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What makes you unique? Here’s a great way to both brainstorm your uniqueness and practice getting feedback from others, which are 2 important steps to creating your personal brand.

1. Get a piece of paper and write down 5 words you would use to describe yourself. (NOTE: If you find this difficult, you are not alone. Do your best and be thoughtful about this first step).
2. Pick 2-3 people you feel comfortable collecting feedback from.
3. Ask each person you have chosen this question: Could you give me feedback about me? (NOTE: Refrain from explaining or adding detail to the question. Simply repeat the question if necessary).
4. Listen when he or she speaks and do not interrupt (NOTE: do take notes).
5. When you have collected each person’s feedback, compare it to what you have written about yourself: What jumps out? What are you surprised by, if anything? Does your self-description and the feedback match up?

Assessing what you believe to be true about yourself and comparing it to the feedback you get from others can be an eye-opener, if not a game changer when it comes to your career. Perception is important to your career success, especially if you don’t like what you are hearing. This branding exercise will equip you with information you did not have before, allow you to take control and even change the message you are sending others, and build a better, more powerful personal brand.

Do you ever wish you could figure out just how to get rid of that residue, build-up and overall icky feeling that accumulates when you don’t tend to your career? If you are determined to tackle your yard, a home project, or rid yourself of clutter this spring, imagine facing your career in exactly the same way! With the tools below, you can prepare yourself for a new season and enjoy greater career satisfaction.

1. Polish your resume. It can be tough to look at, let alone update, but your resume is most likely the marketing tool that you have spent the most time on, and the go- to place that showcases your accomplishments and achievements. The more you leave your resume alone to collect dust, the more difficult it will be to return to when you need it. Spring is an opportune time to update your current position and add to your achievements. If you are having trouble, refer to what other people have said about you by analyzing your latest performance review. Reading other people’s comments will give you great insight into what you have accomplished (Coach’s tip: your current job will be the job that recruiters and hiring managers will spend the most time on, so make it shine!)
2. Spruce up your professional development goals. What goals did you set for yourself this year? Pursue a degree or gain an additional credential? Volunteer as the lead for a project at work? Attend two professional association events? Revisit the goals you set at the start of the year, and determine what is left to achieve. If you didn’t actively set goals for 2015, a good tool to utilize (again!) is your latest performance review, where you were probably asked for input on your professional development goals. What did you write down? Pick something and set a date to accomplish it.
3. Clean up a relationship that’s not working. This one is way easier said than done, but in my experience, avoiding a relationship that is going downhill and leaving it to fester only makes things that much messier. If you are hesitant about your approach or not sure how to tackle a failing relationship at work, seek support. Who can provide guidance? A mentor? A trusted advisor? A co-worker? A professional coach? HR? Asking for help is a valuable way to gain a different perspective on a situation that can be anxiety provoking, and others often help us see things in a different light. Take the time to write out the necessary steps to address this issue, and also how to resolve it. How do you envision the end result.

Although spring cleaning may be done only once a year, people who have the cleanest houses and tidiest yards tend to them often, not just seasonally. Think of your career in the same light: making small, strategic changes and staying on top of your goals will make you much less reliant on addressing major transitions or coping with stressful situations that are sure to come over the course of your career – whatever the season!

Erica contacted us when she got the word from her boss that she was being let go. Her ten-year tenure at her organization would come to a grinding halt in just 60 days. She was not only unprepared for the news, but also completely perplexed as to what move to make next. Erica contacted us for help, and she purchased the Traverse Accelerated Job Search package.

One of the most important first steps in helping Erica find employment was assessing her network, as well as her networking skills. Ellen connected Erica immediately with someone in her professional network, and helped Erica prepare for her very first ever informational interview. From that meeting, a “pitch” was born. Ellen worked daily with Erica on adjusting her pitch accordingly as she set up meeting after meeting with individuals within targeted organizations who would be key to helping Erica find not just any job, but a job she would love.

Step by step, Ellen coached Erica through the job search process, teaching her creative and assertive job hunting techniques within each stage. Ellen helped Erica craft a powerful resume that showcased her brand, and demonstrated where she was headed next, instead of just listing her career history. Erica also learned how to lift the words from her resume and tell a story that showcased her expertise. People were excited to hear Erica’s passion when she shared examples of her achievements, and when she talked about how she could make a contribution to the potential employer sitting in front of her. Erica learned quickly that if she knew who she was and what she was marketing to others, she was the one driving the job-hunting process, which made her much less reliant on headhunters and job postings as a route to employment.

In just under eight weeks, Erica received and accepted a job offer. The offer arrived just two weeks shy of her designated departure date. Erica is thrilled on many levels: She met her goal, she built a tremendous network, and she is looking at her career and new job in a whole new light. And in true purposeful-networking fashion, she is engaging with everyone who helped her along the way, offering her assistance however she can. And the best part? Erica learned more about herself than she ever thought possible, and found that she indeed had all the power, with a little help, to make great things happen.

Congratulations, Erica!