How You Are Like Shampoo for Job Seekers. Brenda Bence

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      Praise from around the world for

      How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo For Job Seekers

      “The reality of a global pool of talent means heightened competitiveness for every job. How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo For Job Seekers provides a step-by-step plan for ensuring the most important brand — you! — is positioned to win in the marketplace.”

      — James M. Lafferty, President and General Manager, Procter & Gamble Philippines

      “As an HR professional with many years of experience, some of the best advice I can give any potential job seeker is to understand who you are, what you want from your next job, and how to sell that to a potential employer. Brenda Bence’s book will help you do just that! I strongly urge you to read How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo for Job Seekers as the first step in your next job search. The proof will be in the results.’’

      — Dalia Turner, Microsoft Asia Pacific

      High Potential Program Manager

      “Excellent interviewing skills and a stellar resume can only get you so far. Today, you need a dynamic personal brand to obtain a job that will fulfill you and bring you the kind of income you deserve. How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo for Job Seekers is quite simply the definitive roadmap to job search success through the power of personal branding.”

      — Nora Bammann, Human Resources, The Kroger Company

      “Bence is a proven marketer and has translated her outstanding grasp of product branding into valuable lessons that can be applied to job seekers as they market and develop themselves.”

      — Steve Golsby, CEO, Mead Johnson Nutrition

      “You may have a great resume, and you may interview well. But that won’t be enough to compete against job hunters who have taken the time to define and communicate a powerful personal brand. In How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo for Job Seekers, Brenda Bence shows you how to use personal branding to gain the edge over others vying for the same job. It’s a great ‘how to’ manual for a successful job search!”

      — Gary Woollacott, CEO, Opus Executive Search

      “In a warm, insightful, and pragmatic style, Bence shows you how to use every advantage and strength at your disposal to create a memorable personal brand that can propel you to the top of a company’s ‘want’ list. If you want to prosper in today’s competitive job market, this book is your ticket!”

      — Anders Lundquist, President

      Pacific 2000, International Recruitments

      A Personal Note from the Author

      I am proud to announce support for Dress for Success®, an international organization whose mission is “to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support, and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.” By way of support for this strong cause, my husband, Daniel, and I will donate $1.00 to Dress for Success for every copy sold of the How YOU™ are like Shampoo book series.

      I believe strongly in the mission of Dress for Success and, through this partnership, we know we are empowering disadvantaged women to take charge of their lives and careers. Many thanks to you for your purchase of How YOU™ are like Shampoo for Job Seekers. By doing so, you have made a difference in the lives of thousands of women, and we are grateful to you for helping us to support such a purposeful organization.

      To find out more about Dress for Success, please visit www.dressforsuccess.org.

      How YOU™ are like Shampoo for Job Seekers

      The Proven Personal Branding System To Help You Succeed In Any Interview And Secure The Job of Your Dreams

      by

      Brenda Bence

      Copyright 2011 Brenda Bence,

      All rights reserved.

      Published in eBook format by Global Insight Communications LLC

      Converted by http://www.eBookIt.com

      ISBN-13: 978-0-9799-0105-8

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2008935844

      Cover design by George Foster,

      Foster Covers (www.fostercovers.com) Front cover photography by Kurt Heck (www.kurtheck.com)

      Graphic design by Jay Cotton, Hot Ant Design (www.hotant.com.au)

      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.

      No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permission Department, Global Insight Communications, P.O. Box 28909, Las Vegas, NV 89126, U.S.A. Phone: [phone]; Fax [phone] or by e-mail at [email protected].

      Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warrant: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

      To my mother, Pearl Myers-Bence, my very first ‘life coach’

      and

      To my job-seeker coaching clients

      who allowed me to travel along with them on their journeys of discovery

      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 wonderful marriage, loving relationships with family, terrific friends, an active social life … and the list goes on and on.

      Here’s the funny part: Early on in my career, I just naturally thought everyone else felt the same way as me! But then, I realized not everyone in the big corporations where I worked was as happy as I was. I also did some research and read studies that showed that as many as 75% of all people are miserable in their jobs. And, finally, through my professional coaching practice, I discovered a lot of my clients were unhappy in their work, too.

      All of this really troubled me. If you’re unhappy with what you do for a living — where