Uplevel Your Professional Brand - EdPlus Consulting › wp-content › uploads › ... · Uplevel Your Professional Brand EdPlus Consulting LLC 2 Are You Ready to Take Your Brand

EdPlus Consulting LLC

Uplevel Your

Professional Brand

www.edplusconsulting.com

EdPlus Consulting LLC 2

Are You Ready to Take Your Brand Up a Level? My colleagues in education talent selection and I often

complain that educators have some of the worst resumes and LinkedIn profiles – but it doesn’t need to be that way! I created this guide to help education professionals ensure their professional brand complements and highlights their greatest strengths and skills. I’ve had countless dedicated professionals reach out to me for guidance on getting unstuck, re-motivated, and on the right track in their careers. One thing that always gives them peace of mind is having the tools and resources to make sure their professional brand is an accurate representation of who they are. With these tools, they are better able to do the deep work necessary to really ensure the career bliss they desire – and that’s where the real career magic lies!

With this guide, you’ll create the foundation of your professional brand by getting clear on your

personal. With that in place, you’ll move to strengthening your resume and LinkedIn Profile. It’s not designed to be a comprehensive “how-to” guide but rather touches on key areas where people typically struggle. I hope you find it both helpful and easy to use. Yours in education equity, Alicia Robinson [email protected]

www.edplusconsulting.com

“The questions and structure in this tool guided me through what to consider, step by step. I ended up with an upgraded, high-quality profile in a relatively fast amount of time,

compared to how long it would have taken without guidance. Your prompts also helped me think not only about the facts I needed to convey, but the essence of what I have to offer to

employers.”

About the Author I’m Alicia Robinson and I founded EdPlus Consulting in 2013 because I had a deep desire to

improve educational equity for ALL marginalized communities. I have 15+ years’ experience working in early childhood through 12th grade urban education as an instructor, non-profit

manager, talent/human assets executive, and career coach.

mailto:[email protected]


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10 Key Words and Terms WHAT: Develop a list of 10 key words or terms that you want to include in your

networking communications, resume, LinkedIn profile, etc. WHY: Recruiters use keyword searches to identify resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn

profiles that match the criteria for open roles. The right key words could mean the difference between being contacted by a recruiter or not.

HOW: 1) Look at the LinkedIn profiles of people in the same job or the job you want.

Start a list of the common words you see.

2) Look at job descriptions for the roles that interest you. Think about the terms a Recruiter would look for in ideal candidates. Add these terms to the list of common terms. 3) Review the words you gathered. Is there anything missing? Is anything repetitive? Narrow it down to approximately 10 key words or terms and get

ready to put them into use!


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Personal Professional Story

WHAT: Write your personal professional story

WHY: A polished professional story is useful for networking and interviewing purposes

and forms the basis of your LinkedIn and resume executive summaries.

HOW: 1) Answer these three questions:

a. Who are you and what do you do? Why does what you do matter?

b. What have you accomplished? Why are you unique? What motivates you?

c. What do you want people to know about you?

2) Review your answers. Is there anything you’d change? Does it accurately tell your

professional story?


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3) Now put it into paragraph form. Is there anything you’d change to make it more

compelling to the reader? Have you seamlessly incorporated some or all of your keywords?


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4) Get a second opinion: Ask a colleague or friend, or ReformED member to give you feedback and suggestions.

FINAL VERSION:


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Elevator Pitch WHAT: Create an elevator pitch – a succinct version of your professional story that can

be said under 2 minutes. WHY: You may have limited time – like on an elevator ride – to explain who you are

and what you do to someone who can be helpful to you in your career development.

HOW: Take your personal professional story and make it short enough that you can use

it whenever you need to briefly introduce yourself. 1) Use a piece of paper the size of an average sticky note to write a succinct version of your

professional story. Be sure to stick to these areas:

What do you do?

Why does it matter?

Why do you do it? What’s next?


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2) Have someone listen to you speak the sticky note version of your professional story out

loud. Make sure you choose someone who isn’t afraid to give and from whom you aren’t afraid to receive feedback. Edit your elevator pitch accordingly.

My Elevator Pitch


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LinkedIn Summary Statements WHAT: Develop a LinkedIn summary statement. WHY: The summary statement on your LinkedIn profile occupies some critical real

estate! It’s positioned right below the headline and picture. So why not maximize its benefit to your professional brand?

HOW: 1. Write your profile with your audience in mind. Consider:

Who are the decision makers that you most want to see it? Are they hiring managers, school leaders, or senior organizational staff?

Do you want them to contact you about jobs, consulting projects, and/or volunteer opportunities?

With the answers to all of this in mind, answer these questions:

What do I want them to know about me?


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How do I want them to feel after reading my profile?

What action do I want them to take after reading my profile?


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2. Branding expert William Arruda suggests putting your content into 6 buckets:

BUCKET 1: Victories: Write a sentence for each of your significant accomplishments in terms of the value you create/created (for example, “increased number of 4th grade students scoring proficient or better by 30%; recruited, interviewed and hired 40 new teachers per year on average over 4 school years; led teachers and leadership team to move school from top 30 to the top 10 schools in the District.”)


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BUCKET 2: VPs (values and passions): List your operating principles and the things that energize

or inspire you (for example, “creativity, diversity, and building win-win relationships” along with “windsurfing, astronomy and UNICEF”).

BUCKET 3: Valiant superpowers: Describe the things you do better than anyone else – the skills

that enable you to be a hero (for example, “My students consistently outperform other students thanks to my ability to seamlessly differentiate instruction and develop Common Core-aligned

lesson and unit plans; I inspire and motivate teams through my authentic distributive leadership style; my colleagues gave me the “Golden Apple Award” in May 2015 for most exemplifying our

organization’s core values.”)


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BUCKET 4: Vital statistics: Provide a few quantifiable facts – interesting figures and things you can count (for example, “85% of the teachers I supervise have been with my school for 5 or more

years; 90% of students in 5th and 6th grade scored proficient on state exams over the past 3 years; I have run in 3 triathlons on 3 different continents ”).


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BUCKET 5: Verve: Capture the quirky things that make you YOU and differentiate you from your peers (for example, “Being a night owl, I get a lot of my best writing done in the late evening; I

like to use my humor to defuse tense situations and keep the team focused on results; I love binge watching TV shows and I often refer to them in meetings to get the creative energy

flowing”).

BUCKET 6: Validation: This could include quotes from others and encompasses all the awards and accolades bestowed upon you (for example, “graduated Suma Cum Laude from UCLA; 2014

Sue Lehmann Award nominee”).


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3. Connect the dots from the six buckets you wrote about above using the following

guiding principals.

Writing your summary in first person (I, me) makes it more personal, intimate, and conversational.

Get the reader interested in you by kicking off your summary with an interesting and provocative beginning. Your first line could be a question, statement, or even a few words with punctuation (e.g. Data-Driven. High Energy. Motivated by Social Justice.)

Tell your story by weaving together the details from the different categories. (Hint: Look back to your professional story for inspiration). Don’t be afraid to write several drafts.

This is the time to really use those keywords from the beginning of this packet.

Close your summary by letting the reader know what you want them to do, where they can learn more about you, and how to reach you? (for example, “If you’re interested in early literacy development or want to connect about early childhood

funding opportunities contact me at [email protected].”


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4. Review and proofread your LinkedIn summary yourself, then ask a friend or colleague

to do the same. Check for grammar, spelling, and whether your summary combines professionalism with a compelling story.

5. Add these two sections to the bottom of the summary:

Specialties: (This gives you another chance to include those critical keywords for search engine optimization).

AKA/Common Misspellings: This section is so people can find you with a Google search even if they don’t know how to spell your name, know you by your nickname, weren’t aware that you were married or divorced, or changed your name.

6. Review your summary again asking yourself the following questions:

YES NO 1. Does the opening sentence, phrase or heading compel you to

read more?

2. Does it match the real you? Did you use an authentic voice?

3. How does it show the reader how you stand out from the

competition?

4. Will decision-makers and influencers (like hiring managers, people looking for consultants and/or supervisors) care what you have to say?

5. Is it interesting? Would someone reading it want to get to know

you better?

6. Can the reader tell how you add value to teams and

organizations?

7. Is the writing style and content consistent with your personality?

8. Is it visually appealing? Does white space effectively break up the

paragraphs? Does the typeface appropriately complement the text?

9. Did you include any external validation – testimonials or awards/honors?

10. Did you remember to include key words and terms?

Note: some people get anxious about changes to their LinkedIn triggering concern from colleagues and co-workers that they’re on the job hunt. Did you know you can turn off the notifications that go to your network when you make changes? Just go to the profile edit page


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and switch the “Notify your network” toggle button to “No, do not publish an update to my

network about my profile changes.”

Congratulations on having a newly updated LinkedIn summary!


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RESUME EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES WHAT: Do you have an objective statement on your resume? If so, MAKE IT GO AWAY!

Replace it with an Executive Summary.

WHY: Lisa Vaas writes on www.ladders.com, “Besides being self evident, an objective

statement focuses on the farthest thing from hiring managers’ minds: your personal satisfaction. Instead of telling employers what’s in it for them, you’re telling them what you’ll get out of the deal (a job). That’s just bad marketing. Good salespeople don’t sell cars by telling customers how much fun they’ll have spending the commission; they sell cars by figuring out what will satisfy those

customers’ needs and desires.”

HOW: Ultimately, your executive summary should be four to six sentences focused on:

-Your unique talents -Why you ‘re superior to the competition

-Grab the reader’s attention to make them want to learn more about you!

Today, take a look at these summary exemplars to determine which you like most:

http://www.ladders.com/

https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/interview-questions-job-seekers-ask


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One way to write your executive summary is to organize it into 4-5 bullet statements:

Bullet 1: Summarize yourself in a sentence.

Bullets 2-3: Emphasize your most relevant skills as they relate to the job description. Bullets 4-5: Highlight your soft skills and anything else impressive that defines you.

For example:

Expert at connecting individuals and organizations with career opportunities that align with their skills and passions.

Knowledgeable of instructional and talent management best practices.

Experience and connections with high-impact education organizations in DC and across the country.

Evolved education talent management practice to include executive search and individual career development services.

15+ years in education primarily focused in Washington, DC as a classroom teacher, program administrator, talent professional, coach, and consultant.

Core Competencies: Individual and Group Coaching Consulting Group Facilitation and Training Social Media Marketing Networking Partnerships Strategy Design Recruitment Outreach and Selection

Talent Development Organizational Culture Now, write your own!


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Bullet 1: Summarize yourself in a sentence:

Bullets 2-3: Emphasize your most relevant skills as they relate to the job description.


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Bullets 4-5: Highlight your soft skills and anything else impressive that defines you.

By now, you should know how we do . It’s time to have a friend or colleague review your summary statement to see if it works. Don’t forget to consider reaching out to

other ReformED members! You should also take a second look to proofread and improve anything that needs perfecting.

Review this list of things NOT to include in your summary statement and revise yours

accordingly:

Microsoft Office/Email/Google – It’s assumed that everyone is proficient in these

– and if you’re not don’t tell anyone but get some training/practice quick! Anything you’re good at but hate doing. Over-used words like ‘results-oriented,’ ‘team-player’, ‘innovative’, and

‘motivated’.


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Are you sure the format you used is the one you want to go with? Here’s an alternative to the previous example:

Education Career Catalyst Expert at connecting individuals and organizations with career opportunities. Knowledgeable of instructional and talent management best practices. Experience with and connections to high-impact education organizations in DC and across the country. Evolved education talent management practice to include executive search and individual career development services. 15+ years in education primarily focused in Washington, DC as a classroom teacher, program administrator,

talent professional, coach, and consultant.

Are there any changes that you want to make to yours?

FINAL VERSION OF EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:


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MISCELLANEOUS TIPS

Your professional brand is essentially your reputation out in the world. So, as much as possible you want to have a good handle on what others may think about your strengths

and growth areas. Here are a few tips:

1) Consider information shared with you from 360 evaluations. If your organization doesn’t use them, ask a select group of current and former colleagues to share these with you

for your own professional growth. 2) Remember that the education world is small, particularly within the same city. If you’ve

submitted several applications but not gotten any call backs, do some soul searching about what others might know about your reputation. Have you worked for organizations that have a poor reputation with which others are afraid to engage? Did

your tenure with an organization overlap with a very public, negative experience?

It’s never comfortable to deal with negative feedback, but if you want to want to get into a job you love that connects with your why and aligns with your passions, you’ve got to get

real with yourself!

Everything you put out there in writing represents you and your brand. If you don’t want to

be known as that person with the typo in their heading, or the person with the incomplete sentence,” PROOFREAD EVERYTHING. Get a second set of eyes to review everything from

your resume to your writing projects, turn on the spellcheck, and review everything one more time before you hit send. Your professional brand will thank you for it.

The main point of LinkedIn is to help people get to know you without having to meet you in

person. So how can they get to know you if you don’t include a picture? I’ve got to be honest. When I see a LinkedIn profile without a picture I think to myself that they might as

well not have a profile.

If you don’t want to splurge for professional headshots, at least do the following:

1) Include a picture with your LinkedIn profile (but not on your resume!) 2) Choose a photo that looks like (that means it should be relatively recent and generally

representing your current weight, hair color, etc.) 3) Make sure your picture takes up more than half of the frame.

4) Wear what you’d wear to work. You don’t have to wear a suit but since most of us don’t wear gowns to work, you shouldn’t wear it for your profile picture.

5) Give the appearance of approachability through the expression on your face.


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I was so surprised a few years ago when I saw a resume that didn’t have an address. Since,

I’ve read a few pieces explaining that it’s best not to include your address for safety reasons. It also helps to avoid being discriminated against based on where you live. As a

recruiter, I can also say that I’ve used the address to determine if the person is local or

would have to move out of town. So another justification for not including your address on your resume might be so that you don’t lose advantage over local candidates.

Still, whatever you do, don’t forget to include your email address and phone number!

There’s a rumor going around that hiring managers don’t read cover letters. Well, it’s true they don’t always read them but since many of them do they are definitely a critical part of

your professional brand. Here are a few tips to make sure yours stands out:

1. Don’t use the cover letter as an opportunity to reiterate what’s already on your resume. 2. Emphasize what you’re going to bring to the company. 3. Describe your strengths in relation to what is needed in the role. 4. Numbers often speak louder than words so use quantifiable information whenever

possible. 5. Customize the letter to fit the job for which you’re applying. Hiring managers hate

reading cover letters that just seem like form letters.

6. Don’t go over one page in length.


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You’ve successfully upleveled your professional brand!

Have ideas for other education career resources you could use?

Email [email protected].

Ready to find your education career bliss?

EdPlus Consulting has you covered with services that’ll get you IN FORMATION:

Coaching + consulting for talent professionals and career searchers

Recruitment + talent management support for schools and education organizations

Professional development for those leading talent management initiatives within high-impact organizations.

Learn more at https://edplusconsulting.com/services/

mailto:[email protected]

https://edplusconsulting.com/services/

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Uplevel Your Professional Brand - EdPlus Consulting › wp-content › uploads › ... · Uplevel Your Professional Brand EdPlus Consulting LLC 2 Are You Ready to Take Your Brand