12 Obstacles That Affect Your Career Brand Voice

12 Obstacles That Affect Your Career Brand Voice 12 Obstacles That Affect Your Career Brand Voice Everyone is an authority at least in his or her household, or at the minimum, self. Right? Or maybe you are an insider and can speak authoritatively about your industry, hobby, or passion. Authority is essential in your career brand voice. People get psyched out when they hear a loud voice that is demeaning and demanding. Thats a career brand voice that these days most will pass on. Trust is earned and won, and that is what people will be drawn to at the end of the day. Your actions are also a key to establishing a professional brand and voice. I mean, you should do what you say you will do and people believe you. Or you dont meet your goals that you set for yourself. Its almost as if your words fall to the ground. Want more clients? Want more opportunities. If your voice doesnt have a brand, you give the control to someone else. I have 12 ways to identify why your voice lacks authority or credibility. This will help you connect with people much faster, with assurance, and open the doors to opportunities you didnt think existed before. Here are 12 obstacles that affect your career brand voice! Lack of Focus You can have too many influences, heroes, and mentors if you lack core beliefs and values. The overflow of your heart or lack thereof will surface. If people dont know where youre going  or are confused by the direction of your actions and words, no one will buy in. If your messaging is unclear and unfocused, eventually your network and (Lord forbid) those who consider you for jobs become uninterested. Its best to master one point and two sub-points at a time. Better yet, one point might be best. Trying Too Hard Lets say you meet someone that can put you in the right persons hiring radar. Instead of being patient, you start calling twice a day for a week to ask how things are progressing. What are the chances your contact is so annoyed he or she is now ignoring you? Inciteful but Never Insightful You want to be seen as original, but at the cost of someone elses ideas or content. You rather erroneously quote or regurgitate others ideas as your own. When people hear you, or see your work, and it becomes obvious that you dont have an original thought, then people will lose respect or confront you until you give correct attribution. We have all seen people who suck up to people for other reasons than be valuable. It never ends well and the last thing they get is respect. Weak or Wrong Delivery Method People think that a loud delivery for their ideas is the most effective when it only compensates for weak ideas. Great ideas need the right delivery, to inspire the right action, and by the right people. Sometimes, less is more, especially when we have the right solution. I have a soft voice, but I believe in the proverb, A gentle word breaks a bone. The secret is being confident in what I say (often preceded by much thought). You can do it too! Lack of Experience I am turned off when people say they have a passion for a career  or task but lack the work, credentials, or research to demonstrate competence. The first few hundred times may not be enough to claim yourself as an expert. If thats the case, there are other questions and concerns you should have, and put in more reps (more work). Not Growing Professionally To use a fitness analogy, to grow muscles, they must be worked to failure every now and then. Reps are done until the muscle is overloaded with work until no more reps can be performed. You dont grow, because you havent been overloaded or worked to failure. Muscles must be challenged regularly to grow, and so do you. You want to grow, stretch, and show your usefulness. Create a blog and take people on that journey with you! Not Asking Questions, Lacking Depth Great questions come from great listening skills. Not asking an interview question is lazy, but lacking depth in asking a question says so much more negatively. People who succeed obtain the job he or she wants over and over again, and ask simple but profound questions. Lacking Initiative Successful career management is partly intuitive. There are hints as we go along that point us in the right direction. Sometimes, its weird but many times that voice inside should be heard, and to quell it requires initiation and action. Perhaps youre afraid to fail or to make a mistake. People are likely to forget the missed shot if you make the next shot. Temperament If you are easily frustrated, then people will find it easy to say no to you. Apply temperance to any area in life, but specifically to your career management or job search efforts. Your Life All unclear goals, objectives, and targets lacking in purpose will come into play in everything you do in your career. The pattern in your life shows that youre a shooting star: vibrant at first, then dissipates like sparkles. Thats rarely a good thing. No Follow-Up This is a must-have skill. Without it you will never thrive. Want to work from home? Want to freelance? The follow-up is the money maker probably missing from your arsenal. To emphasize an  earlier point, when you say youll do it, and you dont, no one takes you seriously. Dont Promote, Market, or Advertise Yourself I am not a big fan of wearing a banner or showing my face on a billboard, but I have a website for that. Its probably the difference between someone finding you and your uniqueness, or wondering why youre unique. This can be challenging if you are used to not being in control of your career. Job seekers have much more confidence and faith when he or she have a pliable attitude willing to pivot, turn, or turnaround even. Wherever your opportunities will come from, it will depend on how you develop a career voice that is recognized by the right employer, business partner, or client. Readers, is your career brand voice affected by any of these obstacles? How do you overcome them? Share with us below! Mark Anthony Dyson is the founder of TheVoiceofJobseekers.com, and a Career Consultant, Writer, Career Educator, Entrepreneur, Trainer, and Speaker. His goal is to give job seekers from all walks of life the voice that stand out in a crowded field of job competitors.