MilSpouse ASCEND - Module 3

Transcript

1. Personal Branding Create your story www.theASCENDcollective.org Visit Our Website
2. MilSpouse ASCEND is committed to empowering military spouses by addressing the unique challenges they face in employment and career advancement. Frequent relocations, gaps in work history, and the need to adapt to diverse local job markets often hinder their ability to secure stable, fulfilling careers. MilSpouse ASCEND uses an innovative AI-enabled platform to remove these barriers, matching military spouses' unique skills and experiences directly with employers seeking their specific talents. The program emphasizes personal branding and tailored career pathways, equipping military spouses with the tools, resources, and confidence to navigate a dynamic job market. By focusing on their individual strengths and aspirations, MilSpouse ASCEND helps spouses build sustainable, rewarding careers that align with their goals while accommodating the demands of military life. MilSpouse ASCEND The ASCEND Collective is a nonprofit organization committed to transforming employment opportunities for individuals often overlooked in traditional hiring processes. We harness innovative, AI- enabled technology to match people with meaningful job opportunities. The ASCEND Collective
3. Overview Define your Unique Value Contextualizing your Experience Crafting Your Core Message Telling Your Story with Impact Adapting Your Story for Different Audiences Personal Story Crafting is a transformative tool in the job search process, especially for military spouses navigating career transitions. It involves creating a compelling narrative that highlights who you are, the unique challenges and achievements you’ve experienced, and your aspirations for the future. This step goes beyond simply listing previous roles or responsibilities; it’s about weaving your experiences, strengths, and contributions into a story that resonates with potential employers. By effectively communicating your journey, you can demonstrate your value, showcase your resilience and adaptability, and connect with employers on a deeper level, bridging the gap between their understanding of traditional career paths and the unique perspective you bring as a military spouse. Focus on identifying what makes you stand out. Consider the skills, strengths, and experiences that have shaped you, and how they can be applied to your desired career field. Reflect on moments in your military service that demonstrate leadership, adaptability, and problem-solving abilities. Learn how to translate your previous roles, responsibilities, and achievements into language that resonates with employers. Use relevant terminology and highlight how your experiences align with the needs and values of the companies you're targeting. Develop a central message that ties together your experiences, strengths, and career aspirations. This message should serve as the backbone of your personal story, clearly communicating who you are, what you stand for, and the unique value you bring to a prospective employer. Learn techniques for telling your story in a compelling way, whether in writing or during an interview. Focus on using vivid language, creating a strong narrative arc, and incorporating examples that demonstrate your skills and achievements. Practice presenting your story with confidence and authenticity. Understand how to tailor your personal story to different contexts and audiences, such as networking events, job interviews, or online profiles. Learn to adjust your narrative to emphasize the aspects of your experience that are most relevant to each situation, ensuring your story remains engaging and impactful.
4. Define Your Unique Value To create a compelling personal narrative as a military spouse, begin by identifying what makes you stand out. Reflect on your experiences as part of a military family and highlight the skills, strengths, and qualities that set you apart. Think about the times you demonstrated resilience, adaptability, or resourcefulness—whether managing frequent relocations, supporting your family through deployments, or volunteering in your community. Consider how these experiences translate into the civilian workforce and showcase the value you bring to potential employers, such as strong problem-solving skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to thrive in dynamic environments.
5. Personal Branding Exercise Focus Areas Practical Exercise Skills and Strengths: Identify your core competencies, such as leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, and adaptability. Experience and Achievements: Highlight key moments in your military career where you excelled, took initiative, or made a difference. Personal Attributes: Consider the traits that make you unique, like resilience, integrity, and a strong work ethic. List three words that best describe your professional identity (e.g., leader, strategist, communicator). Write down three specific experiences from your history where you demonstrated these qualities. Connect these experiences to professional roles by identifying how these qualities and experiences would be valuable in a job context.
6. Contextualizing your Experience One of the biggest challenges for military spouses re-entering or advancing in the civilian workforce is communicating their unique experiences in a way that resonates with potential employers. While your roles and responsibilities within the military lifestyle— whether managing household moves, coordinating schedules, or supporting community initiatives—are highly valuable, they may not always be immediately understood by civilian employers. It’s essential to frame your experiences in language that highlights transferable skills such as organization, adaptability, problem-solving, and leadership, aligning them with the needs of the civilian workforce.
7. Contextualization Exercise Focus Areas Practical Exercise Replace lifestyle-specific terms with language familiar to civilian professionals. Identify transferable skills such as organization, adaptability, project management, and communication that are relevant across various industries. Use metrics and specific examples to demonstrate how your efforts led to positive outcomes, emphasizing achievements that resonate with civilian employers. Write down your most recent role or responsibility as a military spouse and provide a brief description of your key duties. Translate your role into civilian terms. For example: "Household Logistics Manager" could become "Project Coordinator" or "Operations Support Specialist." Identify three transferable skills from this role, such as organizational management, communication, problem- solving, or event coordination.
8. Crafting your core message Your core message is the heart of your personal story – it’s a concise statement that encapsulates who you are, what you offer, and what you aspire to achieve. This message serves as your elevator pitch, helping you communicate your value clearly and confidently to potential employers, networking contacts, or anyone interested in your career journey. A strong core message should be authentic, memorable, and tailored to resonate with your target audience.
9. The Elevator Pitch Focus Areas Practical Exercise Start with a brief description of your professional identity and background, such as "a dedicated leader with a strong background in logistics and team management." Highlight the unique skills, experiences, and strengths you bring to the table, like "proven ability to lead diverse teams under pressure and deliver results." Conclude with a forward-looking statement about your career goals and the impact you hope to make in your next role, such as "seeking to leverage my strategic planning expertise to drive operational excellence in the corporate sector." Write a one-sentence summary of your professional identity (e.g., "I am a results-driven project manager with a passion for operational efficiency and innovation"). Identify two to three key strengths or skills that you bring to your next career step (e.g., "known for my ability to lead cross-functional teams and implement process improvements"). State your career goal or desired impact in one sentence (e.g., "I aim to bring my leadership experience to a dynamic organization where I can drive growth and foster a culture of collaboration").
10. Telling Your Story with Impact Crafting a compelling story is about more than just listing your achievements; it’s about engaging your audience by connecting emotionally and demonstrating how your experiences make you uniquely qualified for the role you seek. A powerful narrative will help you stand out and create a memorable impression, whether you're writing a cover letter, speaking in an interview, or networking.
11. Be a STAR Storyteller Focus Areas Practical Exercise Start with a hook – a captivating statement or anecdote that draws in your audience and sets the stage for your story. Highlight concrete experiences and achievements that illustrate your skills, strengths, and values. Focus on moments where you overcame challenges, led a team to success, or made a meaningful impact. Be direct and avoid jargon. Your story should be easy to follow and clearly convey why you are the ideal candidate for the role. Let your enthusiasm for your career and future goals shine through. Authenticity and passion can make your story more relatable and engaging. Choose a specific event or accomplishment from your military career that demonstrates a skill or strength. Apply the STAR Method: Situation: Briefly describe the context or challenge you faced. Task: Explain the task you needed to accomplish. Action: Detail the actions you took to address the challenge or complete the task. Result: Highlight the positive outcome, focusing on measurable results or significant achievements. Write out your STAR story in a few sentences, then practice delivering it out loud. Focus on making it concise, engaging, and easy to understand.
12. Adapting Your Story to Different Audiences Your personal story should be flexible and adaptable to suit different audiences and contexts. Whether you are at a networking event, in a job interview, or writing your online profile, it's essential to adjust your narrative to emphasize the aspects of your experience that are most relevant and compelling to the audience at hand. Adapting your story ensures it resonates with the listener and effectively communicates your value.
13. Know Your Audience Focus Areas Practical Exercise Research the organization, industry, or individual you are communicating with to understand what they value and need. Tailor your story to emphasize the skills, experiences, and qualities that are most applicable to the audience’s context. Use language and examples that align with the audience’s level of understanding and interests. Avoid jargon or military-specific terms unless your audience is familiar with them. Ensure your story is direct and relevant to the context, focusing only on the points that matter most to the audience. Make a list of the different types of audiences you may encounter and for each audience type, identify what they typically value in a candidate. Take a core element of your personal story and adapt it for two different audiences. For example, if you are highlighting your project management skills: For a corporate employer, focus on your ability to manage cross-functional teams and drive efficiency. For a nonprofit organization, emphasize your experience in managing resources and delivering impact under challenging conditions. Write out a brief version of your story tailored to each audience and practice delivering them.
14. Bringing it all Together Now that you have crafted and refined your personal story through the five steps, it’s time to bring everything together and practice presenting it in a cohesive and impactful way. This exercise will help you seamlessly integrate all the elements of your story, adapt it for different scenarios, and build confidence in delivering it effectively.
15. The Story in Action Challenge 1/2 Instructions: Prepare Your Story Elements: Review the core elements you’ve created: your unique value proposition, the translation of your military experience, your core message, and your STAR stories. Ensure each element aligns with your overall narrative and highlights the skills and experiences you want to showcase. Select Three Different Scenarios: Choose three different contexts in which you might need to present your story. Examples include: Job Interview: For a corporate employer or a nonprofit organization. Networking Event: Engaging with professionals from various industries. LinkedIn Profile/About Me Section: A written format where your story needs to be concise and engaging. Customize Your Story for Each Scenario: For each scenario, adapt your story by adjusting the emphasis, tone, and specific details to match the audience and purpose: Job Interview: Focus on the most relevant skills and experiences, and prepare to answer follow-up questions using your STAR stories. Networking Event: Craft a shorter, more conversational version of your story, highlighting your unique value and career goals. LinkedIn Profile/About Me Section: Write a concise and engaging summary that captures your professional identity, experience, and aspirations.
16. The Story in Action Challenge 2/2 Practice Delivery: Oral Practice: Record yourself delivering your story for the job interview and networking scenarios. Watch the recordings to assess clarity, confidence, and engagement. Refine as needed. Written Practice: Draft the LinkedIn profile or “About Me” section using your adapted story. Review for readability, tone, and alignment with your target audience. Feedback Loop: Seek Feedback: Share your recorded story and written content with a trusted friend, mentor, or career coach. Ask for specific feedback on clarity, relevance, and engagement. Refine and Improve: Use the feedback to make adjustments and enhance the effectiveness of your story in each context. Simulate Real-World Application: Mock Interview or Networking Event: Arrange a mock interview with a mentor or participate in a networking event (virtual or in-person). Use the customized version of your story in real-time. Online Profile Update: Update your LinkedIn profile or personal website with the new written story. Monitor engagement metrics, such as profile views and connection requests, to gauge effectiveness. Reflect and Adjust: After each practice session or real-world application, take time to reflect on what worked well and what could be improved. Adjust your story elements and delivery based on these reflections to continually refine your personal narrative.
17. Summary & Conclusion In this module, you began working on your personal branding and storytelling skills. Make sure that all of the worksheets in this module are completed and uploaded to your MilSpouse ASCEND profile. Let your career coach know that you are ready to review the worksheets and discuss what you learned in this module. In the next lesson, we will discuss Profile Building for the career you deserve. Finish all worksheets Reach out to your career coach Prepare for the next step
18. www.theASCENDcollective.org Visit Our Website Thank You F o r Y o u r A t t e n t i o n