Retooling Your Career After A Layoff
By Robin Fisher Roffer

It was only a year ago that you were going a million miles an hour answering a gazillion 
emails and figuring out whom to blow off your call list.  Now, you¹re at home flipping the channels wondering how you¹re going to make the next car payment on the BMW.  The bedroom back at your folk¹s house is starting to look cozy. 

Stop worrying and start re-tooling. You are at a rest stop on the road to success. And, it¹s time for you to slow down and ponder existential questions like who are you, what are you good at, what do you like doing, etc. so you don¹t land yourself face down in your next gig.

With the right personal brand, one that authentically reflects your core values, passions 
and talents you can become the Oprah of your chosen profession.  But, to get there, you 
have to untie your ego from your former company and the title they bestowed upon you. 
They and it are not you.

You¹re probably like most people who have been cut loose from the strong hold of corporate America.  You fall all over yourself trying to answer the question "what do you do?"  Personally, I never say, "I¹m president of Big Fish Marketing."  What does that mean in the grand scheme of things anyway?  I say, "I¹m a brand advocate and published author."  Now, there¹s a tagline that¹s attention getting! 

Remember that with or without a paycheck you still have value. Now is the time to put your flag in the ground and declare your specialty to the world (or at least the next person who interviews you).  Specialists make the big bucks.  Generalists are old news. 

The next step is to define your dreams and put them into action.  Forget following your feeling's lead them to your stated mission!  That means don¹t take the first thing that
comes along no matter how desperate you feel.  After all, isn¹t that how you got into this mess in the first place?

When you craft your dream don¹t forget to consider who you¹ll need to influence to make
it come true.  In marketing speak, we call these folks the "target audience."  And, the best
way to appeal to them is to do a 180-degree turn, stand in their shoes and figure out what
they want to hear from you.  More than likely it¹s how you¹re going to save them or make
them look good.

To find your target audience, comb the trade shows, attend conferences, show up at
industry affairs and talk with your friends and family. After all, if you don¹t get out, you¹ll
never get in.  Make sure that you dress the part.  Your packaging should reflect the soul
of your brand.  Eighty percent of all communication is visual, so if you don¹t look the part
you want to play no one will cast you in the role.

To stay on track, practice the holy trinity of branding: clarity, authenticity and consistency. 
If you tell others who you are and act the part long enough, you will become your desired brand.  From MTV to Martha Stewart, the super charged brands never waiver or compromise what they are about.  Neither should you. 

Now is the time to get off the couch and let go of the remote and the emotion surrounding 
your company¹s lack of success.  It is not your own.  Prove it by acting like a pioneer who
got a few arrows in the back on the way to discover the new world.  Keep striving for your mission and you¹ll strike it rich by being you.

  Robin Fisher Roffer is president of Big Fish Marketing, Inc. and author of "Make A Name For Yourself‹8 Steps Every Woman Needs to Create A Personal Brand Strategy for Success." www.bigfishmarketing.com
                                                        ExpertMagazine.com 2001

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