One-Upper Penelope

Are you an SNL-Fan?

Have you seen “One-Upper Penelope“?  This is the skit where Penelope, played by Kristin Wiig jumps in on everyone else’s conversations and one-ups them.  She’s a better “listener”, a bigger “nut”, and “has a condo on Jupiter”.  She is a jack of all trades.

Unless your job calls for one, DO NOT BE A  JACK OF ALL TRADES.

Define what it is you are good at, what you enjoy, and what you hope to offer your next employer.  Then refine it and brand it.

Ask yourself, what did the reader retain after looking at your resume?  Is she confused, or will he list off a slew of descriptors covering the entire spectrum.  Though you may be good at a lot of things, find the few you are really good at and brand yourself as such.

How do you know if you’ve achieved this brand?  Ask a colleague who does not know you well and ask her to read your brand statement.  Then ask her to say it back to you in her own words.  Is there a focused brand to what she just recited?

STEP THREE: IDENTIFY YOUR BRAND.