Exclusive Interview with Marketing Pioneer David Aaker - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Exclusive Interview with Marketing Pioneer David Aaker - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke with marketing pioneer, David Aaker, about his new book Spanning Silos.   The main idea we talk about is how silos are impediments to great marketing.   Silos isolate people, ideas and creatvity and by making it a corporate wide issue, companies can become more successful.   Innovation is the key these days and when it comes to personal branding, you want to be in a creative environment, where you can interact (network) with as many as your coworkers as possible.   Networking within a company harvests productivity. What are spanning silos and why are they jeopardizing companies marketing efforts? Silos are organizational units defined by product, countries, or functions. They can be monumentally inefficient and, worse, barriers to great marketing and brands. Most operate in isolation if not in competition with each other. They foster inefficiency, inhibit synergy, fail to leverage skills and successes, lead to resource misallocation, diffuse competence in key marketing activities, and create brand confusion. In tough economic times, such inefficiencies and barriers can mean the difference between business success and disappointing marketing performance or even survival. What are some ways a CMO can break down silo walls to foster cooperation and synergy? My research involving over 40 CMOs reported in my book Spanning Silos has several headlines. First, the role of the CMO team in the absence of a crises and changed business strategy, may be a nonthreatening one such as being a facilitator, consultant, or service provider. Such roles can avoid organizational stress and CMO flameout while still going a long way toward creating a communication and cooperation processes and culture and thus addressing many of the silo-driven issues. Second, silos can and should be a vehicle to test and refine ideas. Perhaps more important, silos can be a source of ideas for breakthrough products or marketing campaigns that can be rolled out across the organization. McDonald’s “I’m lovin it” came from Germany and Pantene’s “Hair So Healthy It Shines” came from Taiwan. Third, one way to get buy-in from the organization is to align the role of marketing with that of the CEO’s priority agenda. Focus on growth objectives instead of brand extensions, efficiency and cost objectives instead of marketing synergy or scale, and building assets to support strategic initiatives instead of brand image campaigns. Fourth, use cross-silo teams to create relationships and communication channels. To succeed the team needs to have members with good group skills as well as the right expertise, leaders that can deal with multiple cultures, and clarity of mission. What is the impact of globalization on corporate marketing programs? They need to be concerned with coordinating the programs across countries and regions. Usually brands and programs need to be adapted to local culture but, also there is potential for shared ideas and synergistic programs of the “I am different” silo culture can be overcome. CMOs only last a few years on the job. Why is this? What stories have you heard from the more successful CMOs? Actually, the number is 23 months less that half that of a CEO. The basic reason is that silos have power and don’t have to communicate and cooperate. The often believe that they know their products and markets well and that anyone else inserting themselves would only waste time. They usually have no motivation to reduce the silo walls because they are evaluated solely on the silo performance. How can we apply many of the concepts and ideas in your book to the individual trying to market their own personal brand? The major takeaway for an individual is a recognition that silos are a major organizational challenge and that everyone has an opportunity to be part of the solution. There will be a big payoff to the person who can network, establish relationships, and communicate across silos. Even more to the person who can initiate cross silo programs. Some organizations formally measure such things but even those that don’t will recognize success that results. David Aaker is the Vice Chairman of Prophet and the creator of the Aaker Modelâ„¢. He has published more than 100 articles and 14 books, including Managing Brand Equity, Building Strong Brands, Developing Business Strategies, Brand Leadership, Strategic Market Management, From Fargo to the World of Brands, and Brand Portfolio Strategy. David is author of a forthcoming book, Spanning Silos: The New CMO Imperative, to be released October 2008. He is also featured in a chapter of Conversations with Marketing Masters a collection of insights from some of the world’s most influential marketing gurus. As the Professor Emeritus at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, he has been awarded four career awards including the 1996 Paul D. Converse Award for outstanding contributions to the development of marketing.

Boomers Working for Millennials Finding common ground! [Guest Post] - Career Pivot

Boomers Working for Millennials Finding common ground! [Guest Post] - Career Pivot Boomers Working for Millenials If you are a baby boomer, you probably have children that are millennials. Do you network with people your kid’s age? Could you see yourself working for a millennial in the near future? Have you incorporated millennials into your job search network? If you have not, you should, and here is why. Millennials Will Dominate the Workforce First, look at the current demographics of the workforce. According to the Pew Research, baby boomers make up 1/3 and generation X and millennials make up the other 2/3s. The reality is, many of the current hiring managers are much younger than you, and in they will continue to be in the future. Millennials will dominate the workforce by 2020 and outnumber the baby boomers. What does this mean for you as a Job Seeker? It means you need to make sure millennials are in your job search network NOW! Are millennial managers in your network? Your new approach is not to spend time looking in the advertised market. Develop relationships with millennial managers who could hire you. Listen to the most recent episode Find a “common ground” with Millennials by understanding what they look for in baby boomer new hires. You want to know this before the interviewâ€"not during it. As one of Stephen Covey’s Habits of Highly Successful People, “Seek to understand, then to be understood,” which could translate into: Learn first and then sell yourself! New Approach How can you get started on your new approach? Here are some 7 tips to help you! Adjust your mindset so that, on Monday morning, you have new job search responsibilities and activities to begin your day. You will NOT be applying for jobs in the advertised market! Create an uplifting 30-second commercial using language about the changing demographics and your goal of building a network of millennials. Invite a group of your children’s friends and work colleagues over to let them know you are in the job market. Tell them that you are trying to build a diverse network that includes young professionals. Ask great questions to learn about their values, motivators, and what they may be looking for in a baby boomer employee. Attend an association meeting for young professionals where you will meet many people from different industries and disciplines, too. Update your LinkedIn profile that includes interests of activities that keep you active. Ask for recommendations from someone younger that either worked for you or with you. Volunteer your time with organizations that need mentors where younger people can see you engaged and connected to what they are doing. Baby boomers are going up against younger job candidates. The more you understand and “find the common ground,” you just might increase your chances of being hired! What is your next step to find common ground with millennials? About the author Jayne Mattson is Senior Vice President of Keystone Associates, a founding partner of Career Partners International LLC, a partnership of global leaders in the talent management and outplacement industries. Jayne consults with professionals from a diverse range of industries and functions and specializes in mid-career change and pre-retirement planning. She is a Certified Retirement Coach and Master Career Consultant. Jayne frequently authors articles on numerous career topics; her work has appeared on Mashable.com, Monster, Career Builder and print publications including the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Jayne volunteers her time in youth organizations to help them build self-confidence and professional leadership skills. Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Common CV Mistakes And How To Avoid Them - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

Common CV Mistakes And How To Avoid Them Are you sending out your CV and finding that you almost nerve get a reply? However, there are ways to get your CV noticed and snag that important interview. Here are some of the mistakes you may be making, and how to avoid them. Hiding the important information The experience you have is often more important than where youve worked in the past. Many recruiters dont look at a CV if it isnt showing them the info about you that theyre looking for. When designing your CV, look to see if the important sections are front and centre. Dont hide them away in a later section, or they may not be noticed. Using poor spelling and grammar If your CV is full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, the recruiter isnt going to look twice at them. Thats because they see hundreds of CVs every day, and they just dont have the time. Thats why you need to weed every mistake out before you hit submit. If you need some help, use a proofreading service such as UK Writings to help you check it over and edit. Not explaining gaps in employment Many people just gloss over the gaps in employment on their CV without a second thought. They hope if they dont draw attention to it, the recruiter wont notice. In fact, the recruiter will spot it instantly and wonder why you werent working. Be upfront about any gaps, and explain what you were doing during that gap. Honesty is always the best policy. Being too vague Gina Capes, CV writing expert, says Many people make the mistake of being too vague in their CVs. They use phrases like a few or many, which dont mean anything on their own. To avoid this, be specific in what youre saying. If you helped exceed fundraising targets, say how much by. If youve worked for a  specific company, say exactly how long you were there for. Including too much info The jobs you have held in the past may be significant to you, but they may not be of interest to the recruiter. Focus on what skills you can bring to the role, and minimise any job roles that dont help you get the interview you want. Leaving in bad punctuation and typos Any CV that contains issues with punctuation, or still has typos in it, will be thrown right out. If you havent corrected your mistakes, then it shows that youre happy to rush things and that you dont pay attention to the little details that make up the big picture. If youre having trouble keeping on top of them, consult with a proofreading company such as Big Assignments in order to keep them out of your CV. Writing an overlong CV A good average length for a CV is around 2 pages long. Any longer than that, and youre in danger of waffling, or including information that the recruiter doesnt need or want. If your CV is too chunky, the recruiter may not even glance at it. If you need to keep an eye on the length of your CV, use a tool such as Easy Word Count to keep an eye on your word count. Being too fancy in your design Those ornate borders and fonts may look good, but theyll just give a recruiter a headache. Make it easier by using a good clean font, and leaving the embellishments behind. Avoid these mistakes, and your experience can really shine through. Tidy up your CV and see for yourself. Author bio: Brenda Berg is a professional with over 15 years experience in business management, marketing and entrepreneurship. Consultant and tutor for college students and entrepreneurs. Self-motivated results driven individual who is encouraged to travel.

Writing Services That Redo Your Resume and Linked In

Writing Services That Redo Your Resume and Linked InWhen you are looking for writing services that redo your resume & linked in, you will have to find out a little bit about the company. By asking them this question, you will be able to see if they are able to provide what you need, or if they are just after a commission instead of providing quality work.Your resume is the first thing that potential employers will see. Even if you don't apply for jobs right away, the resume will be a great first impression that will let potential employers know what you can do. By having a good resume, you can show the employer that you have what it takes to get the job done, and the work should be up to par.What kind of services do you need when you are looking for writing services that redo your resume & linked in? Your writing should be up to par, but there are some things that you may not think about when you're writing your resume. First of all, you need to make sure that the font style is appropriate. It's important that the font look professional and that the text flows well on the page.If you have any grammatical errors, do yourself a favor and check the work out! Remember, your resume is the first thing the employer will see, so it's important that the information on it is correct. Make sure that the job you're applying for doesn't have spelling errors, as this could mean that you'll be showing up for an interview with nothing to speak of.Next, the resume has to be very readable. A lot of employers might want to see the person in person before hiring them, and they want to know if the person they are hiring can write in English. You can make a great first impression by making sure that your resume is easy to read and that the words are legible.Finally, a good resume has to be detailed and accurate. A company that provides writing services for clients that are looking for a job will ensure that you are provided with the best work possible. Asking them to check o ut your resume will help you know if they are able to meet your needs.It's always good to get one last chance to check out your resume before you send it off. The last thing you want is to have to send it off again because it doesn't meet your standards. Also, you don't want to waste your time sending out another resume, especially if it was already sent out to so many people.You will find that if you ask about the writing services that redo your resume & linked in, you will be given a chance to see if they can help you or not. Remember, by making sure that you receive the best work, you are more likely to get the job! Being a well-written resume will help you make sure that you are showing the employer that you are capable of getting the job done.

The Harvard Extension Program Should Provide You With a Resume Writing Handout

The Harvard Extension Program Should Provide You With a Resume Writing HandoutOnce you've decided to submit your resume through the Harvard Extension Program, you'll need a resume writing handout. This is very important for a variety of reasons. By looking at this type of documentation, a person will be able to make an informed decision regarding how they would like their resume to be presented.First and foremost, you will want to write a resume with a title that reflects the content of the document. When choosing a title, remember that every page of a resume is going to be referenced by one page. Your resume handout should reflect the information and skills that you will be bringing to the interview, and how you will be demonstrating those capabilities.English is an important language to have at your disposal. People who plan on traveling to the United States will need to speak the language fluently. If you don't speak English well, it may make it difficult for an employer to unders tand your resume or performance evaluation. The same holds true if you need to write a report in a foreign language.When making a full length resume, it can be useful to use an outline to create a table of contents. Your resume writing handout should also include a list of activities and education that you will be giving your potential employer. As you look over your resume, you should be able to see what you might want to emphasize most in your application.To be prepared for your interview, the extension program will give you a set of sample questions that you can prepare for. These will vary from college to college, so it's important to make sure that you are familiar with all of them before the interview. You will need to find out what the actual interview will be like and how you should answer each question.When preparing for an interview, it is important to be well prepared and ready to talk about what the interviewer is looking for. The material listed in your resume writing h andout can also help you to keep the discussion focused on that particular area. Sometimes, the most memorable information is the information that a candidate focuses on during the interview.While these are just a few tips, there are many more available on the Internet about getting a free resume and cover letter that you can use. Be sure to take advantage of all the resources available to you.

How Far Back Should You Go when Writing a Resume - the Conspiracy

How Far Back Should You Go when Writing a Resume - the Conspiracy So it's a little ironic that all of your expertise could end up working against you once you're searching for work. Maybe that experience taught you the way to manage somebody else's life so that you may showcase why you'd be a good assistant or standard manager. Maybe that it taught you how to manage another person's lifeso you can showcase why you'd be a great assistant or general manager. Your experience should address every essential qualification in the job announcement. Assuming you own a college degree and work experience, place your education at the base of the CV. Only go back further in the event you don't have the essential experience or it's required in the event of a historical CV in the place where they want to have an account of your whole work history. If you're a recent college graduate, then you might not have 10 decades of work experience. It can be difficult to streamline an individual's full career into a page or two, particularly if they have decades of work experience. It's also wise to list extra coursework if it's related to position in question. Last, make sure your cover letter accounts for any extra qualifications you want to bring to the interest of your prospective employer which you didn't include on the resume. Eventually you see that you can't incorporate every detail of every job that you've ever held. It is fine to look at other resumes to ascertain what is and isn't appropriate. The Nuiances of How Far Back Sh ould You Go when Writing a Resume You might also want to say only a couple of words about the organization that presented the awards, if this info isn't obvious. For this reason, you are supposed to make sure your CV is of the optimal length, however much working experience you've got. An honestly written CV should begin with the objective.

Hacked Growing Pains and Thank You - Work It Daily

Hacked Growing Pains and Thank You - Work It Daily I can’t help but think of this site as a living thing. (Gosh knows I treat it like my third child!) It’s been growing since its conception in 2008, and birth in 2009. Many of you have been loyal family members and have watched the site steadily develop from infancy through today - where we seem to be in the “young adult” phase of the site’s evolution. Well, this week, CAREEREALISM dealt with a major life event... It got hacked. It started late Wednesday night. I was checking e-mail and noticed a few in the inbox from concerned friends. By 5:00 AM the next morning, I knew the site (my baby!) was in trouble. We started working with our hosting company immediately to find out what was up. The good news was, there was no malware on the site (as the warnings were suggesting). The bad news was, someone in India had illegally gained access to our site and tried to mess with code. This mamma was STRESSED! Thursday was seriously the longest, hardest day I’ve ever had with CAREEREALISM. It was like watching my three-month-old daughter in the hospital when she had RSV. I had a constant and complete feeling of helplessness. The stress took its toll. Especially, when the company we were paying money to help us fix things went MIA for a stretch. I became a ranting, raving, crazy site mamma. It wasn’t pretty. Eventually, they called and we made some progress. We worked non-stop (only three hours of sleep), but eventually got things resolved. CAREEREALISM survived, we made provisions to keep this from happening again, and most importantly... We learned just how amazing our family of readers truly are! I just want to personally thank all of you who e-mailed, Tweeted, Facebooked, and called to let us know the site was in trouble. You can’t imagine how good that felt. The concern people had honestly made me emotional (see video). To know what this site means to you was probably the best thing we could have heard. In our toughest hour, your comments and well wishes for a speedy site recovery were just what we needed. From all of us at CAREEREALISM, I just want to say... THANK YOU for being the best readers/viewers/fans a site could ever have. I’m a proud parent who just learned my baby will always been in good hands because she’s got you! Computer hacker image from Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join For Free!