Making the Reputation Connection

On the QT Newsletter, Making the Reputation Connection
October 16th, 2007
Reputation_Quotations.pdf (21K)

Did you know? The permanence in a career lies in reputation. In the midst of corporate turbulence, where companies are built like tents and careers lack security and permanence, a person’s reputation is enduring. One’s reputation is built from the first day on the job and continues to develop and grow with every action taken. While job security is essentially dead, in this free agent economy, reputation is what employers use to judge an employee’s competence and worthiness for career advancement. While employers want employees with good credentials and degrees, they will tell you it’s a person’s everyday actions that count the most. In today’s workplace, a person’s reputation may be his/her most important asset. Help your students recognize the value of developing a stellar reputation by completing this short activity.

Do This:

1. Ask students to define reputation.
2. Have them describe a person who has a good reputation at their workplace, in the classroom and/or in their community.
3. Explain that many people believe a person’s reputation is in fact his/her most important asset.
4. Distribute the attached worksheet on Reputation Quotations and review the directions.
5. When they have completed the activity ask students to share the quote they found most meaningful and how they plan to apply this advice in their daily lives.

Want More?
In his book, Career Warfare, David F. D’Alessandro gives advice on how to stand out from the crowd by developing a personal brand and provides valuable lessons in the etiquette of reputation building. You can read a review of his book and his 10 rules here… rule 6 particularly applies to this lesson. Since eighty-three percent of executive recruiters revealed they use search engines when making hiring decisions, students should be cognizant of their online reputations and think carefully about the postings they make on social networking site. Students should be aware of how their online persona can undermine or support their personal reputation.

Quik Quote: REPUTATION: A personal possession, frequently not discovered until lost. The Foolish Dictionary