Number of View: 2891

There has never been a better or more necessary time to develop ‘brand you’.  By seeing yourself as a business enterprise you will gain more respect, more quickly.

 

Here are some tips to help you do that.

The whole concept of a personal brand is relatively new, although there have always been individuals before now who have understood the power of a ‘personal brand’: Churchill, John Harvey-Jones and Richard Branson, to name a few. But it has been the growth of the internet and, with it, the rise of blogging that has enabled the growth of social and business networks as tangible tools to raise and build one’s profile, propelling the concept/need to think about you as a brand.

But as with all things new the perception and definitions of personal branding differs with each ‘expert’ you ask and there are definite misconceptions. So having trawled the web for a good definition I found this one to share with you:

"Personal Branding links your passions, key personal attributes, and strengths with your value proposition, in a crystal clear message that differentiates your unique promise of value from your peers and resonates with your target audience."

Good definitions on personal branding and online reputation management can be found at Wikipedia.

When done well, branding projects your ‘personal DNA’; it can help hiring managers not just find you (that is personal marketing) but decide whether you are you a ‘good fit’ for the team, the department and, of course, the company. It helps the decision-maker decide ‘do I want to recruit this person’ and ‘is this person someone I should do business with’?

When incorporated into a jobseeker or career mover’s marketing communications, personal branding can help them “stand out from the competition”, which in this current climate is critical. Share of voice is the name of the game, and grabbing attention is extremely important. BUT you want the right type of attention from the right recruiter/company.

There are many different views, techniques and approaches that can help you build a structure robust enough to successfully develop your personal brand. Here I have attempted to reduce these to 10 key questions and answers that can help define and guide you towards an authentic personal brand:

1. Define what your personal vision is and the purpose

Round pegs and square holes. A cliché I know, but being honest, looking at your ‘bigger picture’ and understanding where you want to fit in, will help you think about how the ‘world’ can help you fulfil your vision.

2. What are you values and passions?

Tough one, but you need to know ‘you’: your needs and wants. You must be honest – will that highly paid job really be a good fit for you, long-term? Motivation is based on beliefs and if not meet then the passion won’t be there and chances are you and an employer won’t be satisfied or happy.

3. Define your key goals for the next 5 years

You need a plan and once you have that plan the focus and purpose it will give helps you ‘project’ your brand with clarity and honestly. “This is what I want now and here is how I will get there”, then “here’s where I want to be and this is how I intend to get there”. This focus makes a compelling proposition to any recruiter.

4. We used to ask “what words describe my personality?” but these days our external empathy requires us to define our key ‘brand attributes’

Put simply, what adjectives best define/describe you and what can you bring to a future employer? It is worthwhile composing two lists:

1) How you describe you and;

2) How your friends/past employers might describe you.

Words like ‘focused’, ‘team player’, ‘passionate’, ‘driven’, ‘ethical’, ‘real’, ‘caring’ and ‘subtle’ can be used, but many more exist.

5. Your strengths and weaknesses – Do a SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats) analysis

Yes, look at your weakness but don’t dwell on them.

Look at what areas, either functional or responsibility-based that you excel at or enjoy (they might be different!!) What has the “boss” always come to you for? Or if you suddenly left your company what skills or attributes would they have difficulty replacing?

You might be great at seeing problems “ahead of the game” (prognostication) or “you focus on detail” (attentive), “you mentor newbies” (empathetic) etc. There are many, so think and list them all.

6. Ask others – get feedback from those at work, home etc

You may not like what you hear but learning how you are actually perceived rather than how you think you are being perceived brings your brand into reality. Don’t forget that your “real personal brand” is what others see/think of you.

So authenticity is an absolute must.

How does your SWOT compare with your family, friends and work peers?

7. Who is my target audience?

This can be defined in two ways: Firstly, who do you directly want to influence (line managers, Heads of Departments etc). Where do they hang out? Where do they blog? Which groups and social sites are they members of? What are the buzz words they look for and what keywords will attract their attention?

The second group is influencers: these might be recruiters who are given the task by the line manager to find you. Where are they? What are they looking for? How can you attract them?

8. The competition – who are they and how can I stand out?

What are your personal brand USP’s (unique selling points) that makes you stand out and convince recruiters that you should be their number one choice for the job? Don’t ever forget recruitment is an ‘investment decision’ – They think “why should I invest in you? What will you give to my organisation that is better than the other candidates?”

Tough to think of it like this BUT that is the reality and in your personal brand you need to lead with your USP.

9. The channel

Any message needs a channel and today these are more varied that ever before. It can be a postcard in a shop window; pitching over a pint at the bar; through to a Facebook or LinkedIn account. You can write a blog or put yourself up for auction on Ebay (yes, someone did this – and received lots of press and a job!)

Whatever channel you choose, think about the message. Are you maximizing your USP’s? What are you delivering in return? Why should your audience (the recruiters) employ you?

10. The ‘me’ marketing mix

• The right message – Clearly articulate who you are and the value you bring
• The right place – where is my audience?
• The right time – when is my audience most likely to be looking?
• The right consistency: as consistently as possible express “you” across all channels
• At the right price

 

Your takeaway:

This may all sound like too much hard work to some  – or perhaps even academic to others – but you really can benefit from taking this approach. Knowing what you actually do and don’t want to do/be be can help you focus on ‘brand you’. Be clear (but realistic) about your goals and how you intend achieving them.

If you then know what you are good at, what you are not so good and where you might fit it helps focus your efforts and resources on a job search that is defined by your best “fit”.

By ensuring your USP’s come to the fore and remaining focused and passionate (in equal measures), an astute recruiter will notice a winner and see a good fit.

It’s not easy but it is worth doing. In fact, it is something I believe you have to do.

Finally check regularly what is being said about you online. People may comment on your blog, Facebook or LinkedIn profile. Perhaps they are passing comment on their own blog pages? Contrary to believe there is such a thing as bad publicity and you need to ensure you are able to combat this; better still, avoid it!

Monitoring how you are being reviewed is called ‘online reputation management’ and one simple way to do this is to put your own name into Google and see what come up. The words of others impact on your brand and reputation.

 

Written by Keith Robinson | Chief Networking Officer | CareerSiteAdvisor

Edited by Simon Lewis | Editor | Only Marketing Jobs

Related posts:

1. By hooker by crook, you do have a personal brand
2. Kicking your brand into touch
3. Preparing your image for guaranteed interview respect
4. 10 interview questions & answers for marketers
5. Simple steps to improving marketing procurement
6. Interview with: Francesca Davies, Group Brand Manager, Weetabix
7. Leading recruitment media brand consolidates
8. How marketing jobseekers can stand out from the crowd
9. How to get yourself noticed in a crowded market
10. 6 social networking mistakes that kill your job prospects