• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Executive Career Brand™

Executive Job Search - Personal Branding, Executive Resumes, LinkedIn Profiles, Biographies, etc.

  • Services & Products
    • Writing Services – Executive Resume, LinkedIn Profile, Biography, etc.
    • Worksheets for Executive Job Search
    • Guide for Today’s Executive Job Search
    • Essential LinkedIn Guide
    • Done-For-You Personal Branding Videos for Camera-Shy People
    • FREE EBOOK and Popular Newsletter
    • 20 Little-Known, Insider Tips for Executive Job Search
  • About
    • My Story
    • Testimonials
    • Samples – Executive Resume & Biography
    • Media
  • SPECIAL OFFERS
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Become Employers’ #1 Choice

May 6, 2021 By Meg Guiseppi

How to Balance Personal Branding With Personal SEO

  • Facebook0
  • Twitter0
  • Pinterest0
  • LinkedIn6
  • 6 shares
balance personal branding with personal SEO

Both personal branding and personal SEO are critical components in successful executive job search today . . . and they go hand in hand.

But many people don’t know how to strike the right balance between them, as they write their job search marketing documents and online profiles – executive resume, biography, LinkedIn profile, etc.

Let’s first look quickly at what these two components are, and how they impact job search:

What are Personal SEO and Personal Branding?

Personal SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is all about the relevant keywords and phrases (typically your “hard” skills) you possess that recruiters and hiring managers most search online to source and assess candidates like you.

Personal branding is also about those keywords, so branding does incorporate personal SEO.

But personal branding goes beyond that and incorporates “softer” skills – those personal attributes and qualities you possess that people rely on you for, and that indicate the kind of person you are, what you’re like to work with and how you get things done . . . that is, your personality.

Get a Handle on Sameness vs. Differentiation

To take this a little further, personal branding is all about differentiation.

Defining your personal brand is wrapped around identifying what makes you unique and different from your competitors, and communicating those qualities in personal marketing content (resume, biography, LinkedIn profile, etc.) designed to position you as a good fit for your target audience.

Conversely, personal SEO is more about sameness

Working on personal SEO is wrapped around uncovering and incorporating in your content the same relevant keywords and phrases that your competitors will also be using to help them get found online.

Hmmm . . . Differentiation vs. sameness. Can these two opposing imperatives come together harmoniously?

When writing your personal brand content, you need to strike just the right balance of personal SEO vs. personal branding . . . or hard vs. soft skills . . . in a way that will make you stand out and above your competitors, and resonate with your target employers.

Spice Up Your Personal Brand Content

Unfortunately, many job seekers, and many career professionals (some of them self-proclaimed “personal branding experts”) who write resumes, LinkedIn profiles and other content for job seekers, get stuck on personal SEO, and neglect the full personal brand story.

They string together relevant keywords and phrases (or “hard” skills) in a dry, lifeless paragraph and call it a personal brand statement. They do a good job with SEO, but forget all about the “personal” part.

The way to truly differentiate yourself, and attract your target employers, is to find a compelling balance of personal SEO and personal brand qualities, and wrap them all around concise, to-the-point content that markets your unique ROI (Return on Investment) to your target employers.

Be Authentic and Get Personal

Go beyond personal SEO when writing your content. Be authentic.

Don’t forget that executive recruiters and hiring decision makers at your target companies want to get a feel for what you’re like to work with and how you will fit their company culture. Culture fit is very important to them.

Never underestimate the power of personal or softer touchpoints in your job search marketing content to generate chemistry, and make the content a much more interesting read.

Mixing it up well with Personal SEO and personal branding will help you do a better job of capturing the attention of people who may be reviewing mountains of content when assessing candidates.

Bottom Line

Take the time to dig deep, and define and differentiate the hard and soft skills that make you unique and valuable to your target employers.

Take into account what makes you different, and what makes you the same as, or equal to, your competitors.

More About Personal SEO and Executive Job Search

How and Why Personal Branding Works

How Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Impacts Executive Job Search

Personal SEO in Executive Job Search: What’s in a Name?

Why You Need to Self-Google Once a Week

Social Proof: Where Online Presence Meets Personal Branding

Is Your Online Presence Strong Enough to Compete?

  • 6shares
  • Twitter0
  • LinkedIn6
  • Facebook0
  • Pinterest0
Share via
  • Facebook
  • Like
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Digg
  • Del
  • Tumblr
  • VKontakte
  • Print
  • Email
  • Flattr
  • Reddit
  • Buffer
  • Love This
  • Weibo
  • Pocket
  • Xing
  • Odnoklassniki
  • WhatsApp
  • Meneame
  • Blogger
  • Amazon
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Gmail
  • AOL
  • Newsvine
  • HackerNews
  • Evernote
  • MySpace
  • Mail.ru
  • Viadeo
  • Line
  • Flipboard
  • Comments
  • Yummly
  • SMS
  • Viber
  • Telegram
  • Subscribe
  • Skype
  • Facebook Messenger
  • Kakao
  • LiveJournal
  • Yammer
  • Edgar
  • Fintel
  • Mix
  • Instapaper
  • Copy Link

Filed Under: Executive Job Search, Personal Branding Tagged With: personal branding, personal SEO, social media

Previous Post: « Is Your Online Presence Strong Enough to Compete in Executive Job Search?
Next Post: How To Network Better »

Primary Sidebar

The 4 proprietary worksheets I developed to help my clients land jobs they covet and deserve

worksheets for executive job search

All you need to know to use LinkedIn to your best advantage

Essential LinkedIn Guide

Job seekers who use video position themselves as savvy with the new world of work

CareerBrandVideos - Done-For-You Customized Video System

Search for remote jobs on FlexJobs – No ads, scams, or too-good-to-be-true “business opportunities”

FlexJobs Remote Work

Play it Safe – Have a professional check your job search references and find out what they’re actually saying about you.

Allison Taylor job reference check

Executive job search best practice – Get a private email account with “yourname.com”

GoDaddy private email address
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

executive job search tips

Most Popular Articles

Guide to Executive Job Interviews: The How-To’s, Why’s and Best Practices

What Is Personal Branding? Do I Need a Personal Brand for Job Search?

25 Tips To Write an Executive Resume for Today’s Job Search

How to Write the Best Cover Letter for Executive Job Search

15 Savvy Tips To Boost LinkedIn Profile Views

How to Network Into the Goldmine of Hidden Executive Jobs

Build Winning Relationships with Executive Recruiters

Smart Executive Job Search: How To Sail Through Salary Negotiations

FREE Weekly Newsletter

Today’s job search is complicated. Get the help you need.

Sign up for my popular FREE weekly newsletter for advice about job search, personal branding, LinkedIn, networking, online presence, interviewing and so much more . . . and get my FREE ebook. Read about the newsletter and ebook here.

* indicates required

First Name *

Meg earned 10 Personal Branding, Resume and Job Search Certifications including:

Certified Executive Resume Master (CERM)

Reach-Certified-Personal-Branding-Strategist

Reach Certified Social Branding Analyst

360Reach Assessment Analyst

 

 

Blog Topics

Footer

Menu

  • About Meg Guiseppi
  • Contact Meg
  • How I Will Help You
  • SPECIAL OFFERS !!!
  • Write for Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Meg on Twitter

Tweets by MegGuiseppi

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 · Executive Career Brand (Resumes Plus LLC) · All Rights Reserved