Career Inspirations Podcast
What impression are you really making?

Click the play button above or right click here to: Download the MP3

Read the Transcript

Credibility is an interesting word. We all want to be credible, but what does this really mean?

In the justice system, a credible witness is someone who knows his stuff and can be believed. The same goes for you as a job seeker. It doesn’t matter if you are a leader, a specialist, or a generalist – your credibility matters.

The impression that you make on others is critical to your success in your career. Every potential employer that you meet has one great question in mind: Who are you really? In order to hire you, they need to know that you can be trusted.

Everything that you say and do has the power to make or break your credibility. So it always surprises me when I find smart people doing silly things – things that undermine their credibility. Today, I’m going to give you a couple of examples and show you how you can avoid these mistakes.

Andrea Stanfield, a successful district manager thought she had it all. She told a lie in an interview and it propelled her into a senior management career. Although she clearly took the fast track up, her mounting guilt led to paranoia and severe anxiety attacks. In the end, she lost her reputation, her career, and her friends. Today, Andrea would say that she lost part of her life – something that she will never get back.

According to BackCheck, Canada's leading background checking company, 10% of candidates lie about education or credentials, and 30% have red flags regarding their employment. If you have issues in these areas, do not lie on your resume. Lies destroy your credibility, your career, and your life.

Trustworthiness is the foundation of credibility, but you also need to inspire others to believe in you. Recently I started following one of my mentors on Twitter. Soon I was reading tweets about her “yummy” breakfast, that she has a migraine, that her son is being cranky, and that she happens to be running late for a meeting. You can imagine that I was immediately turned off. In my humble opinion, there are many ways that you can gain credibility online, but these are not good examples.

Having credibility is about being truthful, being aware of your audience, and inspiring them to believe in you. Your resume gives you an opportunity to represent yourself with integrity. And, social networking tools give you the power to elicit or inspire belief – the power to gain credibility.

I would like to help you deal with obstacles in your career history and build your reputation. Analyze my online resume and business presence. Follow me on Twitter, connect with me on LinkedIn, and read my blog, SharonGraham.ca. See how I use all of these tools to establish my credibility. And, even if you don’t agree with everything I tweet, at the very least, I promise to give you some meaningful career advice on a regular basis.

 

Graham Management Group is known for excellence and innovation in resume, interview, and career strategy. We are the leading national firm specializing in progressive solutions for executives, managers, and senior-level professionals.