THE Personal Branding Worksheet

Looking for a personal branding worksheet for your executive job search? First, a little history about branding.

Tom Peters ignited the business world in 1997 with his personal branding manifesto on Fast Company, THE BRAND CALLED YOU.

“You’re every bit as much a brand as Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop. Start thinking like your own favorite brand manager. Ask yourself the same question the brand managers at Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop ask themselves: What is it that my product or service does that makes it different? Give yourself the traditional 15-words-or-less contest challenge. Take the time to write down your answer. And then take the time to read it. Several times.

Start by identifying the qualities or characteristics that make you distinctive from your competitors — or your colleagues. What have you done lately — this week — to make yourself stand out? What would your colleagues or your customers say is your greatest and clearest strength? Your most noteworthy (as in, worthy of note) personal trait?”

Your brand is your reputation – the perception of you held by the external world. It is the combination of personal attributes, values, drivers, strengths, and passions you draw from. These are the things that differentiate your unique promise of value from your competitors.

Your brand helps those assessing you determine if they should hire you or do business with you.

You need to identify those qualities and characteristics within you. Further, communicate a crystal clear, consistent message across multiple channels – online and offline. Design your message to resonate with your target audience.

More and more executive job seekers are embracing personal branding

These days, more and more savvy job seekers have some understanding of the value of personal branding. Therefore, they are more willing than ever to do the necessary work.

They understand that, in today’s executive job search environment, many of their competitors have done the branding work. So they also have to leverage this strategy, just to keep pace with them.

Below you’ll find some of my basic personal branding worksheet, similar to the one I use with my clients.

My Personal Branding Worksheet

1.  Who is your target audience?

Determine what kind of work you want to do (job position and industry). Then identify which companies and organizations will afford you the opportunity to work your passion. Determine what hiring decision makers in that field are looking for in candidates.

In addition, research your target list of companies. What current challenges of theirs are you uniquely qualified to help them with?

Create your personal brand messaging around the keywords and content that will attract them. Further, find out where those decision makers hang out. Position yourself in front of them. Capture their attention and stay top-of-mind with them.

Most importantly, as you do this worksheet, keep your target employers in mind. Which qualifications of yours align with what they need?

Consequently, this will lead you towards employers who are a mutual good fit. These are the employers who will benefit the most from your expertise. They are the employers who will bring you career fulfillment.

2.  What are your vision and purpose?

Look externally at the bigger picture of your vision for the world. Look internally at how you might help the world realize your vision.

Think about one world problem you would like to see solved. Consider one area of life that you want to see transformed or improved. This is your vision. What role might you play in making your vision happen? This is your purpose.

3.  What are your values?

Your values are your guiding principles – things like:

Balance, being the best, agility, calmness, challenge, decisiveness, perseverance, drive, honesty, integrity, pragmatism, sensitivity, structure, teamwork, sharing, vitality, zeal

Knowing your top values helps you choose employers whose values match yours.

4.  What are your passions?

What do you most enjoy doing – in your personal life and work life? Think about the activities, interests, or conversational topics that fascinate and energize you.

For instance, your passions make you get out of bed at 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning. They get you talking enthusiastically with others. Think about how your passions converge with what you do best at work.

5.  What are your top personal brand attributes?

How do you define your personality? What words do those around you (at work and elsewhere) use to describe you? Which personality traits define how you make things happen?

Identify 3 or 4 adjectives that best describe the value you offer. Consult a thesaurus to nail the exact words. Your brand attributes may be one or more of these:

Collaborative, resilient, forward-focused, risk-taking, connected, international, visionary, diplomatic, intuitive, precise, enterprising, ethical, genuine, accessible

Get the Full Worksheet to Define Your Personal Brand

The 5 steps above represent just a portion of my branding worksheet. The full worksheet covers a lot more ground, with several further steps to help you dig deep and differentiate your unique value proposition.

I’m offering the full personal branding worksheet . . . the actual proprietary worksheet I use with my clients to help them land jobs they covet and deserve.

Along with the full personal branding worksheet itself, you’ll get:

• Information on how and why branding works
• Strategies to put your brand into action
• Dozens of DIY resources and tips to help you write your own resume and LinkedIn profile.

In all, you’ll get 20+ pages of content to define, differentiate and communicate your personal brand.

Get my full personal branding worksheet (with all the extras noted above) . . . OR the complete package of my 4 proprietary executive job search worksheets.

Along with the Personal Branding worksheet, the complete worksheet package includes my 3 other proprietary worksheets and so much more:

• Job Search Targeting & Research Worksheet
• Career History Worksheet
• Biography Worksheet
• Numerous resources and DIY tips and strategies to help you land the job you want.

Read about and purchase the worksheets here.