….and we’re all about personal branding in your career…and he shares some thoughts on the best way to put your own unique brand on your resume: Personal Branding Toolkit – Part 3: Resumes « Personal Branding Blog

“1) Design your brand. Instead of using a standard template, use a branded template. A brand you template! If you have Microsoft Word or another word processing program, then you might notice shapes and colors at the top. If you don’t already have a website, blog, business card, etc, then you need to think about what colors you want to use, as well as what type of job you’re applying for. In the picture below, a woman is applying to be a “Cosmetic Nurse Specialist.” At the top of her resume, she has a picture of someone putting cosmetics on a patient. The rest of the resume has shades of pink. The resume comes off as “soft” and “gentle,” with the colors, picture and shapes used. To me this is effective.

Brand yourself with a resume

2) Don’t use your picture. I agree with my friend Chris Russell that pictures can’t be on resumes (even though I’d love to put mine on it). A personal photo is a distraction. Recruiters give you about 30 seconds to impress them with your experience and you don’t want 10 of those seconds to be eyes on your picture do you! Don’t come off as someone who is trying to get a job because of your looks. Companies are scared to deal with your picture because of discrimination laws and lawsuits.

3) Links rock. I haven’t seen many resumes with links EVEN from people that have blogs, social network profiles and other websites. It blows my mind! Why not have a link to your site. If the recruiter likes your resume or has further interest in your credentials, a link acts as a supplemental piece of marketing that will help you sell yourself without saying one word.

4) Experience trumps education. Don’t believe for a second that your degree and “deans list” on your resume is going to get you a job. Recruiters are starting to discount GPA for resumes! Listen, a resume is all about showing recruiters that you have had proven success, eliminating risk on the companies part. In life, experience is everything and if you don’t have it, you will leave to lean towards your education. Make a point to put your work experience in the top part of your resume because that’s what employers really care about.

5) Show some class. The quality of paper you use shows how serious you are about the position and can be used as a differentiator. Purchase quality paper and print your resume using it because more applicants use standard printer paper.

6) Create the multimedia you. How much information can you really get from a stupid resume? Not much. I’ve written about video resumes a lot and believe in them, as long as you are passionate, energetic and have some showmanship. If you plan on videoing yourself sleeping or eating chocolate than you might want to reconsider.

7) Get Linked-In. This is another topic I’ve touched on without a dedicated post. LinkedIn is a resume, cover letter and reference list all in one, which makes it exceptional. It is a virtual resume, with the same fields as a typical resume. It is a cover letter because you have space to explain where you’re at in your career, what you want to be and summarize your qualifications. It is a reference list because it’s searchable by recruiters and you can endorse others (managers, peers, etc).

8 ) Grow it. A resume is useless if it shows the brand you from 1938. You need to constantly update it as you grow, finish projects, switch organizations, etc. Always keep it up-to-date so it represents the “present brand you.” Feel free to grow your resume online as well, by creating a webpage dedicated to it or blending it onto a blog. I’ve seen people add social media elements(Facebook, Digg, Flickr, etc) to resumes such as Christopher Penn and Bryan Person, who have sharing features. Think about it this way; if someone finds your resume and has heard of an opening at a different company, they might share it using a social media tool!

9) Summarize it. If I were recruiting someone for a position I wouldn’t care about a resume. I’d ask for your blog, but for everyone else, I think a summary of your credentials is very very important. At the top of your resume, I’d like to see 3-4 sentences that showcases all your top achievements and your career objectives.

10) Customization. Aside from customizing your resume to fit your brand, you need to tailor it to the position your gunning for. The resume below is for a Oracle Certified Professional. Think about it, if you are branded as this type of expert, won’t it be clear to recruiters immediately once they see this resume? Aside from this, you should use keywords and experiences that match the position you are trying to fill.”

Resume tailoring 101

Your personal branding toolkit

1) Business cards
2) Portfolios
3) Resumes
4) Cover letters

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