Personal Branding is Not Going Away

Job seekers often focus on highlighting and selling their skills and experience during a job search, but it is also crucial to develop a personal brand to attract the attention of potential employers. Know your worth and express it confidently to help your resume and cover letter set you apart from competitors.

Understand Branding

Your personal brand defines who you are as a professional. You can brand yourself as a committed employee, hardworking staff member or innovative thinker. Your brand also helps define what others expect from you in a professional environment. If you brand yourself as a motivated sales professional with a proven record of meeting or exceeding sales goals, these accomplishments often become a part of your professional identity.

Develop Your Brand

Even if you are fresh out of college and have minimal work experience, you can still develop your personal brand to attract the attention of hiring managers. Establish a presence on social media, and share your knowledge of your chosen industry. Network with people who are in positions you desire, and share articles and posts that are relevant to your area of expertise. Take on internships to develop a professional following and reputation that ultimately helps develop your personal brand as a motivated, innovative or technologically savvy employee.

Highlight your skills and experience by utilizing keywords during your job search. Scour through job descriptions and advertisements seeking employees in your field. Select keywords that are used frequently, and incorporate these phrases into your resume and cover letter. This practice might also help trigger applicant tracking software systems when you are applying for jobs in your industry. Ask members of your network to help you develop your application materials to make sure your brand is on display.

Make your brand evident by asking professors, internship supervisors and members of your professional network to endorse you on social media sites, such as LinkedIn. Employers seek candidates who are backed by members of the community and who have a proven record within the industry.

Fulfill Your Brand

Once your personal brand is developed and defined, fulfill your obligations to act the part. If you define yourself as a knowledgeable researcher or motivated sales professional, work hard to live up to this claim. Employers seek candidates who can sell themselves, develop a brand and also fulfill their promises. Demonstrate your worth by putting your skills to work when taking on volunteer work, internships and professional positions to ensure your reputation and brand cannot be disputed.

Think long and hard about how you want to market yourself as a professional. Your personal brand is an important part of who you are as a job seeker and candidate. Build a reputation that prompts employers to seek out your skills and experience to increase your opportunities.

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