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Do you dismiss personal branding for your executive job search because you think it’s all about self-promotion, and you don’t like to boast about yourself?
You’re not alone. Many people are disinterested in personal branding, despite its value and the fact that, since it’s a trending concept, we all hear a lot about it these days.
But you say to yourself, “Branding is for products. I’m not a product or a brand. I’m a person!”
Well, you’re partly correct. You are not a brand, but you already HAVE a brand.
You’re known for being a certain kind of person, with certain strengths, passions, values, and attributes. People rely on you for those things.
That fear of tooting one’s own horn and resistance to personal branding may explain why so many people have difficulty writing their own resume and LinkedIn profile. To gain the competitive edge, this content writing requires a close look at one’s personal brand and what some may consider boasting – showcasing one’s achievements and best-fit qualities for target employers.
Instead of dismissing personal branding as merely ego-stroking, think of it as educating people about who you are and what you have to offer.
With so much misinformation about personal branding bombarding us across social media, you may have read otherwise, but the concept of personal branding in job search is really quite simple.
It’s about defining and knowing what makes you unique and valuable to the employers you’re targeting, and clearly communicating what differentiates your value from your competitors when you network and interview for jobs, through brand communications (verbal, digital, and online) that resonate with them.
And it’s up to you to understand your brand and take control of it.
First, you have to do the back-end personal branding work. My 10 Step Personal Branding Worksheet will help.
Once you understand your brand, here are some of the benefits that come with knowing and communicating your brand:
1. Helps you reconnect with your vision for the world, personal purpose, values and passions so that you can move toward career fulfillment and a better work vs. personal life balance.
2. Empowers you to gain clarity about your authentic self and the talents, skills, strengths, and areas of expertise that make you unique and valuable in the marketplace.
3. Forces you to be introspective and reflective, and to examine (and improve, when possible) the weaknesses that may be holding you back.
4. Helps you identify good-fit target employers and your competition in the marketplace, and create personal marketing materials (resume, biography, LinkedIn profile, Google+ profile, etc.) designed to resonate with those employers.
5. Helps you assess the personal attributes and qualities that make you a good culture-fit for your target employers.
6. Propels you to solicit feedback from those who know your value best (peers, management, staff, employees, clients, mentors, etc.), so you’ll understand the true measure of your brand — how you’re perceived by the external world.
7. Generates chemistry and excitement about you as a candidate through written and verbal brand messaging that has personality, and gives a feel for the kind of person you are and how you make things happen.
8. Leads you to create your brand communications plan, embracing the 3 C’s of personal branding (health insurance for your career):
- Clarity – Be clear about who you are, who you are not, who your competitors are, and who your target audience is.
- Consistency – Consistently express the same personal brand message, designed to resonate with your target audience, across all communications channels you decide to use.
- Constancy – Memorable brands are always visible to their target audience. Proactively stay top of mind with them through social media, real-life networking, and all other personal marketing efforts.
9. Helps you establish yourself as the “go-to” person for your industry thought leadership and subject matter expertise.
10. Helps you clearly communicate your value proposition and good-fit for your target employers when you network and interview for jobs, boosting your chances of landing the job you want or advancing your career.
More About Personal Branding and Executive Job Search
The New 10-Step Executive Personal Branding Worksheet
10 Best Ways to Build Your Personal Brand Online
Personal Branding, Resume or Job Search Targeting: Which Comes First?
Personal Branding: How to Brand Your LinkedIn Summary Section
The Biggest Executive Job Search and Personal Branding Mistake
photo by Evelyn Simak
Great post Meg, There are two specific thing that really stood out to me, that are critical to understand about personal branding:
1. Instead of dismissing personal branding as merely ego-stroking, think of it as educating people about who you are and what you have to offer.
2. And it’s up to you to understand your brand and take control of it.
Great article! Thanks for posting!
Many thanks for your kind comment, Greg. Those certainly are two critical points. Understanding and taking control of your brand is an important first step in being able to communicate your unique value to others, as you network and interview. Part of a job seekers job is to position themselves as a good-fit for their target employers. To do that, they need to educate employers about their value, or personal brand.