Professional attire can vary depending on what type of work you do. For instance, a consultant might wear a suit or sheath dress, while a freelance tattoo artist might prefer an outfit that shows off their tattoos and creativity. Similarly, appropriate hairstyles can vary. For instance, you might be more likely to get a job with a Fortune 500 company if you have a conservative hairstyle. On the other hand, a hair stylist or muralist may attract more attention with a bold cut or hair color.
This will make the person perceive you as confident and self-assured, even if you’re actually nervous. To get better at making eye contact, ask a friend to make sustained eye contact with you for 5-10 minutes. Repeat this exercise until you feel more comfortable staring into someone’s eyes.
You might say, “That’s a great question. Let me double check my numbers and I’ll have an answer for you within 24 hours. "
Include keywords on your resume so that the employer knows that you fit what they’re looking for. Whenever possible, use actual keywords from the job posting. Use strong verbs to describe what you accomplished at your past jobs.
For instance, let’s say you want to show that you’re innovative and great at collaboration. You might say, “The first website I designed was tricky because my client had built their original website. Since he was proud of his efforts, I wanted to keep what was working. For the first phase of the design, I worked closely with him so he still felt like the site belonged to him. Then, I created a unique format that won him a professional award. "
For instance, instead of saying that you’re creative, you could tell them about your special projects at your last job. Rather than saying you’re accountable, you could talk about how you typically turn in projects before the deadline and have never been late.
The interviewer will likely have a more positive view of your interview if they talked a lot. This is because people enjoy talking about themselves. For instance, you might ask, “What does your current supply chain look like?” “How do you attract clients right now?” or “What grants have you already pursued?”
You could say, “It sounds like maintaining your social media pages is a problem for you. I know how to create engaging content that will attract customers, so I can turn this problem into an asset. ”
You might say, “This is a stellar opportunity because I know your company is poised to double in size in the next 5 years. I’ve worked with 2 other startups, so I know I can help you recruit the talent you need. I’m available later this week if you want to talk more about what I can do for you. ”
What degrees do you hold? What classes and workshops have you taken? What type of career experience do you have? What kind of volunteer work have you done? What type of hobbies do you do? What tasks are easiest for you to complete?
For instance, let’s say that you do web design and enjoy promoting local businesses. You might decide that your niche is going to be building websites for small businesses. Similarly, let’s say that you’re an artist who wants to teach classes. If you enjoy working with children, you might offer intro to art classes to school children. Think about how your power branding words—the three or five words you’d like to be applied to your brand like “regal” or “innovative”—can make your niche seem more impactful or appealing. [13] X Expert Source Joui TurandotBranding Consultant Expert Interview. 4 June 2020.
You may not need a logo if you aren’t running your own business, so it’s okay to skip this step if you don’t think you’ll use a logo. Make sure your image is scalable, which means it can be sized up and down to fit on your promotional materials. You can use programs like Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape to create a digital file for your logo.
If you have a mission statement, a promotional catch-phrase, or a call-to-action that expresses your purpose for marketing, then include it on your marketing materials. For example, if you are marketing yourself for the dog therapy service you provide, you might include text like, “I can help Fido through his ruff times. " Include your logo on all of your promotional materials.
Stand in front of your mirror so you can practice gesturing during your pitch. Film yourself giving the pitch so you can evaluate your delivery. Practice your pitch for family and friends, and get their advice on how you can improve.
You can create a free website on sites like Wordpress or Weebly. However, it’s usually better to pay to reserve your own domain through a host like Wordpress or SquareSpace. Expect to pay between $100-250 annually to run your site. If you’re going to be selling items through your website, look for a host that will allow you to do that. For instance, SquareSpace makes it easy to sell your wares through their sites.
Start a Facebook business page or group to post updates, connect with clients, and show off your work. Use twitter to get yourself noticed and to build a digital network. Post on Instagram to promote your products and provide interesting content for potential clients.
Describe your professional accomplishments and how you helped your clients. Include keywords that are related to your goals. For example, if you are a graphic designer, you could use “build graphics,” “design websites,” or “create visual content. ” Make connections with prior clients, networking contacts, and former classmates. Ask your connections to endorse your particular skills to establish credibility. If you don’t feel comfortable asking people to endorse you, spend some time endorsing the skills of connections that you’d like to endorse you. Likely, they’ll return the favor. Upload a professional-looking photo of yourself.
Treat every person you meet as a potential networking contact. Hand out your business cards to everyone you meet.
When you get a new client, add them to your email list so that they’ll receive your promotional items.
Check out programs like Buffer, Hootsuite, and TweetDeck.
If you aren’t good at writing, volunteer to contribute your ideas and expert opinions to other people’s articles.
For instance, if you’re an artist, you might collaborate with 3 other artists to create a community mural. If you’re a music promoter, you could partner with local bands and vendors to put on a small festival.
For instance, let’s say you have a dog walking service. On your website, promote yourself with pictures of you walking dogs and playing with them. In person, get people talking about their dogs, then talk about the care you’d provide for their dogs. Don’t talk about how much you love dogs, why you started your business, or what you love about dog walking.