Building Personal & Professional Brand Equity Elikem Nutifafa Kuenyehia Legal & Management Consultant Adjunct Lecturer, GIMPA

My Agenda Introduction Basic principle of Brand equity Applying principles of Brand equity to individuals Building a Personal brand equity statement Developing a Personal Differentiation plan

Objectives of this session To assist you in differentiating yourself in the academic environment and in the work place

Brand principles 101 A brand is erviewing types and situations. What interviewers are looking for Interview preparation road map: –4 year plan to D-day Sample interview questions. Recommended approach to answering Qs. Writing CVs. Writing cover letters. Role play. Wrap up Questions & answers

How you differentiate yourself generally…… Evidence of achievement. Ability to get along with people. Creativity. Initiative. Quantitative skills. Communication skills – written and oral. Humility. Integrity. Interpersonal skills. Technical Aptitude. ‘FIT’. Understand your competition

The 4 year plan Preparation for interviews start long in advance of the phone call. –Focus on getting the best grades that you can. –Get a clear idea of your strengths and weaknesses Should help you research which jobs/industries you may or may not be suitable for. –Participate in extra curricular activities/Hold leadership positions. –Network and tap into your social contacts. –Start wide: Get as much understanding as you can of different professions, jobs and industries.

The 2 year plan cont’d Set up informational interviews across different companies/industries and with different functional managers. If possible, get some work experience (even unpaid) during your long vacation. –Use opportunity to learn about relevant industry and job opportunities. –Speak to as many people as possible in the relevant company to be able to determine: Whether you are suited to particular job, company, industry etc. Key success criteria in the relevant job, company, industry.

The 1 year plan Begin to narrow down the jobs/industries/companies you are interested in. Set up informational interviews in the company or companies you are interested in. –Double edged sword. Attend recruiting events. Read newspapers especially Graphic and look in job sections.

The 1 week plan Research the industry and the company –Speak to contacts, present and past employees –Read annual reports, industry reports Hold mock interviews with friends and family

The 1 day plan Get as much rest as possible before an interview. Print extra copies of your CV. Review your key research findings about the company. Pick suitable clothes and have them ironed. Make sure you know where the interview is to be held. Think of a few questions you would like to ask.

D Day Plan Leave yourself plenty of time to get to the interview venue. Be relaxed and appear confident. Be polite to everyone you meet. Answer the questions asked directly. Do not lie. Do not evade questions. Limit your answers to a few minutes. Give direct answers.

D Day cont’d Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Do not be intimidated. Ask questions at the end –About company, –About the job, and –About the interviewer –Note that it’s a two way street. Thank the interviewer for his time. Do not ask whether you have been successful. Do not ask questions about remuneration at the interview.

After D-day Write or interviewer to say thank you –Hand written note on quality note paper best. Hope for the best. Follow up if you have not heard after a while. –But do it in a way that does not annoy interviewers. –Find out from the right source. Might have to be HR rather than the manager who interviewed you.

Sample Questions - General Tell me about yourself. Why you? Where do you see yourself in five years? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What is your most significant accomplishments? Why the particular company? What do you know about the company?

Sample Qs - Scenario Give me an example of a situation in which you have exhibited leadership. Give me an example of situation in which you had to deal with a difficult team member. Tell me about a time when you failed at achieving your goal.

Answering General Questions Answer the question asked rather than what you would have liked asked. If you don’t know, admit so, don’t insult the interviewers intelligence. Tell me about yourself questions: –Don’t tell about your whole history –Pick the most relevant parts of your story to demonstrate why you may be the best person for the job. –Every question relating to you should tell a story about why YOU are the one for the job.

Answering Scenario Questions Use R-SAR –Result –Scenario –Action –Result Quantify results. Put a positive spin. Don’t be shy to say you rock!

Writing CVs There is a standard format for CVs. Although you should ensure you capture the standard information, do not feel limited by it. –Try and be creative. –Objective is for your CV to stand out. Should be well edited. Include dates for which you did things. –Explain any gaps

Personal Information cont’d Personal Information should cover –Name –Date of Birth –Address –Phone number – address –Optionally you may include marital status Optionally, you may decide to include a profile or a career objective. –If you are going do to so, make sure it is well thought out and it stands out.

Accomplishments If your story supports it, I would recommend a brief summary of ‘Select Accomplishments’ Should list a few of your key accomplishments. Eg: –Recipient, George Benneh prize for overall best student in Mathematics (1998) –Elected President of Legon Hall JCR (2005) –Passed all stages of ACCA in one attempt (2006) Must be very brief because the info will be repeated under the various main sections.

Academic Information/Education Should include: –Subject, University and Class of Degree If still in university, can include overall grad to date and an expected class of degree. Ideally try and quantify standing. –Top X% of class. Title etc of long essay if relevant –A-level/SSCE subjects and grades –O-level/BECE subjects and grades In both cases, should include name of secondary school. –Details of any other training or courses

Avoid meaningless additions ‘I work hard in a team’. ‘I have well developed verbal and communication skills’. ‘I am a quick learner’. ‘I adapt quickly to change’. ‘I have good organisational skills’ –Demonstrate above in interview. –Anyone can make these claims.

Work Experience Briefly summarise under each employer you worked for: –Your key accomplishments and responsibilities. Examples: ‘Conducted qualitative and quantitative analysis of banks in Ghana. Analysis formed basis of recommendation to Business Development Manager on strategies for launching new products’ ‘Managed a team of six selling batteries to market women in Accra. Achieved sales targets of 20,000 boxes a month. Awarded Sales Man of the Year. –Show achievement. –Quantify results.

Positions of Responsibility Detail all positions of responsibility held. Include dates. State whether elected or not. Contrast: –Treasurer, Kotoko Supporters Union WITH –Elected Treasurer, Kotoko Supporters Union. Responsible for managing a budget of C30M for 400 members of campus chapter of Kotoko Union.

Other Data List other skills. Eg: –Fluent in French. –Good working knowledge of Excel and Quickbooks. List personal interests. Include travel history if relevant.

References Don’t include a long list of references. You may include two. Or you can simply state ‘References available on request’.

Cover Letters Must stand out and well edited. Not more than 3 short paragraphs: –First paragraph explains why you are writing. ‘I write in response to your advertisement in the daily graphic of 3 March Please find enclosed with this letter a copy of my curriculum vitae.’ –Second paragraph should explain why you. ‘As you will note from my curriculum vitae, I have had held several leadership positions including my current role as President of Awudome Old Students Association. My current dissertation on reducing clutter in visual communications will stand me in good stead for the role’ –Final paragraph should close. ‘I would be happy to demonstrate to you in an interview why I consider myself an excellent fit for the marketing officer position at Joy FM. If you have any questions or require clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me on ’ Avoid ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ – Find out who to write to and address properly. DO NOT CUT & PASTE blindly!

Conclusions You got to sell yourself. Preparation begins from now. Not when you get the call. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare. –Research job, company, industry –Network –Ask questions You got to believe in yourself. If you don’t, who will?

The End Questions?

Follow Up Questions May follow up questions to: