Build The Brand ‘you' - Personal Branding

By Author: Kellie
Total Articles: 26
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Don't click the cross in the corner.

Is anybody else totally sanitised to the bombardment of advertising we get shoved in our faces literally by the second? How many more ‘brands' are entering our personal space with their messages? Even online, how many irrelevant images do we need to wade through before we get to the real meat of a site or article?

How many times do you click the cross in the corner without a second thought to the content or relevance?

Brands and Branding, whilst being very current buzzwords, have always been around us. Our grandmothers swore by ‘Pears' soap, our mothers gave thanks to ‘Oil of Ulay' for their beauty regimes. A shirt from the local football team was a badge of honour in the park or playground.

The examples I give above are the very epitome of the meaning of the word ‘brand'. Trust and custom gained from a quality product and a consistent service. Today we assume branding to mean simply a visual id, a decent logo or a nice business card.

Let's get back to basics. Say you are looking for a job right now. You are not alone. You are the ...
... product.

How are you selling yourself in a busy marketplace? There is a lot of choice for potential buyers right now. Just like those ‘messages', maybe you are getting lost in the millions that a potential employer sees every day, but doesn't really notice.

So think about the ones that DO stand out. What are these ‘brands' doing to catch your attention? If they have been around a while, it could be the experience and loyalty the consumer has for that product that makes them sit up and take notice. If the product is a newcomer, maybe it just made a GREAT first impression.

So, if you are that job seeker it's really time to work on ‘Brand YOU'. It's not just about creating a resume that stands out or an impressive cover letter. It's creating that unique identity of YOU!

It's an amazing ten tears since management guru Tom Peters wrote his seminal article "The Brand Called You." By this point, you should stand out as a well-defined brand the rest of us can sum up in 15 words or less. You've likely abandoned such old-school terms as "employee" or, worse, "manager." You're CEO of Me Inc., reinventing yourself every few years while balancing a series of provocative, fascinating projects.

OR, like most of us, you haven't.

Lets start off gently then. What's your position in the market? At 53, the role of young entrepreneurial upstart may be out of reach for you, but the post of wise corporate sage could be all yours.

Are you trying to attract new ‘business' or cultivate your standing and connections within your current firm? Only you can decide where you are and where you want to be.

Then you need to work on how you might project your brand to potential collaborators' or employers.

The initial impression of us given to many is usually our resume or online profiles. (Don't think you won't get Googled, ‘cause you will!) There are many online resources available to help us project our experience, skills and accomplishments well. A good ‘image' will do wonders for brand you, and help you stand out in the marketplace. In this current climate it really is time to consider your very own promotional campaign.

Kellie Whitehead writes resume tips & related content for ResumesStartHere.Com Free Resume Builder. Resumes Start Here also offers you tools to connect with recruiters.