3 Words To Help You Get Promoted, Get Hired, and Stand Out (So Everyone Knows How Awesome You Are!)
I’ve been seeing a trend in the questions that the community has been asking of me recently: “How do I get promoted?” How do I stop getting overlooked?”
How do I stand out in the interview?”
At the core, what people are really asking me is this: “How do I get noticed in my career, so I can get the promotion, next job, next amazing thing.”
I have answers :).
There’s actually a few different ways to come at this question, so I’m going to spend this blog article, and next week’s article, on how to do just that.
But first, a story!
I was trying to buy toilet paper the other week, and I realized that there are a LOT of brands. Note: I am usually not allowed to by the toilet paper in my household, due to my penchant for buying whatever is right in front of me, leading to a one-ply situation that resulted in many aggrieved lectures.
I found myself feeling weirdly overwhelmed. Charmin? Safeway brand? Something else?
HOW DO I CHOOSE??!!
As I was wondering around muttering to myself (that’s right, I’m THAT person in the grocery store, which is why getting my groceries delivered CHANGED MY LIFE…except when I forget to order something *sigh*), I kept thinking these three words: “Soft, strong and disposable.”
Yep. The three words that Charmin always uses to describe their brand.
Can you guess which toilet paper I bought?
Exactly.
I bought Charmin because the brand stuck in my mind. It completely stood out – and I knew what they were about. Plus, “soft, strong and disposable” sounded like it could get the job done, and I couldn’t have another 1-ply situation at my house. *The horror!*
Do you have a clear brand?
Whether we are talking about getting promoted or getting hired, you want to STAND OUT and be known. But you don’t want other people to control the narrative about you, it’s time for you to be in charge.
Not controlling the narrative means that other folks label you. “Sally, yeah – she’s nice and does good work I guess” could be a conversation that happens about you at the annual review meeting when you manager is rating you.
Or, when you are trying to nail the interview someone could say “Todd. Ummm….wasn’t he that tall guy?”
Do you really want to be “nice…I guess” or “That tall guy?” with a question mark?
No! You want to be known for words that YOU choose. Words that make your relevant AND words that show off your expertise.
Here’s how you do that:
It’s time to brand yourself. And branding yourself starts with just a few simple words.
Stop for a minute, and think about one of your greatest technical skills or strengths. “Master facilitator” “Excel ninja” “Press release genius.”
Pick something that you WANT to be known for that is also very useful in your industry in terms of career advancement. If you don’t know, talk to some people about skills that they wish more folks had at the company or in the industry, and laser in on one of those to develop in yourself.
Next up, pick a work that describes your soft skills – things that aren’t as tangible, but are still descriptive of YOU and important in the workplace. “Good under pressure.” “Strong leader.” “Great communicator.” “Conflict specialist.” “Fabulous with people.” “Unflappable.”
Now, string them together. THIS is your new brand. When you talk about yourself in interviews or with your manager you highlight the brand words that you want to feature. You constantly and consciously communicate your brand to those around you through your work and your words.
You say things like: “I’d love to work on that project, I’m an excel ninja so it’s 100% in my wheelhouse” Or “This job requires someone who not only understands leadership, but can facilitate tough conversations. As a master facilitator who specializes in leading through conflict, I think I’m a great fit for this position…”
As you do that, others will start to use YOUR words, and they’ll remember YOUR amazing skills. You will stand out.
It looks a little something like this: “Christie, oh yeah – she’s an excel ninja who’s also a great communicator, we need someone like her on this project. Have we promoted her recently?” 
So, what are the words you want to start using about yourself? And if you’ve been amazing about creating a personal brand in the past please share – how did you develop your brand and get it to stick? Let us know in the comments!
Know someone who needs this article because they need to get noticed? Please share it and spread the career love. We could all use a boost to help us stand out.
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