You may think of yourself in many ways. You’re a student or a professional. You may believe in a religion, be involved in politics, have a hobby, or be a fan of a sports team. What’s your brand? If you’re also looking for a job, you should also have a personal brand and work to improve it.
What’s a Brand?
A brand is how an individual, product, company, or individual is perceived by those who encounter them. A brand is what you feel when you think about or see something.
What’s Personal Branding?
It’s your reputation and how people think and feel about you. If you are in and out of jail, you have a very poor brand because people will feel very negatively about you. If you’re thoughtful, kind, hard-working, and have achieved some personal success, you should have a better personal brand.
What’s the Connection Between a Personal Brand and Getting Hired?
How do you present yourself to potential connections, connections, and people who may hire you? This presentation can be your physical look and how you speak. It also includes what people read what you’ve written on social media or other outlets, your resume, and your professional history.
Ideally, you’re not creating a sham brand. What you let others see and hear should be consistent with your core values and what you think is essential. If you care about your work, find it interesting, and want to progress professionally, your brand should help you get hired.
If your life and what you show the world is all about work, you’ll have a boring brand. Your brand may benefit from the fact you mountain bike, attend or organize charitable fundraising events, or help care for an elderly or disabled family member. It may help your job prospects if your brand is not only a qualified, energized professional but someone others will want to spend time with.
How Do I Establish My Personal Brand?
Set yourself apart from the crowd. On your LinkedIn profile and resume, stress your specific strengths and experiences from completed projects that have the most relevance to what you want to do.
Tell your story during job interviews. Talk about your experiences and accomplishments. Discuss times when you resolved specific problems and how your employer benefited. Bring up specifically how your skills can benefit your next employer.
Your target audience for your branding messages shouldn’t be the world. You should focus on people and companies who may hire you and those who could have connections to those potential employers. Belonging to an industry-related group or association shows your interest in your field and provides you an opportunity to network.
Branding includes messaging about and by you on the internet and social media. You could have a personal website as part of your job search that includes industry-related blogs. You may write interesting articles on LinkedIn or post thoughtful commentary with links to industry news. Writing occasionally about fundraisers you attend, or mountain biking won’t hurt.
Network online and in person. “Network or not work” is not just a worn phrase. It’s reality. The more people you know in your industry, the more connections you’ll develop. If they don’t hire you in the future, they may learn of a job opening elsewhere or provide you with a helpful recommendation. The positive things your connections say about you are powerful tools helping you build your brand.
Your brand is fragile, so care for it. Though it’s not impossible to rebuild your brand, you don’t want to tarnish it by recklessly ranting on social media, getting fired, or being arrested. After developing a positive personal brand, put in the time and effort to maintain it. Your personal brand can help you get your next job and will shape your future career.
Take the Next Step. Contact Skill Connect 360
Skill Connect 360 can help you find an excellent position that’s a good fit for you, your goals and the employer. Call us today at 212-507-9350 or fill out our contact form so we can start the conversation.
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