Customer Reviews

CAREER SMART: Five Steps to a Powerful Personal Brand

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sherri presents a clear path to defining your personal branding and proceeds to share with you how to stand out from the competition. She also offer further help on her website if you request personal career coaching. She gives sound advice which she has used successfully for herself and others. Career Smart is concise and very easy to follow. Each step is laid out in a manner that helps you progress toward your goal of a more rewarding career.

Personal branding is about projecting who you really are instead of settling for what you get. Taking time up front to establish what you're all about and then seeking the job or even career that match your characteristics creates a foundation for success and happiness. We spend a substantial amount of our adult lives working. That time can be very rewarding and fulfilling with just a little planning. This book takes you through the steps to establishing what you are about and conveying that message to prospective employers or clients. It is laid out in a logic fashion with each section building on the previous. It starts by having you define who you are now, what you are looking for, and the best way to send that message. That's enough right there, but the book heightens this further and drives you to think outside the box and shrug off limitations. After reading this, I felt energized and eager to do what I want and should do and make more money in the process.

It seems as though everyone I talk to knows someone or has been laid off, downsized or is looking for a job because of the economic and credit crisis. Sherri Thomas shares her secrets to powerful personal branding, how to send the right messages, networking, and how to put yourself in high demand with clients, managers and potential employers.

Now is the time to work on your branding and presentation so that when an opportunity comes along, you are ready and ready to beat the competition.

Sherri provides us with strategies, best practices and lessons she has learned to help us all be successful and be a leader in our chosen field.

Did you ever feel stuck in your job with the feeling you were not fulfilling your destiny?

Did you ever feel that even though you were giving it your all at work you weren't getting noticed by those who count (boss, clients, co-workers)?

Did you ever feel like you were stuck doing tasks that you were unsuited for or that you didn't like to do?

If the answer to any of the above questions is "Yes!" then I recommend that you pick up a copy of career coach Sherri Thomas's book, Career Smart: Five Steps to a Powerful Personal Brand.

When I read Career Smart the one point that came out to me in every chapter was that your career isn't your job title; it is what you make yourself out to be. Sherri Thomas calls this "your own personal brand".

To come up with your own personal branch you have to assess yourself in a thoughtful manner, looking at your experience, skills and what you want to do and like to do. Then you basically have to define a brand for which people will know you by professionally and to a certain extent personally. In a sense you are positioning yourself as the company and industry expert on the field that you have branded yourself in. The author gives a load of examples on how go gain the knowledge you may need, target and increase your networking contacts, and to get known by writing reports, articles (for newsletters and industry media) and by power networking (creating circles of influence, mastermind groups and speaking at industry events).

Sherri Thomas gives examples from her own successful career of how this all works and assures the readers that this will work for them as well. The reader can see from her own experience that careers aren't defined by your titles but rather than by the work that you do. When you successfully brand yourself you start attracting more of the projects and jobs that give you a feeling of satisfaction rather than the work that brings you down. This also leads to high income and prestige.

Much of what Ms. Thomas has put forward in her book is common sense but the nuggets are ideas you might not have considered before or maybe put in the back of your mind and never tried. So if your career is in a rut, or you just feel that you could be doing better than you are when it comes to overall satisfaction, I recommend spending the time and money to get this book. If you are not where you want to be or your don't have a feeling of fulfillment in your job you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Really enjoyed this book. It gives great career building strategies for any professional at any level in their career!

I have been in senior management positions for Fortune 500 companies over

the past 20 years and I found this book concise and very motivating. I am

not looking to change careers. However, the tips and reflections of the

author create a valuable, positive guide to feeling good about oneself and

how to improve an individual's value to their current company.

New manager of a global group recommends reading this book when developing or strengthening a strong team. First work on yourself, gain the insight, and then build a stronger team. Worked effectively.

Recommend the read!

Well, I hoped this book was more than what I got. It is just another self-help book like many others, stating the same things we all know, like "dress for success", etc. If you have other books related to the topic, don't buy this one, you already have the information you need, you just have to take action.

Sherri has given great advice and examples on how to be sure you're presenting your best self to current and potential employers and clients.

"I give this book a 5 out of 5 rating. An excellent read! It is the best personal branding book I have ever read. The concepts, ideas and suggested actions were valuable for both experienced and inexperienced business professionals. I also thought the casual writing style, humor and the author's personal examples all made the book a quick yet very profitable read. Lastly, besides having much to say about enhancing one's business and career brand, I felt the book had a lot to say about one's branding in their personal and community life as well."