HOW TO MARKET YOURSELF
We manage our own careers now. So knowing how to brand and position yourself in the market as 'Me plc' at different stages of your working life is becoming an increasingly vital skill. At least that is what image expert Mary Spillane believes. 'Employment as we know it is decreasing. Jobs don't exist, work exists. In the next decade most of us will be suppliers, not staff. We will have clients not bosses. If you are under 30, you probably know that there is only one firm to join for life: Me plc. It promotes you and your potential to others.'
'We're working in multi-national, multicultural, multi-corporate teams and it's important to understand the implications of this. We need to create a personal brand that is unique, but complements the brand of the corporation we are working for. You have to find a way to do it so that you are not just a typical employee,' advises Spillane. 'You have to decide what central values you want to project, and also what may need to alter from situation to situation.'
Many people only remember Mary Spillane for the years she spent running a cosmetics company, but she actually has masters degrees in information science and politics. She used to hide that hard-hitting side, but is now eager to show it and forget about cosmetics. 'Now that I'm working in the boardrooms of major plcs and global companies, I'm playing up my degrees and management background so that the image side is seen only as an addition to the value side,' says Spillane.
Some contracts take longer than others. 'The City law firms I'm currently working for are really difficult because they don't have any idea of what their brand should be, and are still very traditional even when talking about becoming modern. I'm showing them how to do everything from changing their reception areas -which tend to be very off-putting with their high-fronted reception desks - to how to make small talk that is less formal and rigid. Companies rebrand themselves all the time, spending millions on new office interiors and so on. But without an underlying change of attitudes, it can prove an empty exercise.'
She argues that for individuals too, there must be more than a surface change, as rebranding goes deeper than a mere change of wardrobe. Beyond advice on appearance, she tells clients, 'Remind yourself of what you are selling: the personal values that comprise your brand. Learn to present yourself in a way that will project what you want to deliver. Lifelong learning is essential, together with the sort of discovery and adventure that promote personal growth. Always have an up-to-the-minute CV ready to print out, refreshing it every few months with your most recent achievements, just to remind others of your brand value.'
She believes it is essential that you understand both your public self and your private self, as well as your blind spots and your potential, in order to create an effective brand. The public self is the image you project to the world, the private self is what you know about yourself but others don't, arid blind spots are those things that others see about you but you can't see for yourself. By deciding what image you want other people to see, emphasising more of your private self and sorting out a few blind spots, you will increase not only your potential to influence others, but also your self-esteem and self-confidence.'
13 In the first paragraph, Mary Spillane says people should learn how to market themselves because
A it encourages companies to give them a job for life.
B in the future it will be a company requirement.
C in many careers it is becoming difficult to succeed.
D it will help them adapt to developments in the job market.
14 Spillane says that, when creating a personal brand, it is important to
A change things depending on the circumstances.
B decide what image people would like you to present.
C make sure that colleagues feel at ease with your image.
D follow the example of someone in the company you work for.
15 What do we learn about Spillane in the third paragraph?
A She is embarrassed about her career with a cosmetics company.
B She doesn't like talking about her academic background.
C She has qualifications many people are unaware of.
D She worries about how other people see her.
16 Which problem does Spillane refer to when talking about the companies she is presently working with?
A They find it difficult to accept her ideas.
B They are unaware of how to rebrand themselves.外语学习网
C They don't want to spend large amounts of money.
D They are unwilling to modernise their work environment.
17 When advising people on rebranding themselves, Spillane tells them to
A attend courses to gain specialist skills.
B update regularly their written proof of what they can do.
C try out different ways of presenting themselves to others.
D remember that what they look like is the most important point.
18 Spillane says that, in order to rebrand yourself successfully, it is important to
A ask for other people's opinions about your image.
B feel confident about what you are trying to achieve.
C learn how to make use of all aspects of your character.
D model yourself on people with a certain amount of influence.
