I recently spoke to a former client who described in detail what he felt was a disastrous interview. He had gained an opportunity through a personal contact for a position that was really a “stretch” job, but he wanted to give it a shot anyway.
Halfway through the interview, he had to admit to the interviewers that he was probably not their best candidate as he found himself stumped by their questions.
Guess, what the interviewers response was? They were impressed by his openness, honesty and authenticity! Bet that was not the response you were expecting right?
At the end of the day, you can have the best marketing slogan, executive branding statement and glamorous looking resume, but if you are not authentic and genuine, employers can spot that a mile away.
Are you unknowingly a brand identify thief?
- Will you pull language and key achievements from another executive’s resume because you both have similar backgrounds?
- Do you use others’ elevator pitches or introductory comments because it’s too hard to figure out your brand?
- Are you telling interviewers what they want to hear just to get the job?
- Have you ever stolen someone else’s ideas, thoughts or projects as your own?
- Does your executive resume have tasks that are really not what you do?
You get the idea…you cannot fake authenticity. Don’t steal someone else’s “light” in order to promote yourself, it may work temporarily, but it will not work forever. So this week, I leave you a few key strategies for keeping your brand and brand identity authentic.
It may seem like a great idea to exaggerate and inflate your job responsibilities on your executive resume, but a lie is still a lie and very embarrassing for you in the long run.
Stop talking to the wrong people
When you simply imitate what someone else is doing, more likely than not, you will start “selling” a great career story to the wrong audience.
You and your resume should match
If you do a bang-up job promoting yourself to an employer or new contact over the telephone, make sure your resume has your back – you and your resume should be in sync.
