PIE a recipe for long-term career success

A graduate recently asked me what advice I could offer regarding long term career success and I shared with him what a senior leader once told me:

The key to success is PIE: Performance, Image, Exposure (in that order).

Performance alone might be enough in some organizations to progress to the higher levels, but having a great Image or personal brand and Exposure to the right people will increase your chances substantially.

Job Search Lesson 11 - work with a career coach or someone you can bounce ideas off

If there was one thing that helped me land a new job, it was engaging a career coach.

The particular gentleman that I worked with, who I'm going to call Gary, was able to provide technical advice in the following job search areas:

• self and career analysis, 
• job search techniques (e.g. gaining access to unadvertised roles),
• standing out from the crowd,

Job Search Lesson 10 – enthusiastic candidates are more likely to get jobs

As is likely obvious, searching for a job can be frustrating and/or tiring and/or depressing... and perhaps what is most frustrating, is that the more frustrated / tired / depressed you get, the lower your chances are of actually getting a job.

In response to this situation, I was going to write a post on ways to keep your spirits up and to show people that you’re enthusiastic about getting a job – especially as I have previously blogged about enthusiasm.

After a quick Google search however, I realized that it would be pointless for me to write another article on the subject, as I don’t think I could do a better job than than Priscilla Claman did in her article in the Harvard Business Review Blog Network: Don’t let your job search depress you.

So instead, I highly recommend that step away from my blog for a moment to read the article as it’s got some great lessons worth sharing.

Job Search Lesson 9 – develop a 30 second commercial / elevator pitch

When you’re conducting informational interviews or networking more broadly, it pays to have a "30 second commercial" / "elevator pitch" prepared. This will ensure that you make the right first impression in networking situations as well as ensuring that you have an excellent answer to the interview question “tell me about yourself”.

I’ve recorded my recommendations on what you should include in your elevator pitch below, as well as an example response. I recommend tailoring your 30 second commercial to your audience. For example, you might want to be more or less precise in “what you want to do next” depending on who you’re talking to. Perhaps even importantly however, is to keep your introduction succinct!