Personal Brand Interview: Career-transition Expert Billie Sucher

Do you wish you had that outstanding resume that spoke to your prospective employers?  Do you find it hard to write a cover letter?  Ever wish you could make that career change you always dreamed about?  Well look no further!   Billie Sucher is a nationally-known career transition expert, outplacement consultant, professional résumé writer, and prolific blogger for Career Hub and is here to help you with all of these issues.  For over two decades, she has provided professional career management services to organizations and individuals (entry-level to executive-level) throughout the country.  Here is a sampling of what we discussed.

Describe your personal brand in a few sentences.

Invested in your career success!

Describe what you do and what kind of clients you usually work with.

• Career Consulting, Counseling & Coaching

• Professional & Executive Résumé Writing

• Company-sponsored Outplacement & Career Transition Programs (Group/Individual)

• Personal Branding for Competitive Advantage

• Interview Coaching to Win the Offer

• Public Speaking & Seminars on Career Topics

How did you get into personal branding and life coaching?

I made an intentional decision to resign my job as Director of Marketing and Advertising for an international medical electronic manufacturing services. While I had a ‘great job’, I simply didn’t like the way my career ‘river’ was flowing. I wanted and needed to get back to me!  Back in the early 80’s, the career management industry was pretty much unheard of (at least in my geographical area), so I spent quite a bit of time fooling around trying to figure me out.

Ultimately, you just have to trust yourself and rely upon your own good judgment to make the ‘final’ decision, regardless of all the good, bad, well-intentioned, or misguided advice you may get from people.  Being in this industry is as natural as breathing for me…each and every day, I am so truly grateful and happy that I get to do something I love so very much, weaving my passion for psychology, writing and business into a profession of serving others across America.

What are some common mistakes people make on their resume?

• Lack of focus

• Lack of organization, clarity and brevity

• Lack of branded message that is targeted and relevant to employer needs

• Lack of an error-free presentation

• Lack of endorsements for credibility purposes

• Lack of originality and creativity in telling a good story with strong, interesting words

• Lack of commitment to the ‘hard-thinking’ process that it takes to do the self-assessment component – a prerequisite to resume writing

• Lack of understanding on how to help the hiring manager / recruiter / decision-maker’s life less complicated, not more complicated, through your resume presentation

Writing cover letters is a pain.  Why is it so important to include one?  Does it really make a difference when you apply for a job?

Some people (employers) read cover letters; others don’t. If you are interested enough to apply for the job, then craft a cover letter of brevity that provides direct evidence as to why you are a good fit with the employer’s needs. Instead of thinking “oh, this cover letter is such a pain in the butt,” imagine how a few brief, well-crafted lines might land you an interview. It’s all about your perspective as a job seeker and how you choose to express your personal brand.

To me, a cover letter is simply a thoughtful, helpful and valuable extension of you, the job seeker, in conveying your interest about an opportunity and why you’d be a great contender. While job seekers have little or no control over who does or doesn’t read their cover letter, especially when ‘uploaded’ into cyberspace, they have full control over their brand and the message projected by words of their very own choosing.

Many professionals are considering leaving their 9-5 desk job to become an entrepreneur. What advice can you give someone who is interested in making a career change in order to start their own company?

Contemplate your DNA.

If you ‘need’ or ‘want’ the security and structure of an organization to support you, guide you, lift you up, encourage you, take care of you, provide for you, give you a ‘steady’ paycheck + some benefits, being an ‘entrepreneur’ may not be where you belong. If, however, you absolutely cannot breathe or think straight unless you do your own thing, call your own shots, rely 150% upon yourself, have a ‘bet on me — count on me’ perspective day in, day out, you’re probably good to go.

Running your own show is not for the faint of heart – particularly in this economy. When you’re an ‘entrepreneur’ in your own business, you never stop – 24/7, you’re mentally (and physically) ‘on call – more so today than ever before with technology being what it is. And if you’re not at work, or not doing work, you are always thinking about work – how to make it better, easier, faster, etc.  Also, you really do have to put boundaries into place and find some sort of ‘balance’ to make it all work for you (and your family life) and keep yourself ‘sane’ and ‘healthy’ and ‘fit’ to survive and thrive in today’s competitive market.

I am a twenty-something young professional, trying to fight this thing called a “quarter-life-crisis.” I’m trying to figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life, where I want to be, and who I want to share all of those things with. What advice could you give me and other young 20-somethings who are battling the same thing?

No matter how many grand plans you make, life is going to happen anyway, so enjoy each day as much as you can. You make the choice, so, too, do you reap the consequences. If you have the ability and the interest, get as much education as you can – do not let money be the only thing that holds you back if you are passionate about some educational program – somehow, some way, you can figure out the money piece. Also, work at something you love more than you hate. Do a job because it’s right for you, not because someone else ‘picked’ it for you. Each job you hold is a stepping stone to the next, so do your very best to learn from each job and respect it while you’re doing it. Give back to something or someone who needs a helping hand. And when you feel like your river isn’t flowing in the right direction, I hope you will muster the courage to change course, sooner than later.

My Closing Thoughts

Editing your resume and writing cover letters can be tricky.  Professionals like Billie Sucher can provide everyone with the right tips and tricks to a great resume and cover letter that stands out among the rest of the applications.  For those who are currently job searching – make sure you have an outstanding resume and cover letter!