Branding Yourself

Branding Yourself

By Taylor Thompson, TSCPA Student Ambassador at TN Tech University, Cookeville, Tenn.

I learned one of the top tasks throughout your academic career as a business student is creating and building relationships. We call these relationships and connections networking. The hardest part of networking is setting yourself apart from those competing for the same objective as you and being remembered. How can you be remembered and stand out from the rest? Branding yourself is how I’ve learned to set myself apart from my competition, and branding yourself correctly can and will lead you to your academic and professional success. I want to share with you what I’ve learned about how to brand yourself, and share with you some personal changes I’ve made to improve my professional brand. Here are several ways to improve your image as a potential employee and future professional:

• The first thing an employer sees is of course your face, but did you know one of the top errors of an individual’s first impression in an interview is a lack of cleanliness and personal hygiene? After hearing this, I began to wash my face twice daily, whiten my teeth twice a week, shape up my eyebrows every two weeks and shave every two to three days. In today’s society, men’s grooming has become a growing trend. So men, try your best to keep your hair trimmed and beard freshly shaven before walking into your interview. Women should have their hair neat and makeup subtle but flattering. Leaving your hair like you just crawled out of bed is not what an employer wants to see first.
• The next thing an employer notices is your handshake. Make sure your handshake is firm and stiff, not delicate or limp. This tells a lot about an individual’s character. A firm handshake shows a hard worker and one who can act as a leader. Also, you want to have neatly trimmed finger nails. Make sure there is no dirt nor debris underneath your nails.
• You have less than 30 seconds to make an impression…that seems stressful! How do we create a positive impact in 30 seconds? This is when you must sell yourself verbally. You need to practice what business professionals call your “elevator speech.” An elevator speech usually includes who you are, what you do, and what your intentions are. You want to make sure you leave them feeling as though you possess qualities that none of your competitors have.

After perfecting your physical appearance, what do you wear an interview? When planning your interview outfit, observe how the employees at the company dress. After learning the dress code, take your outfit one step beyond theirs. If employees dress business casual, you want to dress more business professional, with a button-up, tie, sport coat and dress shoes for men, or a nice dress, skirt or pantsuit for women. When picking out designs and colors, you do not want to clash colors or wear “unique” designs. Navy and blacks do not go together; try to stay away from wearing navy and blacks in the same outfit. Do not mix brown with black either. If you have brown hair, navy and neutral colors are flattering. If you have black hair, strive to keep blacks, grays, and whites in your wardrobes. You want your clothes to complement your face and hair. Coordinating your outfit with your hair color can help you create your personal brand.

Finally, present yourself with confidence! You want to seem like you know you are the best option for the company. There is a difference between arrogance and confidence. Stay humble, carry yourself with self-assurance, and remembers these words, “Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, how you leave others feeling after an experience with you becomes your trademark.”

Four Tips for Working Parents

Jennifer Whaley, CPA

Working full-time and being a full-time parent can be challenging, especially if you have a career in public accounting and you are in the middle of tax season. It may be difficult to divide time between work and family. Having to juggle responsibilities at work and at home may become stressful. Being a full-time CPA and full-time mother of two under two, I am very familiar with these challenges. However, there are several tips working parents can apply to help balance a professional career and parenthood.

1. Obtain support from friends and family

After returning to work eight weeks after the birth of my first child, I had mixed feelings. I was excited to jump back into my career but sad that I wouldn’t be spending as much time with my little girl. There were even times when I felt guilty about returning to work. Learning to lean on my husband, friends and family for support helped tremendously. I was able to discuss my thoughts and feelings with friends and coworkers who had been in my shoes and were able to offer advice. Knowing I was not alone and that there were others who had similar experiences was encouraging.  

2. Get organized

Keep an up-to-date calendar to help you plan, prioritize your responsibilities and manage your time wisely. Also, getting ready to leave for work in the morning is much more of a challenge when you have children to get ready as well. I found that planning for the next day the night before made things less stressful in the morning. Small things such as laying out my daughter’s clothes and packing her lunch the night before helped me not to be rushed the next morning.

3. Accept that there will be good days and not-so-good days

I am a planner. I love a plan. I need a plan. However, sometimes plans must change. Waking up to a child with a fever, or getting a call from the daycare center telling you your child is sick can quickly change the day’s agenda. There will be things that happen that are out of your control. That is a part of life and pertains to anyone whether you are a parent or not. For planners like myself, learning to be flexible is key to maintaining your sanity and coping with days that don’t go as well as others.

4. Talk to your employer

It is important to communicate your needs and concerns with your employer. You may be surprised to learn how understanding and flexible your employer may be regarding your specific situation. Some workplaces allow you to work from home when the need arises. Overnight travel may be reduced or eliminated based on your needs. Hours may be adjusted to match your schedule.

These are just four things that worked for me. We all live life differently, and as such will need to approach each situation differently. For some, trying to be a parent and a full-time professional is not an option. I love my family and I love my career. Thanks to the love and support I have received from my family and friends, I have been able to find the balance between the two.


About the Author
Jennifer Whaley, CPA, is an auditor at Brown Edwards & Company, LLP in Kingsport and a member of TSCPA's Young CPA Workgroup.

What Do You Look Forward To?

by David Jensen, CPA

Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC

For those of us in public accounting, busy season is right around the corner. While this time is rewarding in many ways, eventually the long hours can become overwhelming. In my experience, the best way to keep a positive attitude during this stressful time is to have fun activities planned. Having something to look forward to can be a big help in getting you through a long day, week or month. Here are three activities that help keep me going during busy season.

Daily
Last busy season, a couple of coworkers and I got together at 6:00 p.m. every day to do push-ups. We started with one and added an additional push-up every day, so that by April 15 we reached 100 total. It was a quick and fun team-building activity that was also goal-oriented. If push-ups aren’t your thing, take a walk around your office with some coworkers. Having a little something to look forward to on a daily basis can be a big stress reliever. The key is to find something that is quick, so that sticking with it doesn’t become a burden.

Weekly
I also wanted to create something that accomplished more than a quick daily tension relief, so I started a weekly running club within the firm. We meet once a week, running a one-mile loop starting and ending at our office. Participants can do as many loops as they like, but usually we are all done after 30 minutes of exercise. Last year, about 20 percent of the office participated. We even created a leaderboard where we competed for the fastest lap time.

Monthly
The staff in my office gets together after work once a month. Usually we go to dinner or find a happy hour near the office where we can unwind. The first time we played trivia together we won. There aren’t too many adrenaline rushes in public accounting, so the high we felt after that win stuck with us for days. We haven’t come close to winning again, but we still talk about that night as our greatest collective achievement. Finding a couple of hours to relax and vent some frustrations can really go a long way to preserve the sanity of the entire office.

Each of these activities have a few things in common. First, they don't require a big time commitment, which is key because there isn’t much time to spare. Second, they are scheduled ahead of time, so that they can be something to look forward. Third, they involve coworkers who can help keep you accountable; it is much harder to work through a scheduled event if you know that other people expect you to join. Getting other people involved builds camaraderie and a support system that only those in this industry can understand.

Before busy season begins, schedule a few fun activities and invite your coworkers to take part. The key is to focus on activities that will keep your spirits up and enable you to have a positive attitude.