I’m a bit late to the party, finally getting around to reading Never Eat Alone, the consummate book on networking by Keith Ferrazzi. Lots of valuable information here – especially pertaining to long-term career management and the value of relationship-building.

I came across a concise summation of the value of branding:

“Good personal brands do three highly significant things for your network of contacts: They provide a credible, distinctive, and trustworthy entity. They project a compelling message. They attract more and more people to you and your cause, as you’ll stand out in an increasingly cluttered world.”

In a nutshell, there’s your rationale for clarifying and communicating your brand in your resume and other career marketing messages. Too many people try to create a resume with all the “right” information when instead it should contain “your” information. What makes you unique and distinctive? Shout it out!

Even though 3 inches of new snow are covering my world, it still feels like spring. Birds are chirping, the sun feels warm, and psychologically I am uplifted by knowing that another winter is all but over. As a result, I’m humming as I sweep snow off the steps and grinning at the sales clerk as I try on new golf shoes.

Which brings me to my point: How you feel about the economy, your career prospects, your financial future, and your job search has a huge impact on how you behave and the image you project to others. If you’re secretly convinced that things are hopeless – that you might as well hang up the interview suit and spend the day in your bathrobe – it will be hard to hide that feeling.  And while you can’t force yourself to change your feelings, you can think positive thoughts, read positive facts and stories, and spend time with positive people to counteract the downweight of negativity.

So in the interests of lifting your spirits, here are a few positive thoughts and facts:

• Just this week I’ve had three calls for interview coaching, as my clients (all senior executives) are landing interviews.
• People are finding creative, low-cost ways to get what they need and enjoy themselves. What kinds of opportunities might this present to you?
• Federal stimulus money will breathe life into construction, green energy, financial services, and other industries.
• I wrote a resume for my brother in response to a specific job opening. He emailed it and had a phone call within an hour, an interview later that day, and a job offer four days later.

Look for signs of life, and you’ll find them even beneath the snow.