Wisdom for Today

We learn in many different ways from various people with different skills and experiences, from books, history, the internet, and from invaluable life experiences from painful to joyous.  Many have said that learning from mistakes and adversity is often the most powerful.

When starting a new job search, we can benefit from the words and wisdom of others.  In this edition, I’ll summarize some memorable and impactful one-liners with the hope that they will inspire and provoke you to think and act as well as provide you with some valuable tools for your journey.

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom – Thomas Jefferson

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal – Henry Ford

 I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret things I haven’t done – Lucille Ball

If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail – Abraham Maslow

It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things – Henry David Thoreau

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see – Henry David Thoreau

So throw-off the bowlines … Explore.  Dream.  Discover. – Mark Twain

Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself – Marcus Tullius Cicero

Nine-tenths of wisdom is being wise in time – Theodore Roosevelt

Know your Brand

I’ve been emphasizing that your job search requires the Three P’s (Positive Attitude, Persistence, and Preparation).  Also, you should be developing and using Your Portfolio – a `framework’ to assist your preparation and success.

The first step and tool is to identify your Success Profile which is your unique Strengths – your skills, personality traits, and accomplishments/achievements.  This is a foundation for marketing yourself as well as for learning and growing.   Your brand is a brief  summary and expression of your Success Profile.

How well do you know your brand?  Have you checked-in with your friends and family and associates to validate it?  Have you practiced speaking about it with clear and crisp examples?

I have developed a questionnaire and tool to help identify, clarify, and communicate your strengths, your Brand.  Contact me for further explanation and to begin developing and then describing your brand.

Additional elements for Your Portfolio include:  your resume and your references list; a list of your network  and contacts; research (on companies, industries, market trends, etc); job search advice (e.g., sample interview questions for rehearsal); a marketing plan (your specific job targets, actions and timeline); a log (of your activity)