Building Traction (part 2) by Jake Long

If you have ever watched a full-court press during a basketball game, one thing you will notice: the process is on point. 

Each defender is matched up with an offensive player for the full court. The defender moves in motion as the ball is passed to the next offensive player. In order for the full-court press to effectively work, each defensive player has to be in sync with the other teammates. 

Personal branding has a lot of similarities. Whether you are using Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, all the pieces must conjure a harmonious message theme being in lockstep with each other. 

✒️Claire M. Davis 🖋️ , who runs Traction Resume, believes having a great resume is a must-have but having a great personal branding presence is like having a 'full-court press' on the court. 

"For the sake of the medical sales industry, let's consider branding a 'whole office call,'" Davis reflected. "Say you're selling a genomic blood test for breast cancer and its ordered by the surgeon in the OR. it's not enough to win over the physician in the cafeteria. You must win over the entire OR, nursing, pathology, and management to boot."

Davis, who spent 6 years working in the medical industry in various capacities, further explained that many factors have to come together to win over a new deal. To compare with personal branding, all of the steps have to be in full place to be fully effective, much like the 'whole office call' example she provided. 

"In this way, the resume is just a piece of the puzzle in the full-court press of career advancement," Davis said. "There are many opportunities to build rapport with your brand by staying compelling, concise, and relevant on all levels."

That includes the full scope of cover letters, brag books, testimonials, CVS, social and Linkedin profiles, online portfolios, thank you notes, e-mails and references. 

"Today's sales leaders should also know that every single candidate is looked up online before hire," Davis noted. "That means their FB Profiles should pass the would-your-grandmother-blush-at-this test and their Linkedin Profiles should be optimized, or at least complete."

By Jake Long