Fantastic People and Where to Find Them.

OK, so perhaps we shouldn't be insinuating that our clients and candidates are beasts... but I gotta get the link in somewhere :)

I've been helping a few friends out recently on their new blogging ventures and whilst all 4 of them have been from different jobs and industries, there's been one key theme running through what everyone wants to talk about - why makes them fantastic (either as workers, as companies or as people in general). As humans, everyone's favourite topic is themselves but of course me sitting here talking about myself is of very little interest to you, otherwise you'd be following my WordPress blog, not my LinkedIn feed.

Instead, I'm going to help you improve your YOU pitch.

Help you master your fantastic.

Your YOU pitch is what makes you great. It's why people want to work with you, it's why people enjoy your company and essentially it's what you should know whenever you are EVER looking to change roles.

Interestingly, there are 4 corner stones that keep cropping up.

CORNER 1 - Create Trust

Are you trustworthy? Are you as reliable as you promise to be? Are you always honest, even in difficult situations?

If you can muster a "YES" to all of the above questions, you're doing a great job. A key trait that EVERYBODY looks for is trust in someone. Trustworthiness is the foundation of any successful relationship - business or personal. But you already knew that, right?! People speak about trust in a few different ways in business. They sometimes refer to it as credibility or reputation but essentially what they're saying is "you can trust me", "I have a history of other people trusting me, so you should too". Trust isn't built by you always telling someone what they want to hear, it's about telling them the truth and what they need to hear but in a way that still provides them with your support with their issues.

CORNER 2 - Show Personality

Everyone's busy, let's be frank. We're information rich and time poor. Based on that, people aren't going to make time for someone that has about as much charisma as lobotomised mute. With that comes the need for honesty again. If you don't like something, don't pretend to. If you have a weird obsession (obviously weird level dependant), don't be afraid to show your quirks. The more human you appear to potential employers/colleagues/managers/clients/candidates, the more people will be able to relate to you and start to build genuine connections with you. If I had a £ for every time someone screwed their face up when I mentioned my love for apples with peanut butter, I'd be rollin'. The fact is they always remember it and they always laugh!

CORNER 3 - Know Your USP

This is one of my favourites. It's your "what makes me different to every bugger else" point. It's your money shot.

If you don't know what your USP is, then we need to figure it out. We'll use a business example as this is the easiest to hammer home the message. If we lined you up against 4 other people who'd all had the same jobs, same commercial experience and were looking for the same 1 position why would you be the obvious choice? Would it be because you have a dogged determination to master anything you put your mind to, with clear indication of examples of you having done that in the past? Is it because you have more passion in your pinky for something and can show how you've gone above and beyond to prove it? The trick is to pick something you can prove time and time again with real life examples. Once you figure out your USP, this is gold. Protect it and be proud of it. In business, it is all too easy for someone to tell you that you're not quite good enough or don't have quite the right skills for something but EVERY TIME I speak to businesses they tell me the same thing.

PEOPLE COME FIRST. Personality, passion and drive beats everything. That's why every single one of us has a friend/acquaintance and we wonder how the hell they got that job when they had no prior experience. The easy answer is skills are learned, experience is gained but drive, ambition and passion is priceless. You can't teach someone to care unless they already do.

CORNER 4 - Be Kind

When someone is thinking about working with you, they're essentially weighing up what's in this new and blossoming relationship for them. This is where a lot of people fall down in their personal pitch. Too many people advertise that they are all for the common good, but when push comes to shove and they're asked to do something that doesn't directly benefit them in some way, our old friend Mr Short on Time rears his ugly head and says there's more important things to be doing.

You can be different.

Take it upon yourself to do something that in no way benefits you. This is the (not so) secret ingredient. It's why people do wonderful things for each other because someone somewhere once did something very kind for them and they want to pay it forward. Creating real relationships is about knowing how to build something mutually beneficial. If you're in a situation where you're pitching yourself to someone and creating those initial bonds, showing them that a relationship to you means more than a sale or a win is not why they will pick you, but why they will remember you and respect you.

So there you have it guys and girls. Your 4 step guide on how to make sure everyone knows how fantastic you to help you build those all important relationships.

1. Create Trust
2. Show Personality
3. Know Your USP
4. Be Kind

Ciao,

Charley