Michael DeSafey | Executive Recruiter and HR Professional
How to Leverage Your Professional Brand to Advance Your Career
How to Leverage Your Professional Brand to Advance Your Career
So, you’re looking for a new position or hoping to increase your company’s revenue? While you might have beefed up your resume, it’s also important to focus on building your professional brand. This goal is something to focus on in the short term while considering new job opportunities and to keep working on over time. The more effort you put into building your professional brand, the more results you can expect to obtain.
The bottom line is this: With greater credibility, people will trust you with bigger projects and ultimately feel satisfied with the results you deliver!
With a pattern of happy customers, albeit employers or private clients whom you complete construction projects for, you can attract more lucrative projects or full-time positions.
What is a Professional Brand?
A professional brand consists of the different impressions that a potential employer, customer or business forms about you. To create an authentic brand, you must work hard to build a solid reputation in your field.
Here are some tips that will help you along the way:
- Research the entry-level requirements for the construction or engineering profession you wish to enter.
- Seek out suitable career and educational opportunities to build this background.
- Start applying for jobs in your field. Keep in mind that your current company may not have all the roles needed to prepare for advancement in your field. You may need to take a second job or change employers over time to obtain the required experience.
- Build your network of contacts. This includes contributing to the field by attending professional development and industry events and by participating in online dialogues.
- Keep your resume updated with a detailed summary of your work experience and career achievements.
- Ask happy clients and bosses to write recommendation letters for you and keep them in your online portfolio.
Keep Your Professional Lifestyle
There is much competition for jobs in construction and engineering professions. Before you assume having a fabulous work history is all you’ll need, please realize that your brand rests on your ability to regulate your behavior when you’re not at work. Building a strong brand means keeping important boundaries between your professional and personal lives and being selective about what you post online.
Here are some things to keep in mind when enjoying your personal time:
- Don’t let yourself be filmed without your permission.
- Don’t post unprofessional comments, videos, or photographs anywhere on social media.
- Don’t give social media contacts unauthorized access to “tag” you or make changes to your professional or personal profiles.
- Monitor all websites and blogs that may be attributed to you and your company.
- Maintain a good credit record and avoid any criminal activities.
In construction and engineering professions, clients pay big money for projects. They want to place their trust in reliable professionals. They don’t want to worry about their projects having too much risk because there are problems with your work history or online behavior. If you don’t want a potential employer to use something from your past to influence their decision to hire you, don’t do it. By maintaining appropriate boundaries, you will be ready to assume more challenging roles in your career.
Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing www.webuildstaffing.com . To learn more about Michael or to follow his blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com
Time For A Mentor? Tips To Assist You In Finding The Perfect Mentor..
Time For A Mentor? Tips To Assist You In Finding The Perfect Mentor..
The best way to improve your skills in your chosen profession is to learn from those with a reputation; this is where networking with friends and mentors comes into play. Every potential apprentice can recall at least one person whose ethics or skills inspire him; a talented engineer or project manager may be the very reason you took up your profession. While you may consider these individuals untouchable, most are easily reached and able to foster a professional relationship with, if earnestly approached.
What Makes a Good Mentor?
The construction, engineering, and environmental industries offer several amazing individuals such as John Kenney of “Survivor,” Keith Donahue, Rowan Atkinson, Bill Nye, Terry Tamminen, Elon Musk, etc. Each of these men are very different and approached matters in their own way. While any fool can teach how not to lay foundation or build a condenser; it is best to look to individuals whose approach complements your own.
A good mentor is someone with strong ties to your career goals, though not necessarily within your industry. In actuality, it may be best to apprentice under an individual who career lays within a separate industry; John Kenney is a construction worker who also learned interpersonal skills on reality television, Rowan Atkinson studied as an engineer but also excelled in comedy, etc. As long as you can connect your career with one walked by a potential mentor, you will do well.
Reach Out to a Helping Hand..
It’s important to bear in mind that you want to come across genuinely interested in guidance, but not to the point of appearing sycophantic. It’s imperative that you gain the friendly respect of your peers. You want a potential mentor to perceive you as a comrade, not a leech.
You will likely run into obstacles, such as receptionists, answering machines and automated e-mail systems, on your quest. Show patience and commitment; don’t lose your temper if a receptionist turns you away, use it as an excuse to network. Ask what she would do in your role and wanted to reach the mentor. Appeal to the receptionist’s appreciation of control and superiority; asking for advice can warm them up to you. If this fails, try calling at a different time of day where that receptionist will be off the clock but the potential mentor is still accessible.
Following Through..
Once you’ve connected with a mentor, you should have a good read on how to interact with him; use that knowledge in future dealings. The ability to communicate from multiple approaches is a valuable skill for any career. Patience is also important; don’t be discouraged if you hear nothing after only a few e-mail exchanges or calls.
Create bonds with genuine individuals and always look for new opportunities. You might not find the perfect master builder, engineer, conservationist, or problem solver on your first try, but that doesn’t mean you should stop looking. Some of the best mentorships originate from mutual respect between a knowledgeable individual and someone eager to improve upon his craft.
Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing www.webuildstaffing.com. To learn more about Michael or to follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com
The Top Five Most In-Demand Engineering Disciplines For 2015 And Beyond
Demand For Engineering Professionals 2015 And Beyond
The Top Five Most In-Demand Construction Jobs For 2015 And Beyond…
Engineers turn scientific theory and principle into practical applications. They plan and develop much of the modern world from electric motors and smartphones to ships, buildings and power plants. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that general demand for these professionals will grow by about 8.6 percent from 2012 to 2022. This is less than the 11 percent increase that is projected for all other occupations, but Demand for the top five engineering disciplines is far greater than these two percentages would indicate and offer stable, long term demand and career growth potential.
As a seasoned engineer advancing your career and/or a new engineering graduate looking for a first career opportunity, focusing your career into one of these engineering disciplines will allow you to garner the greatest opportunity for advancement and higher pay in the future.
Civil
Civil engineers can look forward to employment growth of 20 percent because a growing population requires the infrastructure that they build, including power plans, highways, water treatment plants, and harbors. Much of the growth will be in projects that harness renewable energy, such as solar or wind farms. In addition to managing projects, civil engineers must ensure that all their developments meet all federal, state, and local regulations.
Environmental
The public’s growing concerns about the natural world is one of the drivers behind the expected 15 percent increase in environmental engineering positions. These positions combine chemistry, biology, and engineering to solve pollution problems, improve recycling capabilities, and mitigate damage to the environment. Expertise in water use is particularly valuable as many sources of the required liquid are drying up.
Mining and Geological
Mining and geological engineers design the mines and methods for efficiently and safely extracting metals, coals, and precious stones from the ground. The BLS sees their employment growing at around 12 percent because the demand for rare earths is heating up due to advancing technology. In addition, federal regulations allowing access to coal deposits in new areas require the expertise of these professionals.
Petroleum
Despite rapid advances in alternative energy, much of the world’s power and transportation is fueled by oil and gas. So it’s no surprise that the predicted demand for petroleum engineers is 26 percent. They find more efficient ways of extracting fossil fuels from the earth. An increasing population that needs more energy is driving the increases. New methods are also being developed to cost-effectively pull out oil from existing wells and from previously untouched locations, such as under the sea.
Biomedical
With a much faster than average projected job spike of 27 percent, biomedical specialists rank as the most in-demand engineering professionals. They create the devices that conquer disease and improve health. Much of their growth is due to an aging baby boom population that is living longer and is expecting to stay healthy for most of their lives. Technological advances in health care are also providing more opportunities for these professionals.
Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing (www.webuildstaffing.com ). To learn more about Michael or to follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com