Professional Profiles - Why Writing About Yourself is So Hard

If you have a website or blog, or consult with clients then you need a
personal profile. A personal profile tells people about who you are,
your expertise and experience and helps to create a human face to your
business. Depending on your industry it can also help clients choose
between particular consultants for a project or job, or create buzz
and interest to hear you speak or buy your product.

It is also one of the hardest things to write - particularly if you
are writing about yourself! Many profiles end up as a dry
regurgitation of a career resume, with all of the personality removed
from the process. Others end up sounding like you are a packet of soap
powder with a set of steak knives thrown in with breathless "but wait
there's more" style of writing. Still other personal profiles end up
looking like a stand up comedy routine, except the audience isn't
looking for a clown, they want to see the real you.

The best profiles are written from the heart, with enough details to
allow people to connect with you as an individual. When written from
the heart, good profiles will help you attract the customers and
people who truly resonate with you and your message. Your personality
will not overshadow the message you want to convey but will highlight
the core intent of you and your work.

Why is writing professional profiles so hard? Personal and
professional profiles are where you are declaring to the universe
"This is me". It is where you are showing your best and most human
face to your clients so they can resonate with who you are and where
you have come from. It is a testament to your personal journey in life
and business and many people are afraid their success will be judged
and they will be found wanting.

Personal and professional profiles are an intensely private process
and writing an effective profile can be as challenging as any personal
growth exercise. It triggers every fear of waiting to be chosen for a
team when you were a child and wanting desperately not to be the last
one chosen.

Writing a profile triggers the same psychological reactions that we
see in life with people hiding, obscuring or even denying parts of
their personality or life. Some people hide their true personality
with a mask of humour, or try and dazzle with a mask of glamour and
excitement, still others fade into the wallpaper. When you write a
profile yourself it is easy to deny, delete or distort your facts and
not be aware of the mental block you are working around.

Some people want to put in every part of their life into their
profiles afraid that if they miss any detail that people won't "get"
who they are. Have you ever been to a party or on public transport and
strike up a conversation with someone who promptly tells you every
intimate detail of their life. You are left slightly uneasy and often
can't wait to get away from them. If your profile is too detailed you
are doing the same thing as the intimate sharer of details.

Some people want to be short on content and high on hype of the type
"Ms X is a dedicated career professional who goes the extra mile, dots
every i and crosses every t. Whose stellar attention to detail has
placed her as one of the most exceptional employees within this
company". These sort of profiles are all fluff and no substance and
are often a defence mechanism to stop people seeing the real person
beneath the hype. They are best termed a "Paris Hilton" profile and
people will treat you accordingly.

Others people want to skate over the personal stuff. To only focus on
dry facts of their life as they only want people to judge them on
their accomplishments. These people are often uncomfortable with their
emotions and keep people at arm's length. The problem is people want
to know more about the person they are working with and buying from,
so just the facts will be as satisfying as a glass of water when they
are hungry and they will go elsewhere.

Good personal profiles require deep self reflection, searching
questions and careful crafting of your words. When writing a
professional profile, often a couple of drafts are needed to allow you
to discover who you are now and stretch your personal horizons of who
you are becoming and who you like to work with.

You may find it more effective to work with someone who can guide you
through the process, who can help you shine a light on your true
personality and present it in a positive and heart focused way.

Whichever way you tackle writing your personal and professional
profile, be aware that it is not a simple process. That you will be
bumping against your personality, that it may feel uncomfortable and
tricky and that it may bring up "stuff" you would rather not deal
with.

However, a great profile is a powerful beacon of light, attracting the
right customers to you and to your message. Take the time to go
through the process and you will gain great results.

How to Resolve Workplace Personality Conflict Resolution Strategies

Interpersonal relationships between co-workers are one of the most
important factors in any work environment--and personality conflicts
are a leading cause of problems in the workplace. If two co-workers
continually butt heads on work-related issues, it affects everyone
around them and impacts the workplace in a negative way. If you're the
manager in your workplace, it's even more important that you get a
handle on the situation right away - to learn how you can improve your
managerial skills and reduce workplace tension, I recommend the
excellent guide The Secrets of Basic Mangement Skills.

Here are some tips on how to resolve personality conflicts in the workplace.

Keep your calm and remain professional. If you do not get along with a
co-worker, it is inevitable that a dispute will come up. If you are
confronted by a co-worker whom you do not get along with, try to
remain calm. Don't point fingers or place blame, just let him say his
piece. By remaining rational, you may be able to turn the tables on
the situation. Ask questions to get to the root of the problem and vow
to work together to make things right.

Learn to work as a team. Many companies offer team-building workshops
for their employees to avoid workplace conflict -- effective teamwork
is an important part of any business! If your worst enemy is working
on a team project with you, use it as an opportunity to come together
to get the job done. By sharing a positive experience with this
person, you may be able to put some of those bad feelings behind you.
Be open to the fact that there are many personality types out there
and you will never get along with everybody, but you can learn to work
together for the good of the company (and for the good of your
career).

Go through the proper chain of command. Conflict resolution strategies
do not involve immediately running to the boss. If your co-worker
screws up, don't go running to your boss with the news; but rather
discuss the situation with your co-worker first. It's also best not to
bring up a faux pas during a group meeting--talk to the responsible
party confidentially in lieu of going to upper management behind his
back. By working through the proper chain of command you will avoid
rubbing your co-workers the wrong way.

Watch your tone in e-mails and written communications. Written
communications can often be taken the wrong way so it is wise to hone
your conflict resolution skills in the event you may need them. Make
certain that the tone in your e-mails and memos comes across
clearly--avoid sarcasm, which often doesn't come through well in
e-mails. Also, avoid writing in all capital letters or with excessive
exclamation points--this is what is known as screaming in an e-mail.
Try to avoid petty e-mail exchanges with co-workers that you do not
get along with--instead, try to talk face to face so you can both get
a word in and hopefully resolve your issues.

Contact your human resource department when necessary. Resolving
conflict may at some point call for involving a third party. In
extreme situations, a mediator may be needed to help diffuse heated
work relations. Experienced human resource advisors are trained to
help resolve personality conflicts, so let them do their job.
Sometimes all it takes is an impartial third party to get to the root
of the problem.

Finally, don't let bad work relationships impact your career. Strive
to work well with all personality types. This doesn't mean you have to
go out to lunch with a co-worker whom you dislike, but you do have to
work with that person, so make the best of it so you can all get your
jobs done in a professional manner. The best solution for conflict
resolution is to avoid it to begin with.

By Victoria Miller