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    Lauren617
    Making yourself stand out from the crowd
    Topic posted September 10, 2009 by Lauren617Elite Contributor, last edited January 19, 2012
    696 Views, 4 Comments
    Title:
    Making yourself stand out from the crowd
    Content:
    What are young EPs doing to make themselves stand out from the crowd? With all the lay-offs that occured over the past few years, how are you distinguishing yourself from the rest of the field? Also, young EPs are probably competing against those who have many more years experience. How can we deal with that challenge?

    Comment

     

    • ahorowitz
      posted September 16, 2009 by ahorowitzMember

      One way to make your personal brand stand out is by having people see you as being unique or remarkable in some way. Something remarkable is worth talking about and worth paying attention to, while something boring quickly becomes invisible.

      This strategy is what marketing expert, Seth Godin calls being a purple cow. Godin says, "Cows, after you've seen them for a while, are boring. They may be well-bred cows, Six Sigma cows, cows lit by a beautiful light, but they are still boring. A Purple Cow, though: Now, that would really stand out."

      Do not try to compete against those who have many more years of experience. Instead, differentiate yourself by finding a  unique niche you could occupy as a leading expert. Dr. Phil is a great example. He could have easily assumed that there wasn't a need for his expertise because of score of other doctors in his field. But he discovered the unique niche he occupies, Family Relationships, wasn't adequately filled.

      Your chance for success is to find your unique niche and be remarkable.

    • Pete.Garvin
      posted September 24, 2009 by Pete.GarvinMember

      As strange as they may sound, there are two reasons that have been asked to interview from my last four applications ( I asked the recruiter why I was selected):

      Two stated that my background of manual labour jobs (building labourer, landscape gardener) when I was at university showed practical abilities and gave the confidence that I was not just a skilled academic with no practical ability.

      The other two saw that I had 'fire spinning' in my interests and were intrigued to find out what it was.

       I think these things, particularly the latter, operate in the realm of the 'purple cow' as mentioned above by ahorowitz. Obviously you need the qualifications and skills that all applicants will have, but some sort of quirk that marks you out as an individual seems to work wonders.

    • Show/Hide Replies
      Lauren617
      posted September 24, 2009 by Lauren617Elite Contributor

      Ok, I'm intrigued now! What is fire spinning?!

      I think you are definitely right about having some quirk that makes you stand out. This is why today a resume isn't enough, especially with so many job seekers in the market. Getting out and meeting people so they know and remember you as a person, not just a list of qualifications, makes your chances of competing much better. This is also why social networking has become so important. If you can make a name for yourself online, future employers will recognize your insight...and your spunk!

      • Pete.Garvin
        posted September 24, 2009 by Pete.GarvinMember

        Ha - maybe should have included a description. Easier to show you so heres a link to a video -

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az_PxZqHCZ4&feature=PlayList&p=9EE8AF9FB15A7647&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1

        Judging by your job profile lauren, u have done quite well getting yourself noticed! Any tips?