Interested in Marketing yourself differently?
Seth Godin wrote today about showing off your “Body ofWork”, meaning an easy to find trace of your accomplishments. Obviously, it can
be hard to display the intangibles and efforts that you created or did that
lead to the success of a project. Godin got me thinking: “How do I, a person in
a managerial and client service position, display my successes?”
Surprisingly, I have been trying to answer this question for
a while. I’ve done a little research in the past, but haven’t found much luck
in my question being answered. The resume used to be the go-to for applying
with potential employers or being accepted for certain memberships and
committees. But today, a resume is just a piece of written paper with your
titles, duties and a little insight into what you do. Does it really show where
you excel and what type of backbone you provide for the company body? No. I can
tell you that even looking at resumes makes me cringe, and I am not the one
hiring people. It is white and black, a crammed up sheet of words and
completely un-inspiring.
So how does someone that really will never have a portfolio
of design work and pictures of engineering feats in a pretty leather case show
their accomplishments?
My BEST guess – an online, highly visual and to the point
case study.
What is my action plan? Luckily, I work within a company
that does lots of design work and produces actually products such as websites,
advertisements, print media etc… and can add these as visual points within my
online portfolio. The case studies should be short and sweet: Problem, Action, and
Outcome. Make sure to list and highlight how without you working on the
project, the outcome would have been different and possibly not a success.
** For those in my situation, make sure you are allowed to use items created at work. Double-check with your employer!
As a side note though – I am not someone who is on the hunt
for a new job. This online portfolio would serve as more of a measure of where
I can improve. I can look back at projects and say, “What could I have done
differently to produce a better outcome?” It will also aid in different
committees and boards that I would one day like to join. Currently, I am
looking with getting more involved with the Terry Young Alumni, Junior League
Atlanta and the Atlanta or Buckhead Alliance. In the future, an MBA is also
looking pretty swell, and I feel this would be a great aid to any application I
should send out.
For those like me that don’t have design portfolios, how do
you plan to show off your work and success?
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