Whether you are in career transition or just trying to advance your career, have you given your “helpers’ everything they need to know to help you? Keith Ferrazzi just published an article that talked about executives giving their admins the right tools to help grow and nurture the exec’s network. But I think that idea goes further.
What do you do to tell family, friends, and neighbors about the things you are doing in your career? I don’t mean the boring stuff that sounds like bragging. I mean the meaningful pieces that can help someone understand your personal brand; what you are and what you do. A friend once said
Even my neighbor’s 12 year old daughter knows something about what I am doing
Plumbers, painters, carpenters, doctors, dentists, etc. have it pretty easy right? But what about C++ programmers, or high temperature flow mechanics engineers, or senior debt managers, or even HR professionals? How do you go about breaking down the fancy titles and terminology into easy to understand and even easier to remember sound bites that can help others help you?
Here’s a test. Try telling your story in new ways to five people for the next week. Enforce it when you can. Then watch to see what may come from those contacts.