The harsh fact of today’s economy is reflected in the Bureau of Labor Statistics report (July 10, 2010):

• There are 14.6 million unemployed in the US according to the June report, The Employment Situation.
• The share of families with an unemployed member rose from 7.8 percent in 2008 to 12.0 percent in 2009, the highest proportion since the data series began in 1994.
• In June, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was unchanged at 6.8 million. These individuals made up 45.5 percent of unemployed persons.

I was the speaker at a Georgetown School of Continuing Studies event called “Build Your Brand — Build Your Career.” (You can find my presentation on Slideshare) on July 14, 2010 and had a great audience of students and faculty members. One of the audience members referred to the current long-term unemployment figures and asked if taking a lower-level job would hurt a person’s brand and how they should reflect that in their online profiles.

I asked Arie Ball, Vice President, Sourcing and Talent Acquisition, Sodexo to answer this question, and her advice was as follows:

“In this economy, job recovery is just not here for many to return to positions at their former level.  There isn’t the stigma that there may have been at one time in people accepting a job they might have considered to be beneath their level, and I do not believe that it is harmful to their brand.

I do think there is always something interesting in the work we do and even in a ‘lesser’ role  there are opportunities to learn new skills  by taking on projects, getting involved in mentoring, taking classes or even teaching classes.  I also believe that smart companies and smart bosses will recognize and harness this higher level of experiences and skills.

I would not leave a ‘lesser’ job off a resume; rather, describe it in a way that demonstrates what was new, what was learned, or how I used my skills to perform at a higher level–which is more than a job title.

Kelly S. Holdcraft, Director, Paralegal Studies Program, Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies, ( On Twitter as @HoyaParalegals ), who was in the audience, said:

“There is no shame in taking a job that is junior to your ultimate dream job, especially if you are strategic in targeting a certain industry, profession or employer.  In fact, some of my hardest career conversations are the ‘take a step back to take a giant leap forward’ ones, letting students know that their skills really match up with a lower-level position, rather than CEO of Apple. Regardless of economy or circumstances, EVERY job has value and it is your choice how you capitalize on it.  Remember that personal branding is all about choice, whether online or in the office.  You can choose to market yourself as either passively unsatisfied because a job is beneath you, or actively ready to add value in whatever job you are placed.  Let’s guess which choice moves you farther and faster down your career path . . . “

I asked this question on Twitter and here are some responses that I received:

Ken Camp responded: “Our jobs do not define/bound our brand. They are simply a facet of what we do in the moment. Our personal brand endures.”

Todd Jordan:  “I believe every job has its place, and every worker an ideal job. Represent that job as worthy.”

Ben Curnett:  “If the job makes one happier, consider the pay cut a cost of living expense. Status is nothing compared to being content.”

Sprite:  “A lower level job would hurt a person’s brand? Really? I think in today’s economy people should rethink that! Having ANY job is awesome!”

Leanne Waldal:  “Trying something new, changing direction, even if it’s ‘lower level’ is brave.”

DR V Mihaela:  “Personal happiness/meaningful work > personal brand, that simple.”

Thinking about how to productively spend your time when you have some downtime is also important. More than a year ago I asked Bob Carney, a Real Estate expert in Frederick, Maryland, about his advice for real estate agents when they have some downtime. His advice was to use the time to build up content on the Internet about the homes, schools and neighborhoods through blogs, websites and social networks. The investment would pay off through search engine results for local content when the market got better. With today’s Web 2.0 tools–a lot of them free–it’s easy to create content using photo sharing sites, blogs, videos and more.

What advice do you have? Please comment here and let us know.

From Small Business Trends

How Does Taking a Stopgap Job Affect Your Personal Brand?

I took my 12-year-old son to see his first concert two months ago. We had more than our fair share of good luck – Los Lobos, the East L.A. band that has been performing for 37 years now and that I last saw in Tokyo in the mid-80’s – was playing literally down the street from our house.

The show itself was fantastic. But the real story was what the band did after the show was over, and it holds a lesson for every brand – and band – that is striving for loyalty in an increasingly jaded world.

As the show ended, the band announced that they would be out front to meet and greet fans. My son, who is a budding guitarist himself, elbowed his way into line – third, in a line that now stretched hundreds deep. As we stepped up to the table where the musicians were sitting and signing autographs, Steve Berlin, the band’s sax player, looked at my son and said, “Are you a musician?” Hearing that he plays guitar, Berlin turned to lead singer and guitarist David Hidalgo and said, “Hey, David – this guy’s a guitarist, too!” Hidalgo stood up, shook my 12-year-old’s hand, and the two of them talked privately for five minutes. The line waited.

When we seek to build a relationship, the most powerful decision trigger in our arsenal is reciprocity: We feel strong social pressure to give back when we’ve received something of value. When the gift is unexpected and personal, the social pressure is that much higher. You wonder why so many $80,000 sports cars are sold because of an $8 T-shirt given to the child of the prospective customer? Wonder no more.

Our defenses drop when we’ve been given a gift. At Decision Triggers, we work with clients on bringing this psychological lens to bear on our clients’ customer-facing initiatives so that they can get to yes faster, and often we see opportunities to apply the trigger of reciprocity.

How many ways can we, as businesspeople, give gifts to our customers, prospective ones as well as current ones? Does this cost a lot of money?

Here are five gifts you can give right now:

1. Inside information: Do you have access to insider information that your market wants? News about new products, market trends or future happenings? This information, particularly when scarce, is valuable. And people appreciate hearing it from you. This makes you a trusted source and someone they’d love to do business with.
2. Analysis: You are more of an expert in your own field than your prospective customers are. What value can you add to their understanding of your field? This is something you can offer that they will value. We live in a digital age and publishing tools are all around us.
3. Knowledge: Make your prospects experts. The more they know, the more they want to share with their friends. We all have egos and we like to be thought of as experts.
4. Time: Did David Hidalgo spend money when he talked to my son? Did he give him a CD or a T-shirt? No. He spent time and personal, undivided attention – something we can give freely.
5. Honesty: How many ways can you convey credibility to your market with an honest perspective on a blog, on Twitter or elsewhere? Can you argue against your own self-interest for a moment and show your audience that you are someone they can trust?

I recently spoke to a colleague at one of the largest consumer sentiment tracking organizations in the country and he shared a big insight with me.

He told me what I already knew – that the economy is a mess, we don’t trust companies – or institutions of any sort – and we expect them to let us down.

But he mentioned that in the research his firm had done, he noted how we are increasingly responding to brands that are trying just as hard as we are. This is a powerful insight. And using reciprocity in a smart way helps us build that trust that is so lacking today.

My son is now a Los Lobos fan for life. So am I. And while the show was great, it was the demonstration of commitment to the next generation of fans – these guys are all grandfathers now – that struck me as so unique.

We bought a CD. We’ll buy more. A strong relationship has been built – just because of five minutes of time.

PS:  Here’s more on reciprocity for further reading! Feel free to join our newsletter mailing list if you’d like to hear more about using the social psychology of influence to tap your customers’ decision triggers here.

From Small Business Trends

Los Lobos, Reciprocity and 5 Ways to Build a Brand Relationship

It’s not really that uncommon. You head to your favorite social networking site, read what people are saying, and you stumble across that one tweet or status update that makes you wince a little bit. You have a reaction because the content they’re putting out, well, it doesn’t do much to show their company in a positive light. You wonder to yourself, “what were they THINKING?”

They probably weren’t.

Last week there was a bit of commotion after Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff tweeted several times about the execution of convicted murderer Ronnie Lee Gardener. I won’t link to them here but if you’re interested, Mashable provides some good coverage. The Utah Attorney General probably didn’t think much about the consequences of what he was putting out there. He didn’t realize that because he came off cold and void of emotion, that others may have an emotional reaction. He didn’t help his own brand, or really, even that of Utah’s.

The backlash against the Shurtleff was strong and immediate. Here are a few words used to describe Attorney General Shurtleff’s tweets:

• Unprofessional
• Inappropriate
• Shameful
• Disgusting
• Callous
• Macabre

Obviously what happened Friday is an extreme example, but the fact is, every day business owners risk hurting themselves by tweeting things that may potential damage their brand. Sometimes the ease of publishing causes us to forget that we’re also representing ourselves our companies and that we have to be responsible. Your social media interactions should enhance your brand, not tarnish it. The consequences of a ‘bad’ tweet, may be worse than just giving people reasons to unfollow you. Sometimes they can lose you partnerships or give customers a reason not to do business with your company.

Just because you can tweet everything, doesn’t mean you should. Before you hit that button, ask yourself what your brand is (or what you want it to be) and whether what you’re about to publish builds that or takes away from it. It’s one thing to post an offbeat tweet about your life, but it’s another to cross a line from a corporate account that people may not want crossed.

There’s a much bigger spotlight on brands today than there used to be. And that means people are always watching. They’re watching Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and every other brand touch point you’re creating. Just because the conversation has gotten less formal, doesn’t mean you’re not still representing your brand on the Web. In today’s new environment, your words travel further and faster than they ever did before. Customers, vendors, partners, and colleagues are all watching. If you want to save your brand, think about your brand before you tweet.

• What is your brand about?
• How will the content you’re publishing build upon that?
• What could the consequences be?

What are your own rules for what you will or will not put out there?

From Small Business Trends

How To Save Your Brand On Twitter