Personal Branding in the Job Hunt: Case of Too Much Authenticity?

Job hunting and authenticity. Is it possible? Can we take the writing class in heart-felt soul-ful writing and the ‘life is a journey’ motif and translate that into the career?

Does having an MBA in Integrated Marketing, a film degree, a degree in literature and history, a background in spiritual healing and energy mean I somehow am not a good fit for employment? I should be and look a certain way?

Was the professor in school right when she said she wouldn’t hire someone as a CFO who had too much of a Facebook presence because that meant they didn’t work hard? She told this to a room of Integrated Marketers. We weren’t trying to be CFO.

Everyone has an opinion and has a standard and a way of “vetting” people, I suppose. Jeff Brown, the author, posts pretty open, pretty soul-ful Facebook posts. I love his refreshing style and learn a lot.

I listen to energy clearing processes almost daily. I believe it is important to clear one’s chakras and energy field and create a positive mindset. I chose, at the beginning of this process a few weeks ago, to speak openly about the journey. That wasn’t openly about the journey only when it felt good or was perfect. It meant all the journey shadow and light.

Blossom Benedict, the consciousness expert, recently said something like are you OK if your work is only liked by .001% of the world's population-- that is still a lot of people. Does that logic apply to the job hunt also? Should I be less authentic on FB or Twitter. Not write personal details in my blog with a truth/authenticity branding?

As I was shifting my energy this week, I was confronted with the fact that my current bank, Wells Fargo, was no longer serving me. I had a donation come through for my campaign and found out they were not going to deposit the entire amount for a full week due to overdraft charges that came through.

This policy impacted me heavily and despite my talking to them, their point of view stayed intact. This coupled with their recent ethic violations which continue to snowball, left me feeling unsafe and not in a positive relationship with this insititution. I had a check to cover my overdraft and a little more, more funding was coming in and they were going to hold it so that I couldn’t actually fix my situation.

Enough was enough. The vibration of this bank was no longer working.

I picked a new bank. I know where I am headed. I need to get through this next payday and paying-off some bills with my next donation, and then I’ll be moving banks. Or I’ll be moving in stages so I am not stuck at any point in the process.

That is vibrational realignment in action.

I have been reading the actor Wentworth Miller’s posts about suicide prevention and his own journey through depression. He writes authentically and powerfully. He calls people on their self-limiting beliefs and their choice to tell him how to go about life so it “appears” good to others. I find myself more and more drawn to artists, writers and business people who are at peace with who they are, and say it like it is.

A type of rawness and realness.

In this process, I have been angry. Petulant maybe. I am a woman trying to change careers, a person who thought their school they paid full-price too would care about my career development post-grad, a person who has had a tumultuous year as I excavate my past and create a different future.

The anger doesn’t last and I clear it out and move forward. I still feel like pretending it is OK when I am clearly in the moment of suffering – is not helpful. It sticks me. Being angry and speaking up moves me past the pain. I’m not here to make anyone feel better like that.

In the space of chaos, I find my creative bent. I am connecting to people who I might not otherwise meet and having some of the most intimate and heartfelt conversations of my life -- ever since I asked for help, started a campaign and spoke out about my financial mess. It won’t be mess forever -- the situation was blowing up to be reformed in something better.

Rich Litvin, the coach, will openly say things like “I messed up.” He walks his talk. He’s talked about issues in his marriage or even with baby rearing in past Facebook posts. He’s not perfect, neither am I. The illusion created through marketing that anything is perfect, is not the type of marketing I do on this page.

I may do it professionally with some brands. However, how does a brand respond in crises situations – by pretending they didn’t fuck it up? I doubt that works in this day and age.

Wells Fargo has alienated in me in the process because my personal experience, which I could have beat myself up about came about during an ethical scandal of theirs that had been going on for years. So you (as a bank) are saying that my financial issues and need for healing is somehow requiring your punishment? That is rich…really, really rich.

WF make billions in overdraft fees. WF has fired employees for not complying with their draconian sales tactics. WF is saying that employees they fired were not somehow meeting the values of the organization – an organization that had no idea that this was going on – FOR YEARS?

I don’t buy their brand, and their responses to anything. In that moment, if I had justified anything I was hearing publically, I could no longer white wash it. My trust was broken irreparably and spirit was prompting me to make a better choice. To be in vibrational alignment with money sometimes means, having a different relationship with a bank. I’d outgrown this one, like a bad marriage.

I have seen a lot of people who are raw, authentic and so forth AND successful. Even if they are forthright. Even if they do things that other people deem “unworthy.” I am not necessarily buying that it’s not possible. It is probable, however that my approach is not for everyone. It is a .001% of the population thing. It’s a different take on how we manage ourselves. It was not a flippant decision to write on this process, it was a heartfelt one that came from deep consideration of my purpose.

Where it leads – time will tell.

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