Various surveys and studies show that Americans switch jobs between 10 and 15 times through their career(s). Joe Torre is an exception to this, as the majority of his professional path has been with the highly successful New York Yankees baseball franchise as head coach. In the light of an uncharacteristic season of poor performance, Torre is now in the final steps of finalizing a three year contact with the New York Dodgers. Talk about a sticky situation in terms of flipping sides.

Personally, I like change in professional sports and this move by Torre will be fun to watch when the new baseball season commences. I’m not sure however, that Yankees fans share my point of view. By the way, if you’re an NY local, I’d love to hear your take on this whole situation.

Now, back to that statistic I had mentioned previously. If you’re like me, you’ve switched jobs a few times already and know the pressures that ensue in these types of situations. The circumstances can further be pumped up if the switch is from one company to a competitor. There’s hardly anything wrong with this, but soon-to-be-former coworkers might feel betrayed. Follow these key points to gracefully switch jobs without the drama.

- Do not exalt your new position. Bragging shows disrespect and is just plain sloppy. It’s perfectly acceptable to be excited…on the inside.

- Be thankful for the opportunity to have worked at your soon-to-be former workplace. Gratitude is appreciated by everyone, and employers are no exception. Serve up the proper respect and never burn bridges. This is natural for true professionals.

- Give it 100% through the last day. Excitement about moving on to a new position is not a reason to slack at a current job. Continue on through your last two weeks as you normally would and hold up your responsibilities

- Clean our your work area, thoroughly. Make a clean break by not leaving remnants of your former self. Honestly, as much as people might love you, they won’t love what you leave behind.

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Effective marketing is based largely upon strong brand recognition. A service, product, etc. must make the potential customer aware of its benefits in a pleasant manner, in order to become enlisted for use. The same things can be said for a professional in the job market.

Let’s make a few notes about Countrywide Financial, and see how these qualities would pan out for someone in the workforce. Shall we? Yes, let’s do just that.

• Tarnished and rapidly dwindling reputation
• Financial hardship
• Incessant self-promotion
• Annoying representation
• Poor explanation of offerings

All of the above are true in the public’s opinion, and I believe we can learn valuable lessons from these 5 points. As I mentioned earlier, it would be wise to analyze how Countrywide would fair as another body in the workforce. Without further adieu…

When reputation is damaged and down, it’s critical that it be restored as much as possible and in swift fashion. Countrywide continues to make little effort in the area of damage control and would have a heck of a time trying to get re-hired after clearly accepting being fired, tarred, and feathered. This of course, has a direct impact on income. No paycheck means no money in reserves and well, no-one wants to be there very long.

Let’s say, for the sake of this contrast, they got their act together and managed to pull a few strings for an interview with a respectable business. Countrywide has a week until the appointment but continues to call 50-100 times a day, sometimes one after another, and consistently repeating the same lines about how great they are. Can you imagine how annoying that would be?

Many of us don’t need to imagine because we already have to deal with the constant t.v. spots with a severely annoying yes-man telling us about zero this, zero that, zero THIS, ZERO THAT…but no real substance as to why they’re supposedly the best thing since sliced bread. In the end, Countrywide gets fired before they’re hired.

Now, I assume you do not want to be fired before you’re hired. So, take some time to reflect on marketing you find to be ineffective and annoying. Mull them over in your mind and determine what exactly about the turns you off. I guarantee those points can be related to the workplace and will provide great insight into how to properly brand one’s self in the public workplace.
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Update: The Motley Fool feels the same way I do…

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“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

Although I can’t back that quote 100%… it does hold some truth. Personally, I’ve found many of my professional successes to come from showcasing my skills and willingness to learn, to other leaders. When you have a polished determination, and talk with top dogs in your industry, you’re setting up a potentially very beneficial situation. Sonnie at Sonnie’s Porch touches on this subject of the power of people, in the post “opportunities for networking.”

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Earlier this week, Falcons’ quarterback Michael Vick was indicted in regards to a dog fighting probe. This not the first time the young athlete has recently gained negative press attention. After a flight security check a few months back, he was under investigation for possessing a water bottle with a false bottom containing marijuana residue. We can all take notes from Vick’s actions and the repercussions that fired back against him.

Think about the standing Michael Vick has in society; think about how much higher the pedestal he is put on due to the fact that he is a talented athlete (albeit, apparently a dumb criminal too). If a man of such stature in our country is getting in serious trouble with the law, imagine the even smaller little-to-no chance you and I would stand to get a break or such drug related and cruelty to animal charges. Yeah, we’d be in a world of hurt for a long, long time.

Our behavior inside, and almost more importantly outside the workplace directly determines how others view us. If a boss observes an employee hazing others, talking with a dirty mouth, etc., this instantly tarnishes that worker’s reputation permanently and moves them closer to being fired, not towards promotion. As professionals, what we do and say will make or break our careers, so choose wisely and keep in mind the fine line between rising to the top of one’s field and becoming the next Michael Vick.

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Millions of people make the following mistakes when seeking employment. Avoid these major errors by whipping your demeanor and resume into shape

7. Bad resume layout, grammar -  This has to be the #1 applicant killer! Your resume is your key to an interview. It should be concise and to the point, in addition to extremely well written.

1. Incorrectly submitting your application - If you find a position you’d like to apply to, make sure that you are following all instructions set forth by the company. Organizations don’t have time to correct your mistakes and if they can’t trust you with your application, they’re not going to trust you with an actual job.

2. Leaving relationships untapped - Take full advantage of you who you know! If a friend or acquaintance has connections that will help you, ask them. The only risk in life is not taking one.

3. Titling your resume poorly - Let the world know who you are and what make you a valuable employee - but execute this in an intelligent fashion.

4. Applying for positions you will not get - Don’t waste time trying for jobs you just wont get based on qualifications.

5. Going into the interview unprepared - Practice interviewing and make note of potential question along with how you’ll answer them. Most importantly, have fun with it and be natural.

6. Being a jerk - Polish up on those manners and present yourself as a clean-cut smile. Your appearance conveys your attitude, so look how your want to be perceived.

8. Letting your marketable skills depreciate - Staying up to date in your profession is a key to impressing potential employers. If you don’t know what’s going on the industry, you’re much less likely to be hired.

9. Misinterpreting must-haves and preferrables - If you have all the “preferable” requirements but none of the “must-haves”, reconsider.

10. Not deciding what you want - You’ll easily land yourself in the wrong job unless you’re very aware of what and who you want to be around. Pay special attention to this for the long run.

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