When you think of a “brand,” many different companies come to mind, like Nike, Pepsi, and Target. However, there’s also personal branding that job candidates can develop and put to use during their job search. With more competition than ever for the best jobs, plus social media added to the mix, it’s more important than ever to have a strong personal brand. But where do you begin? Here are some tips to help.
Why Is Personal Brand Important When Job Searching?
Know what personal branding is.
Personal branding is simple promoting your background, experience, skills, and career expertise in various ways. It communicates to hiring managers and recruiters what you’ve accomplished and what you’re capable of. It also sets you apart from other job candidates.
Develop your brand.
Your background is unique to you, and therefore your brand will be distinct. To develop it and ensure it represents you, think about your core values, what motivates you, what types of jobs and tasks you like best, your strengths, and any unique skills you have.
Once you start to ponder these areas, your personal brand will begin to take shape. You can start to draft it by writing it down and then creating a vision statement that serves as a guide throughout your job search.
Promote your brand.
There are many places where you should be promoting your personal brand. Obviously, your resume and cover letters are places where it should take center stage. However, also make sure you’re bringing it to life on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media sites your industry uses. Use the same photo, so it’s easy for hiring managers and recruiters to identify you.
Some specific ways to promote your brand include:
- Adding videos and a work portfolio to your LinkedIn profile page.
- Making sure your personal Facebook posts are set to private.
- Setting up time each week to Tweet or re-Tweet industry news and reflections.
- Making your own video about a project you want to showcase and uploading it to YouTube.
There are many other ways to develop and promote your personal brand and use it for your job search. The bottom line, though, is to make sure you get started and work toward creating one that’s effective for you.
Ready to Find a New Job?
If you need help in the process or with your job search, Future Force is a call away. As a leading employment agency serving the Orlando, FL, area we can connect you with top jobs and leading opportunities. Start searching now!
