Product Description

Praise for Career Distinction

"Hands down, this book is the bible on branding for your career!"
–– Susan Britton Whitcomb, author of Job Search Magic

"As a professional resume writer and career coach, I have extolled the concept of personal branding for my clients for years. Now, for the first time ever, I have an outstanding resource to recommend––Career Distinction by William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson. This book details the concept of personal branding in a magnificent and easy–to–digest presentation that is a must–buy for every serious job seeker."
–– Wendy S. Enelow, CCM, MRW, JCTC, CPRW Executive Director of the Career Masters Institute

"Arruda and Dixson are widely respected in the global career coaching community as gurus who not only teach but live the personal branding model, and their expertise and passion show through on every page of this practical, indispensable book. I highly recommend it to all who want to distinguish themselves from the competition."
–– L. Michelle Tullier, PhD, Vice President of Right Management and author of The Unofficial Guide to Landing a Job

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #64977 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From the Inside Flap

As a professional, your reputation is your most valuable career asset. Whether you′re climbing the ladder at your current company or seeking a new job, in today′s fast–paced work environment, you must proactively and continuously position yourself for success. Your credibility, visibility, personality, and personal style all make up your brand. Build and nurture your personal brand and you′ll make yourself a must–have, can′t–fail professional—and you′ll do it without having to be someone you′re not.

Career Distinction outlines the proven personal branding process and provides case studies of successful professionals that will help you not only survive, but thrive, in today′s dynamic and ultracompetitive workplace. You′ll learn to manage your brand with innovative tools that enable you to differentiate yourself and stand out from your peers.

In this definitive step–by–step guide, career and personal brand management experts Arruda and Dixson show you how to:

• Brand yourself for career success

• Determine how others perceive you

• Develop your unique value proposition

• Define your target audience

• Tell your brand story

• Express yourself clearly and consistently

• Build and manage your online identity

• Stay on–message and on–brand every day

• Increase your "career karma"

The increasing pace of change in the business world gives you less time than ever to make your professional mark. Career Distinction demonstrates how to express who you are and the value you bring to your organization—branding you as an indispensable, memorable, and unique professional. Success takes more than just hard work; brand yourself and watch your career soar.

From the Back Cover

Praise for Career Distinction

"Hands down, this book is the bible on branding for your career!"
— Susan Britton Whitcomb, author of Job Search Magic

"As a professional resume writer and career coach, I have extolled the concept of personal branding for my clients for years. Now, for the first time ever, I have an outstanding resource to recommend—Career Distinction by William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson. This book details the concept of personal branding in a magnificent and easy–to–digest presentation that is a must–buy for every serious job seeker."
— Wendy S. Enelow, CCM, MRW, JCTC, CPRW Executive Director of the Career Masters Institute

"Arruda and Dixson are widely respected in the global career coaching community as gurus who not only teach but live the personal branding model, and their expertise and passion show through on every page of this practical, indispensable book. I highly recommend it to all who want to distinguish themselves from the competition."
— L. Michelle Tullier, PhD, Vice President of Right Management and author of The Unofficial Guide to Landing a Job

About the Author
William Arruda—dubbed the "Personal Branding Guru" by media and clients alike—combined his international branding expertise with his passion for people to found Reach, the world′s first human branding consultancy. A sought–after global spokesperson on personal branding, he counts many of the Fortune 100 companies as clients. He has appeared on the BBC, Discovery Channel, Fox News Live, and in Time magazine.

Kirsten Dixson is a career management consultant who is an authority on building credible online identities for career success. She founded Brandego® and is a partner in Reach, where she established an online identity training program for personal brand strategists. She delivers keynote speeches and serves as a media resource on career technology topics.

Customer Reviews

Build your personal brand for career distinction
Yet another book on personal branding you might exclaim. But before you dismiss it, take note especially if you are an individual in an organisation looking to progress your career.

Personal branding is definitely the hot topic of the moment with everyone from coaches to image consultants, from web designers to bloggers talking about how to build your personal brand.

As someone who guides leaders in professional services firms about building their corporate brand, their employer brand and their personal leadership brand to expand their professional and personal success, I would be selective on the books I recommend people read on the subject of personal branding.

So why would I recommend reading "Career Distinction" and what makes "Career Distinction" stand out from the crowd of other personal branding books?

Well firstly it is written by William Arruda who has demonstrated expertise in the field of personal branding over the last 6 years. Not only does he understand marketing having worked as a brand manager he also understands what it takes to manage your career successfully in a corporation.

Through his company, Arruda has trained hundreds of people in corporate America and across the globe about how to build your personal brand.

Secondly this book is aimed at people who are looking to progress their career - if you are a leader of your own business or entrepreneur you will find the book lacking in substance around marketing and business development strategies.

Thirdly, rather than just providing information about the what and the why of personal branding, Arruda, makes it possible for you to work on nurturing your own personal brand as you can access the "Career Distinction" free workbook with exercises to work through.

Having spent almost 20 years in executive positions across the globe, what I was particularly struck by was one very important message in the book.

I have appointed (and dismissed!) many business leaders over my time in my corporate career, but few recognised the key message in "Career Distinction". Progressing in your career is not a start and stop approach - many people update their resume/CV and start networking when they are looking for a new job.

Instead, Arruda talks about considering your career management plan as something you work on continuously.

Co-author Kirsten Dixson brings to the table her experience of helping people build their personal brand online and I was delighted to see the subject of business blogging versus static web profiles to build your personal brand online being covered. However if you do want to build your personal brand online with a business blog or personal blog I would recommend that you also read books such as "Go Blog Wild" by Andy Wibbels which will provide specific guidance on blogging.

In summary, "Career Distinction" is a distinctive book about personal branding if you are looking to progress your career. I would recommend it for people in early career or middle management - there are some other elements I would want to see covered before recommending it to executives.

It would also make a great college graduation gift to help young graduates discover how to nurture their career right from the start.

The personal branding book for career management
Its 10 years ago this summer that Tom Peters first coined the phrase - personal branding' in his Fast Company article the Brand Called You -and its been a long time coming - a book that finally takes you through a proven process.

Personal branding is fast becoming THE tool to manage your career, assist your job search or help you grow your small business - this book addresses the first two groups very well, but for the entrepreneur there is a lot of content that is not so relevant or requires adaptation.

Arruda has spent a number of years building this process in to an accepted global standard through his own company and certified personal brand strategists around the world (many of whom are listed in the back of the book). Dixson adds to the richness of the book by incorporating her on line brand experience to cover the increasingly important area of existing on the web.

This is certainly the most up to date and comprehensive personal branding books out there currently, that address' how to recognise, define and build your personal brand for career and/or job search success.

The book also comes with a downloadable workbook with extra exercises and access to the highly popular 360 personal brand assessment - an invaluable opportunity to gather others perceptions of your brand (although be warned you need to be quick to get results back and printed in the 15 days you have access).

All in all a well written and constructed guide for the savvy, self driven professional who is looking to have greater control over their career or looking for some actions that will make them stand out in the job market.

The career management strategy for the 21st Century
This book is a great guide to the Reach Personal Branding process of which, I have to admit, I am a real fan. I first came across it at a conference in the States and was a bit sceptical but curious. I signed up to learn how to use the process and am now totally hooked. Having worked in the careers field in the UK for over 25 years (helping individual clients, teaching careers courses and publishing careers materials myself) I have to say that the Reach Personal Branding process is the best, new approach to career planning and management that I have come across in years. Why? Because it gives you a tried and tested recipe to follow to identify and find careers which will be truly meaningful for you (and will resonate with you at a deep personal level). It also shows you how to focus on the right audience for you and your talents and how to develop and manage your brand, brand identity and brand environment (paying particular attention to your all important, online identity). It's a process which works equally well for job hunters, job changers and self employed or small business owners. It is definitely the career management strategy for the 21st Century. This book could seriously change the way you think about careers in general and your career in particular. I strongly recommend it.

Jackie Hartley - Highflyers Publishing Ltd