One of my pet peeves is when a client or student of mine talks about getting their degree from a particular university or college. This nomenclature is everywhere from professional bios to all forms of media. The last time I checked, schools were not giving out degrees to just anyone who walked across the stage at graduation. Degrees are earned with hard work, diligence, and years of effort.

I encourage you to re-arrange your mental furniture when it comes to earning verses getting in the professional world as well. You are in control of how people perceive you in the workplace or job search arena based on your professional behavior. Change your mindset and be clear about the accomplishments you have earned. Become the professional that can talk about your successes with humble confidence and inspire others with your ability to self promote in an appealing way.

This technique of telling your story will come in very handy at a job interview or performance evaluation and it can be extremely helpful when you are making a proposal or enticing a new client to utilize your services. After all, you want to hear about how a business is successful before you buy their product or hire their services.

As customers, we expect references, referrals and professional bragging about relevant successes before we buy-in to a pitch or a sale. We can learn the same lessons as individuals in the job search arena or as experienced professionals looking to move up in an organization. It’s time to own your accomplishments and help others understand how you achieved your successes. Telling these authentic stories helps others see your transferable skills and competencies and gives you credibility in the world-of-work.

Take credit for what you have earned and project your humble confidence. You work very hard to accomplish great things, so own these accolades!

It’s not enough to just do your job well anymore.  Professionals need to distinguish themselves in the workplace in order to earn promotions and recognition within an organization. Entrepreneurs have to take control of their own career advocacy to be noticed and stay competitive in the marketplace.  The art of self promotion is a necessity but walking the line between humble confidence and inflated ego can be difficult.

Here are some strategies to help you get more recognition on the job:

1) Be a Social Butterfly - Don’t just work in isolation. You need to socialize with people, have emotional intelligence, and social awareness in your organization. Your visibility at work is just as important as your competency. Your positive attitude will take you places and colleagues at all levels of the organization should be aware of what you are accomplishing for the company.

2) Understand Company Culture - It is very important that you understand the culture of your organization. It’s all about how you fit in and assimilate into that environment. You don’t need to change who you are but it is about molding yourself and identifying the potential to grow your career. Company culture ranges from wardrobe style and quitting time at the end of a work day to going above and beyond for a special project. Adapting to your firm’s culture will empower you to be recognized as a team player.

3) Develop an Expertise - In addition to having a broad span of transferable skills, develop a niche skill that is unique in the company and you will quickly become the go-to person for this much needed proficiency.

4) Embrace Your Humble Confidence - Nobody likes an egotistical bragger but if you can learn to talk about the accomplishments you earned with humble confidence you will quickly become an asset to your organization. It’s necessary to be able to talk about what you do well in performance reviews so keep a record of what you have accomplished during a given time period and be ready to discuss this if your boss asks what you are doing, at any time.

4) Be a Team Player - You can rarely accomplish anything solo in an organization. Being a team player not only provides you a holistic picture about the task but also helps you broaden your skill set. Team work is an opportunity to be connected to people from other groups and divisions in your organization. This enhances your chances to move up in your company and increases your visibility throughout the organization.

5) Network, Seek Feedback, and Have Mentors – Build your personal Board of Directors at work and seek feedback and constructive criticism regularly. Don’t wait for a performance review to ask for pointers; be pro-active and seek out mentors within and beyond your organization.

6) Make an Impact - The impact can be on the company’s bottom line or significant work you do in the community. Be an influencer; give back or pay-it-forward to ramp up your visibility at work.

You are in the driver’s seat when it comes to your career self promotion. Learning to be your own best advocate will help you achieve your goals within an organization and beyond. It takes practice and a conscious mindset, but the art of self promotion is doable for all.

Always an athlete, Debbie Waitkus played on the soccer team at the University of Arizona and after graduate school she went on to establish a thriving corporate career as president of a 37 year old, $130 million private mortgage banking firm.  She always attributed golf as one of her keys to success since she would take her clients on golf outings to establish and steward professional relationships and business deals. When the CEO of her firm implemented a new strategy that didn’t follow suit with her professional values, Debbie knew it was time for a change and what better way to plan her reinvention than to leverage the game of golf in a new business. Read Full Story

I had the great pleasure of hearing Kathleen Oliver, COO of Oliver Winery speak at a professional development workshop recently. In her position at the winery, Kathleen manages the retail operation of the business, oversees the activities of the tasting room, special events, and human resources so she communicates with a very large staff daily.

Kathleen offered these five tips for effective communication that I believe are universal to us all.

1. Get to the point.

Communicating your point effectively and efficiently is essential in a professional setting. In a business where time is money, getting to the point can make or break a deal. Be sure to stay on track and avoid tangents and rambling. Stay focused, and relay your message with clarity and confidence.

2. Get to know others.

With a large staff it’s easy to lose faces in the crowd and not address people by name. Make a point to get to know people within your department and beyond in your organization. Try and address people personally and learn about others so you can have meaningful interactions. Develop a system to remember names. Kathleen uses photos of her employees on a bulletin board in her office so she can call each of them by name.

3. Get along.

Follow the Golden Rule and treat others as you wish to be treated. It’s that simple and applies to everybody at all levels within an organization.

4. Get off the computer and get on the phone.

In this technology driven era it’s easy to rely on email as the only way to communicate. Especially in a client driven business, pick up the phone and make a personal connection. You may remember the old AT&T slogan “Reach out and touch someone.” It’s important to make that call when you can and whenever possible, an in-person meeting is best.

5. Get out of the office.

Be involved in your community and become an ambassador for your organization. Kathleen encourages her staff to volunteer and build their personal and professional relationships beyond the workplace. It’s good for the individuals and ultimately, it’s good for the company.

According to Keith Ferrazzi, a networking expert and author of: Never Eat Alone, you should build your resource team before you need it. Nothing is worse than the image of the unemployed individual desperately taking business cards at a professional conference in order to find a job. The reality is that you should start connecting with people and building your community long before you need anything.

We know that networking is not just about finding a job but building your circle of friends, mentors, and colleagues as part of your personal Board of Directors. If you are in a job now or developing a business you should be thinking ahead about the ways you want to move forward and how the people on your resource team might play a role.  Building trusting relationships takes time and earning the opportunity to ask your network for support is not instantaneous, or a given.

Former President, Bill Clinton was famous for keeping index cards with notes about each new person he met daily. His forward thinking attitude helped him build a strong network even while in college as he planned for his future political career. Known for his ability to connect with people and form a personal bond, Clinton utilized his index card system to recall important facts about people he met.

I encourage my students and clients to write notes on the back of business cards they acquire to remember specifics about people. This can be especially helpful after an interview when you are composing a thank you note.  And when it comes to stewarding your network, you should write thank you notes and follow-up with phone calls intermittently to show your sincere appreciation, even when you are not seeking their assistance.

As an experiment, start logging the new people you meet each day and jot down a few notes about them on an index card, à la Bill Clinton. At the end of the week reflect upon the number of new contacts you have made and take stock of these new members of your community. From the UPS delivery person to the new client at work, this is how you grow your network one person at a time.

Kari DiFabio had tears of joy in her eyes when she earned her Elementary Education degree and couldn’t wait to get started on her career as a teacher.  After teaching multiple grades in Arizona and Nevada she had a revelation that launched her personal career change. “Sitting in the teacher’s lounge one day, my life flashed before my eyes and I saw myself 20 years down the road, unhappy and bitter if I stayed in this career.”  Following her intuition, Kari quit teaching, moved to California and lived with her grandmother while she figured out what to do next. Read Full Story

A transferable skill that tops the list of competencies employers value most is the ability to handle change. While change is an essential element in life and career, most instinctively resist it. The ability to handle change requires ongoing attention and perseverance. In the career arena, learning to deal with change can be used to your best advantage.

Keeping an open mind when change is imminent in your place of work will help the powers that be know that you are a true team player. When you look to grow rather than focus on the possible negatives of change, the process becomes easier. If you adopt a negative attitude about change then your energy is wasted on this behavior and your productivity decreases as well as your professional cache within the organization.

If you are in a position of authority in your organization or pursuing an entrepreneurial venture, be sure to motivate your team and help them through the growing pains of change. By rewarding success, you will create internal champions from among those who are higher risk takers and more aware of the value of new outcomes. Be enthusiastic and persistent with your team to help them re-boot the negative hard wiring that is often the first response to change.

I know that sometimes change comes unmercifully with lay-offs and downsizing. I encourage you to let your feeling out and experience the full gamut of emotions since it’s a vital part of catharsis and moving on. When you resist your emotions you simply make them stronger. I have established a 24 hour pout period when I allow myself to rant and rave in the privacy of my own home about a disappointment – then I move on and focus on what I do have control over.

I have seen many people make lemonade out of the career lemons they have been dealt in this tumultuous economy. Believe in yourself and know that life is what you make it because change is constant.

In order to build my brand and a foundation for my book, I have been working with a terrific Publicist, Stacey J. Miller, and our goal is to get my by-lined career articles picked up by the major national media sources. I’m thrilled to report that I was accepted to be a regular contributor for the Huffington Post online. Every month, I submit a new career column with original content. My March and April postings are on Huff Post now and you can access them easily by entering my name into the search engine on the site.

Serendipity played a very positive role in my life when I learned that Arianna Huffington, the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Huffington Post was scheduled to speak at the O’Bannon Institute for Community in my home town.  I attended her talk last week and sat amongst hundreds in a packed house of enthusiastic fans.

Arianna left an amazing impression on me and shared several lessons that I believe are relevant to the career & professional development arena. She encouraged us to embrace education and never stop learning at any age. She spoke of the importance of our leaders in business, politics, and community to have good judgment. Arianna emphasized how we each have the power to turn off the negativity in our own lives. She spoke of this particular challenge for women who often feel they are not good enough, smart enough, or prepared enough for a particular quest. With humor, she talked about disregarding “The obnoxious roommate living in my head.” that often feeds her self-doubt and encouraged us all to embrace our humility, fearlessness, and above all – confidence.

A woman that has experienced many career changes, Arianna has reinvented herself personally, professionally, and politically more than once. She urged us to be good to our bodies and get the proper rest and relaxation we need to run at full capacity. Last year, she fainted from exhaustion and fell on her desk resulting in multiple stitches above her eye. This accident was a wake-up call and now she is on a mission to urge others to embrace the healing power of sleep.

Arianna believes in the power of citizen journalists and currently there are 250 official bloggers with distinctive content reporting on the Huffington Post. I am honored to be among them. With a reported 24+ million unique visitors each month to Huff Post, it’s clear to see that Arianna is thriving in her career reinvention.

Q:  I am applying for a new position and they have asked for references. I have several people who support me in my career endeavors as standard references. Is it ok to use them for this new position?

A:  If an organization asks for references you better believe that they will call them. The standard is 3 references that can speak to your professional abilities and conduct. It is imperative that you ask your references for permission to use them as such every time you apply for a new position. Not only because this is the professional right thing to do, but because when you re-connect with your references you can give them a copy of your current resume and tell them why you are interested in and qualified for this new opportunity.

I like to think of it as empowering your references to speak well on your behalf. There is nothing worse than being called for a reference check and having no clue about the person or the position they are seeking. That has happened to me a time or two and it made for a very awkward conversation with the employer.

You also want to make sure that you have accurate contact information for your references. If they call or email someone you list and the information is not accurate then it reflects very poorly on you. Take the time to connect with your references and it will make for a stronger recommendation in the long run.

Many people look for new careers because they are unsatisfied with their jobs, not in touch with their passion, or completely burnt out. Rebecca Carlson was very happy with her career as an Art & Creative Director in the advertising world. She was playing to her strengths but feeling extremely run down, depressed and often unable to get out of bed which was unusual for this active, athletic and vibrant woman. Following a trip to Jamaica, her symptoms rapidly progressed to the point where she lost the feeling in her legs and found it difficult to grasp a pencil with her hand. She decided it was time to visit her doctor to see what was wrong – thinking she had pinched a nerve or something of that nature. After weeks of medical testing, countless MRIs, and two spinal taps, her doctors revealed the heartbreaking diagnosis… Multiple Sclerosis. Read Full Story