ABOUT BIANCA

BIANCA MILLER COLE

After studying Business Management and Economics at the University of Sussex, Bianca joined the world’s largest and most reputable management/ technology consulting firm. Whilst at Accenture, Bianca was HR advisor to a third of a thousand strong graduate pool. In addition to her role she was asked by senior management to develop an initiative to help the graduates develop the desirable skills to aid their career advancement. The initiative was called ‘Preparing for Promotion’.

Bianca utilised her natural flair and like a duck to water began advising graduates of the personal brand attributes required to be successful. Having thoroughly enjoyed a career at Accenture, she felt it was time to move on and took a position at a top financial recruitment firm. A brief stint in the work of recruitment enabled Bianca to experience firsthand the plight of unemployed individuals seeking employment in tough economic times. Time and time again the same types of people succeeded because they understood the importance of their personal brand. Conversely time and time again the majority failed to even pass the first two hurdles. Hurdle number 1 – writing a CV that was captivating / interesting enough to even warrant a phone call from a recruitment consultant. Hurdle 2- Having the right experience on paper and thus being invited into the agency to then fail to execute a satisfactory interview. Often due to an inability to effectively communicate or present themselves appropriately for the situation. Personal development was clearly a requirement across the board, some call it softer skills training which slightly undermines its importance. The ability to engage in conversation, effectively network, convey expertise, be presentable and deliver consistently on your brand offering is far from soft. In fact it is quite hard!