Copyright © 2012 by Brenda S. Bence. All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by Global Insight Communications LLC
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ISBN-13: 978097901096
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Cartoons by Brenda Brown (http://webtoon.com)
Interior design and typesetting by Eric Myhr
The stories in this book are based on real events and real people. Where requested, and in order to protect the privacy of certain individuals, names and identifying details have been changed.
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Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Bence, Brenda S.
How you(tm) are like shampoo for college graduates : the complete personal branding system to define, position, and market yourself and land a job you love / Brenda Bence.
p. cm.
1. Job hunting. 2. College graduates--Employment. 3. Résumés (Employment)
4. Employment interviewing. 5. Career development. 6. Vocational guidance. I. Title. HF5381 .B 3563 2010
650.1--dc22 2009936995
To Kathie and Arlyn Uhrmacher
who have dedicated their lives not just to educating students, but to inspiring them to follow their passions
and to do what they love.
Preface
Each one of us has a fire in our heart for something. It’s our goal in life to find it and to keep it lit.
— Mary Lou Retton, Olympic Gold Medal Gymnast
I just might be the kind of person you love to hate. Why? Well, I wake up every single morning happy, with a smile on my face. I can’t wait to get out of bed and head off to work. I thoroughly enjoy what I do for a living. And because I’m so satisfied in my professional life, this rolls over into the rest of my life. I have a terrific marriage, fantastic relationships with family, wonderful friends, and an active social life … and the list goes on and on.
But before you decide that you hate me too much, I should tell you: It wasn’t always this way.
When I graduated from college, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do. I had spent four years in school, had worked hard to get good grades, my father had spent all that money on tuition, and there I stood — diploma in hand — with a blank expression on my face. I didn’t have a clue what I should do with it. The only thing I knew for sure is what I didn’t want to do — and that was business! (Funny when I think about that now…)
So, what happened? Well, suffice it to say that the universe kicked me in the pants a few times but, ultimately, led me in the right direction during the five years that followed college. As a result, I eventually learned that I would not only do well in business but that I would absolutely love it. Still, getting there was a rocky road, akin to being in a haunted house … crawling along the walls, feeling my way, not sure where I was heading or what was around the next corner. And just like a haunted house visit, all turned out well in the end, but it was pretty scary going through the process.
Why am I telling you this? For the same reasons I wrote this book: to spare you, as you prepare to graduate, the same kind of floundering that I went through. Defining and communicating a powerful personal brand for your job search can do just that. It can save you time, energy, money, and frustration so that you don’t have to spend your next five years like I did, wondering what you really want to do with your life.
Personal branding helps you cut to the chase, allowing you to carefully define and hone in on your passions. Then, it shows you how to communicate who you are and what you have to offer. And, most importantly, it helps you to get where you want to be — in a job that you love — now, not five years from now.
Branding yourself as a college graduate can prevent you from becoming one of 75% of all people who are unhappy in their jobs. Yes, that’s right — statistics show that as many as 75% of people working today are dissatisfied in their professions. Think about that: If you’re not happy with how you make your living — where you’ll be spending about half of your waking hours — how can you lead a full, productive, and complete life? If you’re not happy in such an important part of your life as your work, how can you be completely fulfilled in the hours that are left over?
There’s just no reason why you shouldn’t feel as passionate about your work as I feel about mine. If it can happen for me, it can happen for you. And wouldn’t the world be a different place if everyone loved their work as much as that? We would be more fulfilled as a whole, our relationships would be better, and our family lives would be happier. What a difference it would make.
And that’s exactly what How YOUTM are like Shampoo for College Graduates is all about. I created the How YOUTM are like Shampoo series of personal branding books with this dream in mind.
So, how did I get from floundering five years out of college to becoming the author of a series of personal branding books?
Well, to start with, I’ve spent quite a few years coaching clients to develop their personal
