Are you trying to stand out from the crowd in your job search?
The job market has become ultra-competitive. No matter which industry your dream job is in, there’s a lot of competition out there.
Does it feel like so many people are more experienced, smarter and more convincing than you are?
I’ve been in your shoes. In fact, I felt like I couldn’t compete no matter what I did.
Do you want to know how I managed to change my perspective of my own self?
It all comes down to one thing: Personal brand.
You can learn from what successfully branded people are doing that you aren’t. Because personal branding is not a new concept. Have a look at high-profile professionals and celebrities and their managed personal image?
They are developing their personal brand and using it as a long-term career strategy. People in business are getting in on the act, just like what I did to grow as a freelance writer, and so can you.
Just follow this step-by-step strategy to start building your personal brand today.
#1 - Play To Your Strengths What are you good at? What professional skills do you have? What makes you stand out?
Everyone has their own skills and talent.
Figure out what professional capabilities and expertise you have and start building a personal and professional story around it.
Your specific know-how will become your unique selling point.
Put effort into reinforcing that message to potential employers and you will have an honest personal brand to offer.
#2 - Develop Your Online Presence
Resumes and CVs aren’t as important as they used to be.
You should be getting yourself and your personal brand online.
Social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram are invaluable tools for this.
Choose a relevant platform for your industry and create your own professional profile. From here, you can start building a network of industry contacts. They could connect you to new opportunities.
Building a blog or a website is also something to consider. It’s very simple to achieve with products such as Wordpress, even if you don’t fancy yourself tech-savvy.
A dedicated website becomes a shop-front for your personal brand employers can find.
#3 - Know Your Value
Once you’ve figured out who are you professionally, you need to be able to demonstrate your relevancy.
According to the fast business loan experts at Max Funding, employers look for people who can add value to their company and industry. They explain, “you don’t know what the other candidates have to offer, but you know what you do. The small businesses that pitch to us who are successful in receiving funding are able to articulate to us the value they have to offer in their industries, not by listing the failings of their competitors.”
Figure out what you have to offer that’s unique in order to stand out from the 10, 20 or 100 other candidates that have the same qualifications as you.
Know the value you can bring and communicate this to the employer on paper, online and in person.
This will help build your story around this narrative and demonstrate why you’re right for the job.
#4 - Content Creation
Chances are, you have a voice and something to say. Use it.
Start creating content that is both engaging and informative and then share it across your different platforms.
Content comes in many different forms:
Blog posts
Webcasts
Videos
White papers
Twitter chats
Social media discussion groups
People and employers will start to see you as an expert in your field.
Becoming a part of these content communities will give you a chance to build your brand quickly because you will be engaging with people from the same field as you.
#5 - Live Your Personal Brand
A personal brand can do more than just land you your dream job.
It’s incredibly powerful if done well.
Personal branding is most successful when you start to live it. In order to do so, it must be honest.
For the hypnosis experts at Mindset Mastery, it’s important that your personal brand is built on something authentic and this can be built from within. They explain “Unlocking your unconscious mind will help you find your most authentic self. It’s from this authenticity that you will be able to progress personally and professionally because you are living uninhibited from limiting beliefs that are holding you back.”
Whether someone is meeting you on or offline, you should come across as the person you say you are.
What you do and say should reinforce your personal brand in order to generate maximum professional credibility in your dream field.
#6 - Keep Updating Your Brand Content
Brand development is an ongoing process.
Your personal brand should be something that develops and evolves with time as you do.
As you widen and grow professionally, so should your content and personal brand.
In order to remain relevant, don’t let your content ever get stale. This means updating regularly. And using multiple media channels in which to generate it.
Don’t outsource things like your social media if you want to control your personal narrative though. By being responsible for your image, you’ll be able to cultivate a brand in the image you want.
Someone who interacts often on LinkedIn as opposed to posting once in a blue moon will be more appealing to employers.
Ryan Smith is an Australian writer and uni student living in Melbourne. As a Business Management major, Ryan is passionate about business revenues. He also has a love for pets, he regularly takes his pet dog for a walk in the park.