WHAT IS A PERSONAL BRAND?

Your personal brand is the practice of creating and nurturing an authentic representation of oneself that is an alignment of who we are, who we want to be, and who we are perceived to be. A personal brand is not only important for entrepreneurs, but for today’s job seekers as well.

In today’s world, your personal brand is represented both on and offline. It is important to make sure that you are always a super-version of your best self. Your personal brand can be a mechanism that allows you to gain control of how you are perceived in the job market. Help yourself stand out from the crowd of job seekers with a strong personal brand! Not sure where to start? Check out these 3 career tips to help perfect your personal brand.

Step 1: Acknowledge

First things first, whether you like it or not, you already have a personal brand. You may not be currently managing your personal brand, but it does in fact exist. For example, every time you meet someone, you are projecting your personal brand. The impression of yourself that you leave them with can have either a positive or negative effect on your reputation. Still not convinced that you have a personal brand? Go ahead and Google yourself. What do you see? Perhaps you see your social media accounts, contact information, or news articles. If you can see all of this information, employers can too! Now that you have acknowledged the fact that you do indeed have a personal brand, let’s move on to step #2.

Best Practices to Perfection:

• Google yourself- You must know where your personal brand stands before you can make improvements. What populates on the first page of a google search can either positively or negatively affect your personal brand.
• Identify your ideal personal brand- think about your unique strengths, values, and appeal. Here’s an additional 7 things to consider when building your personal brand from Forbes.

 Step 2: Manage

Your personal brand may not be where you want it to be. The good news is managing your personal brand is easier than you think. That’s because, you are your own brand! If you don’t like the perception of your personal brand, it’s never too late to change it! Give Google additional content to talk about. You can contribute content to existing websites, share content relevant to your personal brand on social media, build a website, or create videos for YouTube. Here’s a tip to help perfect your personal brand management. Are you not ready to create a wealth of new personal brand-relevant content? Do not fret! You can simply manage the existing information on the web.

Best Practices to Perfection:

• Check and adjust your privacy settings- Only allow potential employers to see what you want them to see. Make sure you are abreast to any privacy policy changes. Most importantly, control what you can. While privacy settings are a great buffer, they are not failsafe. The most efficient way to control what people see is to practice discretion when posting to the internet. Not sure where to start? Click the icons for some helpful privacy policy tips for some of the most used sites:

Step 3: Amplify

Once you have acknowledged the existence of your personal brand and effectively managed it, it’s time to amplify! A personal brand means nothing if no one knows about it. There are multiple tactics to utilize in order to amplify your personal brand.

• Find personal brand ambassadors aka gather strong references for LinkedIn and your resume.
• Walk the walk and talk the talk– you are a living embodiment of your personal brand. You should be a walking billboard for your personal brand.
• Don’t be afraid to self-promote. Whether your goal is to find a job or become a thought leader in your industry, you must share your mission with others. Share your work, let others know you’re in the market for a job, you have to be your own cheerleader.

Best Practices to Perfection:

• Attend local networking events
• Request endorsements on LinkedIn!

Your personal brand can help you stand out from the thousands of fellow job seekers and thought leaders in today’s market. As the landscape of the job market continues to evolve, more employers are actively recruiting candidates for available job opportunities and reaching out through more mediums than ever before. Make sure that your personal brand is consistent, well managed, and ready to be shared with the world! Could your personal brand on social media use a little extra work? Check this out!

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