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Overview
• The definition of personal branding & its importance to your career
• How to develop & maintain your personal brand• Common personal branding mistakes & how to
avoid them
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What is Personal Branding?
• The process by which we market ourselves to others
– Having a distinct “brand” is not just for companies anymore
• You can leverage the same strategies major companies & celebrities do to appeal to others
• How will you position yourself for success using today’s tools?
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Personal Branding & Your Career
• Helps you stand out among competition
• Makes you visible to potential employers
• Allows you to share your expertise & skills with others
• Helps with professional networking
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How to Develop & Maintain Your Personal Brand
• Follow these steps:
– Determine your differentiation
– Create a plan
– Create an online portfolio
– Create a professional blog
– Develop a core message/elevator pitch
– Leverage networking platforms
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Determine Your Differentiation
• What do you bring to the table that others cannot?
– Write down every skill, characteristic and interest you have – this becomes your “unique you”
• What collateral material will you need to communicate your “unique you?”
– Cover letter & résumé
– Business cards
– Online (& perhaps hardcopy) portfolio
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Create a Plan
• Set goals• Research your social community• Select your brand ambassadors• Manage your reputation• Establish yourself as a thought leader
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Create an Online Portfolio
• Find out if your personal domain name is for sale (firstnamelastname.com). If it is, purchase it!
– Don’t forget to purchase hosting
• I recommend building and designing your online portfolio using a free content management system, such as WordPress
– Bluehost.com specializes in WordPress websites
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Online Portfolios, Cont.
• WordPress alternatives:
– Wix
– Weebly
– Webs
– VisualCV
– Carbonmade
– DoYouBuzz
– FigDig
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Online Portfolios, Cont.
• On the homepage, include a welcome message to visitors – this can be a similar, more generic version of your cover letter
• Create separate pages:
– Where visitors can download your resume in PDF format (iPaper is a good app for this)
– For your actual portfolio items
– Linking to your professional blog
– With your contact information
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Online Portfolios, Cont.
• What to include in your portfolio:
– Case studies (problem, solution, results)
– Class projects (if still in school or a recent graduate)
– Volunteer/internship work
– Professional testimonials/recommendations
• Remember: Always get approval from your current/previous employer before posting anything online!
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Create a Professional Blog
• Select a topic or niche to write about
• Decide on your posting frequency & stick with it
• Admit upfront if you are not an expert
• Write interesting content – and write it well
• Follow & comment on other blogs
• Promote your blog
• Don’t be afraid to be wrong
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Develop Your Core Message
• Your core message (or elevator pitch) should be a short sound bite where you explain who you are & what you’re seeking, including:
• Typically 30-60 seconds or 150-200 words
• Keep it short & concise in order to hold your listener’s attention but share enough info about yourself
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Develop Your Core Message
• In general, your elevator pitch should consist of:
– Your name (if meeting for the first time)
– Current status (student, entry-level professional, etc.)
– What you seek (internship, full-time job, etc.)
– Your unique selling points
– Qualifications
– Passions
– Call to action
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Leverage Networking Platforms
• Become a follower
– Seek out recruiters & hiring managers on Twitter & follow them
– Contribute to the conversation
– Any opportunity to converse is an opportunity to impress
– Extra Reading: Are You A Fan? How Following Companies Will Get You Hired
• Share relevant content
– Update regularly to stay in people’s feed & be top-of-mind
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Networking, Cont.
• No matter where you meet someone, the only real way to bring them into your network is by keeping in touch
• After your first meeting or encounter, follow-up!
– Ask him/her out for coffee
– Send a quick email with an interesting article
– Connect with him/her on social networking sites (if you haven’t already)
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Networking, Cont.
• Master the “art of the ask”
– Smart networkers know the strategies for determining what to ask for, who to ask & how to ask for any goal they want to achieve
– Help can come almost immediately if you’ve laid the groundwork correctly
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Common Personal Branding Mistakes
• Not taking control of your presence – both online and off
• Inconsistency among online profiles & messages
• Outdated information
• Not understanding what makes you unique
• Having an unfocused brand
• Over-communicating
• Essentially “advertising” instead of interacting
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Common Personal Branding Mistakes
• Being negative
– Who would want to connect with you, much less hire you, if you’re constantly negative?
• Being selfish
– Social networking is about creating relationships, it’s not just about you
• Expecting instant results
– Major companies realize that it takes time to create a distinct brand personality – same goes for your personal brand
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Common Personal Branding Mistakes
• Jumping in too soon without a plan or clear idea of who you are
– Know your unique selling points in order to help employers understand what makes you different from the competition
• Lacking goals or a direction
• Only branding yourself “when you need it”
– For example, while on the job search
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Thank you!For more tips: blog.cachinko.com
Join us for our next job seeker webinar on:
April 29, 2011: Little-Known Ways to Build Your Network for Career Success
