by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Jun 23, 2011 | Career Skills, Higher Education, life purpose, Site News
In any job search, and indeed, any business, an understanding of convergence will help you to contrast yourself from the “competition.” Potential employers or potential clients need to understand how you are different, but they will make decisions based on perceptions that you are a better fit for their needs, or a better value for their budget. To stand out, you need to explain your Unique Value Proposition, and start building your personal brand in alignment with it. This makes it clear where their needs converge with your own. This point of convergence is your potential point of agreement. I’d like to share the approaches I have taken, and open up a conversation about how to differentiate yourself from competitors.
When it came time to put some names to things, I began researching potential site names, to make sure that I could contrast myself against others trying to reach the same market. I followed the advice of several well-known bloggers and began by searching for preferred names and seeing which ones were already taken. Then I searched on terms that might mean something similar, but were not taken.
Then I combined related terms to come up with a new semantic term that did not have any results or competition. This is called working from the “long tail.” The idea is that by creating a convergent idea and a new term to go with it, you can stake out some digital claim to use of the new terms, and work to connect deeply with a smaller market. This was the case for “higher ed life coach” and “higher ed career coach” in July 2009, so I moved ahead on registration.
I had already eliminated many options because they were already taken, or seemed similar to names that already existed. I would have loved to use the words “college” or “student affairs” in my site names, but most of the good names were taken. I thought about other terms that might be appealing and settled on “higher ed.” This made sense because it was not well-worn digital ground, and because few people outside of the career field referred to the field as “higher ed,” instead using the terms “university administration” and “faculty” to describe working in the field. For all the great terms related to “college life,” they seemed to be locked up by admissions advisors, and people trying to sell lifestyle merchandise to college students. So, while it may have seemed boring to many, I chose titles that described my target audience and what I hoped to do.
I won’t claim to be the only person working in higher education that can provide solid career advice. I read other blogs, including Mama PhD, Eric Stoller’s Blog, Insider Higher Ed, Higher Ed Jobs, BreakDrink, On the Go with Ed Cabellon, and many others. I won’t claim to be the only life coach or career coach working with college students and higher ed professionals. There are many others out there doing the same things, and who have been doing so for many years.
I will say that I believe myself to be the first person with a national brand premise based on providing these types of services primarily for higher education audiences. I say this because I did the research for quite a while before betting my career on it. My brand premise and the promise that comes with it is unique, and in describing it in the way I did, publicly and as early as July 2009, I opened up a new niche in both the coaching industry and in higher education, by creating a new sector called higher ed coaching. I’ve been providing advice and coaching services under these brand names since 2009, and gaining ground. I won’t claim to have universal appeal, but readership has been climbing steadily, and my network has been growing. It’s clear that I am on to something.
So clear in fact, that I’ve been identified by some as a promising player in the coaching industry and in higher education, and by others in both fields as a threat to the status quo. I’ll explain more about that as it becomes necessary and appropriate, but for now I want to concentrate on the Unique Value Proposition of this site, its brand promise, and the services and programs that go with it. I’m not really concerned with what others are doing. There’s room on this stage for many players and I believe in improvisation and cooperation. I also believe in the unique nature of what it is I am trying to do, and in my motivations for doing them.
My name is Sean Cook and I am the original and only genuine Higher Ed Career Coach™. It is my personal coaching brand, and is supported by web properties and coaching programs and services that support my personal brand. I am solely responsible for the content of these sites, and not affiliated with any other corporation or individual coach or consultant, unless you read a specific disclosure indicating otherwise. Higher Ed Career Coach™ is my personal brand.
The Higher Ed Career Coach™ brand is…
- An Outsider brand, based in part on the idea that the higher education system and industry is broken and unable to adapt to the realities of the modern economy, political landscape, and the changing nature of learning and communication.
- A Convergent brand, based on the idea that fixing the problems of higher education will require adaptation, and that adaptation will only happen when those inside the broken ecosystem of education look outside their ivory towers and embrace open-system thinking, as well as new ways to construct and support learning and communication.
- An Intelligent brand, based on the belief that creating opportunities for understanding, reflection, research and debate are key to solving the problems of higher education.
- A Social brand, committed to the belief that intelligent networking and awareness of network resources will create opportunities for new knowledge and practice.
- Good-humored, Good-Natured and Personal, based on the value of relationships, and not measured by the value of business transactions conducted.
How would you describe the different core aspects of your personal brand? And what do you think about mine? Did I forget anything? What do you think I can do to reinforce the ideals above? Do you find them appealing?
by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Jul 5, 2010 | Coaching, Monday Morning Quarterback
The new identity mark, a mortarboard "C" will be used across all Cook Coaching & Consulting websites.
Today you will notice a fresh new design for Higher Ed Career Coach. The streamlined design incorporates my new brand logo, a stylized “C,” wearing a mortarboard, with a stylized ball court on the inside part of the letter. This is just one step in a larger redesign of all my sites, including Higher Ed Life Coach, SeanCook.Net and two others that I will be debuting later this year (Higher Ed Coach, which will be a directory and resource site for coaches and consultants who work with higher ed institutions, students, faculty, and professional staff.; and PuttingYourPurposeToWork.com, which will feature articles on how to live a more purposeful life and resources to help you do so, including some coaching programs and services for those ready to pursue more purpose-driven paths in their careers.)
The mortarboard “C” came about as the result of a 99designs contest I ran. This is a great site for anyone wanting logos, graphic design services, and corporate image packages, at a low price. To set up a contest, you write out a design brief describing what you want, decide on a prize, and then you run the contest, and designers submit ideas for your consideration. I received over 40 different designs (I think it was 56, but some designers withdrew their designs when it was clear they weren’t going to win.) The winning design was by Nelly Tonchev, a branding consultant from the Boston area. YOu can see more of her designs here.
The re-design and streamlining of my theme was done by my friend Michelle Panulla who works sometimes with her former roommate Beth Hayden of Blogging with Beth. They sang a duet at my wedding. (“Power of Two” by the Indigo Girls). They are working on similar integrations of my new brand elements on the other sites, as well as doing some back-end SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for me. I will likely be working with them soon to move over my mailing list from Constant Contact to another service.
I’ve also integrated a neat little toolbar from Wibiya that floats over the bottom of the page. This toolbar is customizable, but for now, I have it set up so you can search this site or the web via Google, see how many people are online here, join chats using tinychat, see my Twitter feed or go to yours, like items on Facebook, share them on Twitter, Facebook or other networks, and read site specific announcements and news.
This custom cartoon by DJ Coffman will be used for our new feature "Monday Morning Quarterback."
I’m also integrating some custom elements into the site, as well as regular features. Pittsburgh comic artist DJ Coffman recently drew a couple of great items for me. The first one is a sketch of a vaguely familiar-looking guy at a chalkboard, explaining plays the team could run. I’ll be running this art with a new regular feature each Monday, which I am calling “Monday Morning Quarterback.” Each Monday, we’ll start the week with some opinion and analysis about recent events, news or trends in higher education. Sometimes, I’ll be the one offering my thoughts, but I hope to give guest writers an opportunity to share their perspectives as well. If you are interested in writing a guest post and being a “Monday Morning Quarterback,” send me an e-mail at sean@higheredcareercoach.com.
by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Mar 25, 2010 | Career Skills, Job Search, The Placement Experience
Today was a good day.
It started simply enough. I had a scheduled call with a potential new client, and it went well. She was happy with our consultation and at the end booked her initial sessions (4 of them), and indicated a possibility that she might be looking for longer-term coaching.
Getting this new client topped off what was a pretty good week for me in general. During the ACPA conference, which I could not attend, I remained engaged and involved in the many conversations people were having, via Twitter. I found great ideas shared in people’s tweets. I joined some ongoing side banter about a #fakeacpa conference with all sorts of people from all over, many of which are also members of the weekly #sachat community sponsored by the Student Affairs Collaborative Blog.It was fun to stay engaged and be a part of all these conversations.
During my weekly small group coaching session on Sunday, one client at ACPA called in to say he was offered a campus interview at a school he is really interested in. I’d helped him prep for his phone interview before the conference, and it was nice to see him making the kind of progress he’s been working for and envisioning in our talks. I was able to connect with and encourage several candidates who I’ve connected with via Twitter as well.
When I left my secure job at Penn State last November, I took a great leap of faith into the unknown territory of starting my own business. I did it for a lot of different reasons and in my heart I have never felt like it was a mistake. But it was nice to see that after several months of hard work, and of putting myself out there, that the universe was finally coming around to meet me halfway, and maybe in some way, telling me to stay the course.
After lunch, I got the e-mails about my new client’s payment for her sessions, and another one I couldn’t have expected. Her sister was having a job interview today and wanted to get some coaching to be ready. She asked if I could meet via phone with her at 2 pm today. I called her but got her voicemail, so I sent her an encouraging e-mail, in hopes that she would at get it before her interview and at least know I had tried to reach her. She called back shortly thereafter, and we talked for about half an hour before her interview. She later wrote me an e-mail thanking me for the talk and idicating she would like to schedule another meeting about possibly working with me long-term.
All these varied events reaffirmed for me the value in taking leaps of faith, and trusting that when you follow your heart, trust yourself and work hard, that good things will happen. Reading over the e-mail I sent her, I thought how applicable it is in relation to my own situation, as well as those of the many student affairs job seekers who are smack in the middle of their own searches right now, and trying to evaluate possibilities and choose the right next steps in their lives and careers.
I’ve adapted the e-mail below, and hope it will provide some needed encouragement and inspiration to anyone contemplating not only life and career changes, but the leaps of faith required to bring them to life.
Dear Job Seeker:
It looks like you have great experience. If we don’t get a chance to talk 1-on-1, here are some quick thoughts for you….Faith in yourself and your abilities brought you this far in your job search. Whether you are graduating and looking for that first job, or looking to make a step up, down or sideways on the career ladder, in your heart you know there is a reason, and you know it is good. Your work is good and the fact you have so many great examples to show is a testament to that fact. You don’t need to convince yourself you are successful enough to get your next job. You clearly are.
With most employers, experience is not as important as motivation, talent, and fit. You have the first two for sure. You worked hard to get through grad school, or to succeed in your current or last job. When you committed to this search, you had faith in yourself and felt some possibilities would emerge if you trusted yourself enough.
So you made it this far in some processes, and it wasn’t an accident. You took the leap, and so did they. Something must be working, because they invited you to interview. This doesn’t happen usually out of a sense of charity. If you aren’t good, or your style and temperament aren’t a good match, you don’t get invited to the next step.
Well, you got invited. Go in with faith enough to be yourself and if it is meant to be, fate will open the next door. It may be in the way of offering you the job you really want, or it could be in their faith at giving you a shot, even if they go with someone else. Inviting someone to interview for a position is an act of faith. Taking an interview is another one. If your mutual faith is well-founded, it will survive past the interview, and the next door will open when it is time.
Until then, believe in yourself, be yourself, and go kick that interview’s a** three ways from Sunday. Good luck with your search!
by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Jan 20, 2010 | Job Search, Take 5
There’s a lot of talk in marketing about “branding,” but it’s also useful to look at your job search in a similar light. After all, you are selling your most important product: yourself. For your consideration, here are five articles that explore the concept of personal branding in the job search.
- Kristi Daeda, a Success Coach and Creator of the Career Adventure blog, has many good articles on her own blog, and I regularly read her articles and follow her on Twitter. She offers a great perspectives on how to get feedback from others about your personal brand in an article she wrote for another site, Brand Camp University. Personal branding: It’s not what you say.
- Brand-Yourself.com has a great 10-step Personal Branding Worksheet to help you define “your unique value proposition.”
- There’s a great article at BrazenCareerist.com by Ryan Stephens on why you should “Stay true to your personal brand” during your job search.
- The Personal Branding Blog is a top resource on the topic of personal branding. Spearheaded by Dan Schawbel, the Author of Me 2.0, it has many articles, interviews and tips to help you build you brand. It was hard picking an article to highlight because there are so many good ones, but I settled on “Brand yourself for the job you want in three years” by Katie Konrath.
- Career Rocketeer has a great article exploring the differences between making an effective presentation and effectively conveying your character before, during and after the interview.
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