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I’m sure by now that many of you heard about the concept of branding. You are told that you have to do it and where to do it. No one really tells you what it is and how to create your brand both on-line and off-line. I will introduce you to some concepts of personal branding that you can use on social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, as well as by having your own blog.

What is Branding?

Let us start off by examining what branding is. Branding is simply how you are perceived by others. Companies spend millions of dollars each year in advertising to try to create a certain image for their product. We know the constant barrage of commercials trying to create a favorable image emphasizing the quality of the product and associating the product with popular causes and famous people. On the personal level famous people have public relations professionals who find ways to get them publicity through personal appearances and being mentioned in the media to build their brand.

Branding and the Job Hunt

When looking for a job, branding comes into play in several areas. First, you have to create a favorable image on your resume. The resume should highlight your key competencies and examples that demonstrate that you have those skills. Second, you have to develop a pitch which creates an image to others that you have these skills and abilities. Finally you have to convey these competencies in compelling way on a personal interview. How do you begin to become aware of your personal brand? I have some exercises that will help you get started.

1. Write down three personal attributes that you want to others to be aware of about you.
2. Ask people who know you best to write down what they perceive as your top three attributes or key skills. How close do people perceive you to the way you want to be perceived?
3. If there is a mismatch, what do you need to do to change their perception of you?

Branding and Perception

Changing how people perceive you is a tricky proposition. You may be perceived with one group in a very positive way, but not with another. For example, your peers may perceive you as a great friend, fun loving and easy to get along with. But, these same dominant attributed may not be seen as positive by others who are evaluating you for a leadership position. So, if you are presenting yourself, for a higher management position, presenting yourself as strong and decisive may be important, thus the brand you try to project needs to developed to be in sync with your goals and aspirations. The help of a skilled image coach could help you. This is where 360 comes in, with a pool of experts in almost every professional field, ready to help you with its one on one Career Action Planning.

What Makes a Brand?

Let’s look at what makes up a brand. I will borrow heavily from a book “Be Your Own Brand” by David McNally and Karl Speak. A personal brand is what we are committed and what we stand for. It has to do with how we present that to the outside world and how we communicate our beliefs and abilities to people through what we say and our actions. When we are looking for a job we try to build our brand through our resume and our self presentation. Self presentation on a job search is what we say to people we meet during an event, friends and a one on one informational and contact development interview. It is also involved in what we write in cover letters and what we write about ourselves on on-line social media.

There are three characteristics of a strong brand:

1. Distinction

   First they are distinctive. That is there is something unique about that brand that differentiates it from other brands. Too many resumes read like job descriptions. They are boilerplate. When I read these resumes that people bring into me I apply the “so what” litmus test. When I say”wow!” then i know that it meets the distinctiveness criteria.

2. Relevancy

   The second criteria is that it is relevant. Other people have to consider it important. What you say about yourself must be in line with what is needed in the job market right now. So if you waited on tables or were on the events committee of your sorority, does that make a case that you will be a great financial analyst? Get rid of things that are irrelevant on your resume. Fill the resume with items that demonstrate your competencies as it relates to the job you seek. You can find out what is relevant through talking to people in your field, either through one on one or events networking. Find out what are the hot buttons in your profession or industry an address them in your self-presentation.

3. Consistency

   The third characteristic of a strong brand is consistency. The same message should be on all your resume, on line social media and in person. Successful politicians were able to deliver a consistent message throughout their campaigns so that voters got feeling as to what to expect from the candidate. You need to build a consistent message of competency in your field. When you put together your profiles on Linked In, Facebook and Twitter be sure you are delivering the same message. The personal pitch you develop for your networking and job interviews should be the same that is on your resume and social media portals.

Please consider buying this book: “Career Distinction” by William Arruda and Kristen Dixson. The book has a number of guided exercises which help you get in touch with who you are, what you have to offer the world and how to get that across to other people. And don’t forget, when it comes to truly distinguishing yourself from the crowd, 360 is there to get you noticed, and get you hired.

From now and until August 31, 2009, please enter the following promo code – 360Prom25 - when you purchase and checkout at 360JobInterview.com to receive a 25% discount off of your purchase. This discount applies to 1 hour of  Job Interview Coaching,  1 hour of Job Career Coaching or 1 hour of our Resume Coaching Service. Find out more by visiting 360jobinterview.com on our services page: Services & Fees.