On Wednesday evening, June 1, 2011, Amanda Bleakney, Director of Health Services and I hosted the second segment of our 3-part “Building your Brand” series at New York Association for Ambulatory Care (NYAAC). The keynote speaker was Marc Cenedella, CEO and Founder of TheLadders and he provided the health industry members and attendees with strategy and advice on “Building their personal brands.”
Marc shared his approach when formulating an elevator pitch about your job background and skill sets. He advised job seekers to refrain from using “$5 words” which are exhaustive and unnatural phrases. Instead, he encouraged people to try the “The Bud Test.” Would you say your elevator pitch to friends and acquaintances over a beer at a backyard barbeque? If your answer is yes, your pitch should be effective. It’s important to speak naturally and relay information about your personal brand as you would to a peer.
Marc also suggested preparing three main talking points prior to going in to an interview. If the conversation gets sidetracked, you can always come back to the three talking points of what you can do for them and their organization. Also, he emphasized the importance of not speaking about “you.” Rather, explain what you can accomplish for the Hiring Manager and organization. Marc suggested asking ”How do I help you get a gold star on your review next year?“
One important element of building your personal brand that Marc spoke about was to think of your personal brand as the modern small business. With a small business you have to devote time and effort to marketing the message of your brand.
Marc recently published a book, You’re Better Than Your Job Search, in which he conveys techniques on how to relay your personal brand to others.
We are looking forward to launching our third and final part of our series, with “Building Your Brand through Social Media.” This event will take place on Monday, June 20th and including a networking event! Jason Seiden and Vincent Gatti, Co-Founders of Ajax Social Media will speak to NYAAC about adopting social media into their corporate and personal brands. You can register for the event by clicking here!
We’re looking forward to the event, so sign up now and we’ll see you there!
Allison Klass
Director – Healthcare, Temporary Division
