Brand You, Brand New

Do you feel like you are in career limbo, not moving forward as quickly or in the direction you would like? Today, you are not alone. This concern has become a constant theme with people when they talk about their careers. So why is this happening, and what can you do to fix it? Today's world is in a constant state of change. Knowledge and skills are deteriorating faster than ever before. Responsibility for employability, which is your ability to be employable, has shifted from the employer to the employee. That organizational shift has put you on a collision course with your career and your employer.

Therefore, it's time for you to consider the following questions:

1. Do you want to manage your career and take it to the next level on your own terms?

2. Do you feel like someone else is in control of your career?

3. Do you need effective tools to help you manage your career development?

Individuals in the workforce, both new and seasoned professionals, are realizing the critical importance of managing their own careers to achieve their vision of success. In the past, personal career management was often handled by your company. But the question you must ask is, can you still rely on that old paradigm when it comes to your career and your life? Today, the answer to that question is that you cannot rely on the old paradigm. Why should you give the power and control of your career to someone else? It's time to take your career journey into your own hands.

In today's dynamic world of work, the current reality is: we switch jobs more frequently; bosses change more frequently; jobs shift and change more frequently, and knowledge and skills change more frequently. For these reasons, it's time for us to challenge and change the old constructs of career management.

Today, the role and responsibility for career management needs to shift to you, the ultimate creator and manager of your own career and personal development. In this book, we will take you through the necessary steps to proactively manage your career, your brand, and your personal development to help put you in the ultimate control seat.

Starting with Brand YOU, we will help you establish where you are in your current career journey and what differentiates you in the marketplace. Then, we will take you through a Career Gap Analysis focusing on the following four questions:

1. Do you have a career strategy, and is it as robust as it should be?

2. How can you leverage your strengths and weaknesses to take your career to the next level?

3. How do you compare and stand out from your competition internally?

4. How can you compare yourself relative to the competitive jobs marketplace?

This Career Gap Analysis will help you define your journey to personal success. Then, the empowerment tools discussed in the book will help you plan your personal path to successful career management. Your career management plan will unfold through narratives, checklists, tools, leadership assessments, personality and decision-making profiling, and communication styles that will help you understand how you can best manage your career and best interests. We are excited to have you join us on this personal journey to your own career transformation.

Elyse Flynn Meyer is the President & Founder of Prism Global Marketing Solutions, an award-winning inbound marketing agency, and HubSpot Diamond Partner. Elyse is also the author of, Mastering Inbound Marketing: Your Complete Guide to Building a Results-Driven Inbound Strategy. Elyse has extensive experience in marketing and sales management, specifically in inbound marketing, lead generation, marketing operations, and sales alignment. 

Joanne Toth Flynn is the Owner & Founder of Phoenix Strategic Performance, a strategic human capital advisory consulting firm. Joanne takes best practices from the human capital-intensive financial services industry and adapts those best practices to startup and growth businesses. She is a thought leader in the areas of strategic organizational alignment, organizational agility, human capital gap analysis, leadership challenges for the new workplace, and transformation leadership.