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February 07, 2006
10 Seconds to Who You Are
Olegario "Ollie" D. Cantos VII, Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice kicked off the new eSight Networking Forum last week.
The discussion began with tips about how to "enroll" people we know in our job search.
But something unforeseen -- and fascinating -- happened. We found ourselves talking about "personal branding" as a prerequisite to enlisting the help of others.
Take a look at these snippets I pulled out of our conversation. They illustrate some of the milestones along the way each of us can use to measure how far we've come in developing our own personal brand.
Through personal branding, we:
- Discover what's unique about ourselves.
That's what Jake was emphasizing when he wrote, "No two people are exactly alike," on the eSight Networking Forum.
- Learn to advocate for what works well for us.
We can tell that blogger Carl, for instance, has clear expectations for advocacy situations when he recommended Florida's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation services. "…I have worked with them for four years and find their services exceptional," he said.
- Put our disabilities in perspective.
Last week, for instance, Ollie observed, "…We have nothing to be ashamed of simply because our visual acuity is less than those who are legally sighted…"
- Demonstrate our personal power.
Blogger Liz noted that, as a person with disability, you can reach a stage where you're "prepared, polite, and persistent -- as well as reluctant to pout (if, for instance, what you would like to see accomplished isn't getting done as fast as you think it should)."
- Take personal responsibility for what only we can do.
I suggested that there's maybe some homework that only we can complete "before we start enlisting friends and family in our search for a job that's right for us."
- Establish our presence in the community.
Surendra lives in India and recognizes people with disabilities worldwide face barriers in becoming full members of their local communities. He describes that challenge like this: "It's a struggle for identity in the society…"
I see personal branding as one tool those of us with disabilities can use to gain our "identity in society." Personal branding gives us permission to be ourselves, to be true to ourselves.
Remember, personal branding is a preparatory step for networking. A quick way to tell if we have done our personal branding "homework" is to revisit some of these six milestones our bloggers identified last week.
Another way to check if we have done our "prep" work for networking is to look at how we introduce ourselves to strangers in a setting and moment when repeating our 10-second Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is appropriate.
For more detail about developing your USP, see the eSight article, "Developing Your 10-second Unique Selling Proposition."
eSight is your network -- a safe place to try new things you may have not done before (like developing your 10-second USP).
So, please step up to your keyboard now and introduce yourself to your fellow eSight members. You're among friends and may receive some constructive feedback that will help you take the next step in building your career.
Here's my "trial" introduction (one I haven’t really used in real life yet):
"I'm Jim Hasse. I have a passion for learning how to live well with vulnerability. As a certified Career Development Facilitator, I coach people with disabilities who want to learn new skills in career development so they can find meaningful jobs."
Post your "trial" or much-used introduction.
Add your comments to this posting
Posted by Jim at February 7, 2006 04:52 PM
Comments
I am a person with who is legally blind but through my life experiences I have become insightful, reslient, compassionate, resourceful, honest, forthright, open, enthusiastic, positive.
Building bridges amongst people by sharing my experiences and resources through writing and publicly speaking is what I do best. An educator in the widest sense of the word. I am still learning, let's share our collective knowledge and experience and lives so we can make it a better world.
Posted by: Liz S at February 9, 2006 06:13 AM
Hi, I'm Vernon Humphrey (Vern) I am a 45 year old legally blind student. I spent 20 years in the Army and I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Currently I am a Masters student in Community Counseling. I have plans to achieve a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation before returning to the working world. I would like to counsel people with disabilities focusing on veterans. I feel there is a need to get the word out about re-integrating into society and overcoming mental obstacles and barriers.
Posted by: Vernon Humphrey at February 9, 2006 08:35 AM
Hi, my name is Jacob Joehl, or just Jake. I am 32 years of age and have LCA. I have only had light perception since birth. I would like to become some sort of IT consultant. I use a computer running Windows XP and JAWS 7, and my typing speed is approximately 45 words per minute with 100 percent accuracy. It seems that those of us who are blind and have other disabilities just are not being given a fair shake by our respective VR agencies, and I think this is something which desperately needs to change. I for one happen to be LD but I am very bright. There absolutely has got to be an answer out there. For one thing, it would be nice if the two blindness organizations in this country, the ACB and the NFB, would stop bickering and arguing with each other all the time over simple, common-sense, common-courtesy issues. VR agencies for the blind need to start embracing an all-inclusive philosophy, one which doesn't shun certain blind people who happen to have additional disabilities. Thanks for reading.
Posted by: Jake Joehl at February 9, 2006 02:53 PM
Hi, my name is Todd. I work as hard as anyone else in the working field, except I have a slipped disc in my back that's pinching my spinal cord. If given the opportunity for the right job, I know I would do the very best job that I could do!
Sincerely,
Todd Snell
Posted by: Todd at February 14, 2006 05:36 PM
Hi! I am first, a professional with a passion for helping others in an up-close and personal way! My skills include language arts, counseling and provision of excellent customer service, despite being blind. Add a touch of humor and that's who I am.
Posted by: Jo Taliaferro at April 2, 2006 09:00 AM