Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand (Hardcover)

by William Arruda (Author), Kirsten Dixson (Author)
Key Phrases: personal brand statement, emotional brand attributes, sonal branding, Andy Waterman, Career Distinction Workbook, Allan Lawrence (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Praise for Career Distinction

"Hands down, this book is the bible on branding for your career!"
-- Susan Britton Whitcomb, author of Job Search Magic

"As a professional resume writer and career coach, I have extolled the concept of personal branding for my clients for years. Now, for the first time ever, I have an outstanding resource to recommend--Career Distinction by William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson. This book details the concept of personal branding in a magnificent and easy-to-digest presentation that is a must-buy for every serious job seeker."
-- Wendy S. Enelow, CCM, MRW, JCTC, CPRW Executive Director of the Career Masters Institute

"Arruda and Dixson are widely respected in the global career coaching community as gurus who not only teach but live the personal branding model, and their expertise and passion show through on every page of this practical, indispensable book. I highly recommend it to all who want to distinguish themselves from the competition."
-- L. Michelle Tullier, PhD, Vice President of Right Management and author of The Unofficial Guide to Landing a Job

From the Inside Flap

As a professional, your reputation is your most valuable career asset. Whether you're climbing the ladder at your current company or seeking a new job, in today's fast-paced work environment, you must proactively and continuously position yourself for success. Your credibility, visibility, personality, and personal style all make up your brand. Build and nurture your personal brand and you'll make yourself a must-have, can't-fail professional—and you'll do it without having to be someone you're not.

Career Distinction outlines the proven personal branding process and provides case studies of successful professionals that will help you not only survive, but thrive, in today's dynamic and ultracompetitive workplace. You'll learn to manage your brand with innovative tools that enable you to differentiate yourself and stand out from your peers.

In this definitive step-by-step guide, career and personal brand management experts Arruda and Dixson show you how to:

• Brand yourself for career success

• Determine how others perceive you

• Develop your unique value proposition

• Define your target audience

• Tell your brand story

• Express yourself clearly and consistently

• Build and manage your online identity

• Stay on-message and on-brand every day

• Increase your "career karma"

The increasing pace of change in the business world gives you less time than ever to make your professional mark. Career Distinction demonstrates how to express who you are and the value you bring to your organization—branding you as an indispensable, memorable, and unique professional. Success takes more than just hard work; brand yourself and watch your career soar.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (June 11, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470128186
• ISBN-13: 978-0470128183
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,857 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #61 in

  Books > Reference > Job Hunting

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for improving your brand and career prospects, May 30, 2007

By	Manager from New Jersey (Summit, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

I've been contemplating switching jobs and industries. A friend recommended this book to me and I just finished it. This book will change the way you think about yourself and how to approach your career. In a world where employers can "google" any prospect, everyone needs to think about their career identity as they climb the corporate ladder. This book allows you to create and control your business identity and will teach you how to : brand yourself, build your online business identity; create your own story and goals. A must read for anyone looking for a new job-- or improving the way their current employer views them.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE instruction manual for building a satisfying and successful career today., June 22, 2007

By	Deb Dib "CEO Coach" (Metro New York, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Career Distinction is really the bible of career branding for today's increasingly portable worker. I love the focus on proactivity -- and the step-by-step instructions on how to build a brand presence in one's niche (and how to niche!) Understanding and leveraging personal branding and value is going to be the difference between panic and power in today's job market -- where stability is gone and we're more likely to become serial freelancers than long-term hires. And heck, it lets us have more fun at work because the clarity of branding gives us a great shot at getting hired to do what we love to do, with people we love to do it with. Not bad!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The New Standard for Career Management, June 7, 2007

By	Walter Akana "Life Strategist" (Decatur, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Way back in 2001, when I and other career professionals were conducing career workshops for outplaced individuals, it was often a useful exercise to ask participants to consider themselves as their own unique "Brand You." Taking tips from Tom Peters' work, we found ways to enhance traditional job search approaches and tools to help our clients stand out. Still, we lacked a comprehensive system to make personal branding a completely effective career management strategy.

Interestingly, in that same year, William Arruda founded Reach Communications Consulting, and got to work establishing a highly-effective personal branding process called 1-2-3 Success! In this new book, after dispelling branding myths, the authors discuss the phases of this process, offering practical advice on extracting, expressing, and exuding one's brand. As well, the authors support using the process with a downloadable workbook, and with access to the online 360Reach Personal Branding Assessment.

The value of having access to this process and these tools easily exceeds the price of the book. Yet, there is so much more in this remarkable volume. First, the authors make a compelling case for the role of branding in their examination of radical changes in the world of work. They then go on to establish four principles of the career distinction mindset. Taken together, these principles further support the case for personal branding as the most effective approach to career management and success...

... but wait, there's more!

Given recruiters' increasing use of Google to identify prospective talent or to make decisions on job candidates, the authors leverage Kirsten Dixson's expertise to help the reader begin to take steps to manage his or her career online. "Assessing Your Online Identity" walks the reader through the steps of determining his or her digital profile. Then, "Building Your Brand in Bits and Bytes" discusses practical and accessible ways to create an on-brand, online presence using blogs, web portfolios, and online networking.

Overall, I believe this book will become the career management standard. Everything in it is fresh, relevant, and thought provoking. Best of all: it works! Whether you begin applying its lessons on your own, or (ideally) invest in working with a certified Personal Branding Strategist, you will put yourself squarely on the path to more career distinction and to owning your success!