The Watercooler

How to Build a Personal Brand and See Green

 

Looking for a great new job?

Opportunities are certainly plentiful, but you should still do everything you can to differentiate yourself as a standout candidate.

One of the best ways to gain recruiters’ attention (in a good way) online is by building an unmistakable personal brand. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, here’s a quick 101:

What is a personal brand?

When it comes to marketing yourself professionally, it’s helpful to think of yourself not just as a person, but as a brand. Your target audience is comprised of potential employers, and the product you’re selling is – you guessed it – you!

A personal branding statement is a concise (max 30 words) overview of the distinct benefits and/or value you offer an employer. Commonly referred to as a Unique Selling Proposition (USP), your branding statement communicates:

  • Who you are.
  • What you do, for whom, in a way nobody else does.
  • The most compelling reason to hire you.

Sound like a tall order? It is. But taking the time to create and promote your personal brand pays off in spades during your job search – helping you to position yourself as the ideal candidate in a potential employer’s mind.

How can you build your personal brand – and see more green?

Define your USP.

  • Start with some introspection, considering: how other professionals would describe you; your strengths and weaknesses; your ideal job and career goal; and things you can offer an employ that others cannot.
  • If you need help writing your branding statement, a quick online search will yield excellent examples you can use for inspiration. Just be sure to make yours uniquely you.

Weave your USP into your job search arsenal.

  • Work your personal brand into your social media profiles (Facebook and LinkedIn have prominent places to display your USP), resume and more.
  • Build your brand by getting active in places recruiters are likely to search for candidates like you. Here are a few ideas to try:
    • If you’re a good writer, publish articles on LinkedIn and then link to them from your Facebook account (be sure you have your privacy settings correctly set up).
    • If you’re not a confident writer, you can still strengthen your brand and build credibility by posting relevant content, links and news.
    • Search industry forums and communities for questions related to your area of expertise. Pose well thought-out responses, and/or links to other content which may answer the question.

Strengthen your web. Anytime you post, share, answer or engage, include links to your email address, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, professional website and any other social media you use in a professional capacity.

Use common sense. If you want to successfully build a powerful personal brand, keep these pointers in mind:

  • More is not always better. Start small on a few platforms you can manage. Post consistently, but do so only when you have something of real value to share.
  • The internet is forever. Maintain your reputation online, egosurf and manage privacy settings to keep your business and personal lives separate. And as a rule, never argue online or post inappropriate comments.                         

Looking for great jobs? 

PrideStaff has them. As a national staffing service with offices from coast to coast, we have thousands of job opportunities available with leading employers. Want to check out our brand?  Start by searching jobs with PrideStaff here.