You cannot surf the Internet or read career advice articles without hearing the words "personal brand" Why is a personal brand so important for your job search and career growth?
Well, that's simple - when you can articulate your personal brand, it helps you deliver consistent, clear marketing messages throughout your job search campaign and career development activities. There are great benefits for you when you can quickly communicate your immediate value and benefit to key decision makers and professional recruiters.
The beauty of a strong personal brand statement is that you can use it to differentiate yourself from your colleagues and gain a competitive advantage in the interviewing and performance evaluation process – be creative and include it in your resume profile; transform it into an attention-getting, 30-second elevator pitch; or build upon it to create compelling career success stories in an interview.
Here are a few examples of how you can start with a solid personal brand statement and apply for different uses.
Personal Brand Statement:
Engaging cutting-edge technologies to advance corporate-wide initiatives that expedite manufacturing processes and achieve aggressive revenue growth, cost-cutting objectives, and profitability margins.
1) Used to enhance a professional resume
With only 30 to 60 seconds to catch a recruiter/employer’s attention, you can greatly increase the readability of your resume by strategically placing a personal branding statement along with your title header.
Before:
SENIOR MANUFACTURING EXECUTIVE
After:
SENIOR MANUFACTURING EXECUTIVE
Engaging cutting-edge technologies to advance corporate-wide initiatives that expedite manufacturing processes and achieve aggressive revenue growth, cost-cutting objectives, and profitability margins.
2) Incorporate the main points of your personal brand into your resume summary
Senior executive with broad-based expertise steering multimillion, global manufacturing companies. Strategic thinker able to engage cutting-edge technologies that expedite manufacturing processes, improve internal operations, and achieve aggressive revenue growth, cost-cutting objectives, and profitability margins. Creative leader with proven strengths in P&L management, product innovation and turnaround operations.
Please note: You should not use the exact words in the title header and the executive summary on the same document.
3) Beef up your elevator pitch
If you are using networking as a key component of your executive job search campaign, most likely, you are frequently participating in professional events. When you have a strong branding statement, you can use it as the foundation for building a memorable elevator pitch.
Before:
“Hi, my name is Carl Brown and I am a Manufacturer Executive with 15-plus years’ experience with multi-million, global manufacturing companies.”
After:
“Hi, my name is Carl Brown. As an experienced Manufacturing Executive, I have engaged cutting-edge technologies that helped global manufacturing companies achieve aggressive revenue growth and improve operating cost objectives. Some of the top companies I have worked with include ABC Plastics, Newform Manufacturing, and TechNec Corporation.”
4) Get interviews talking about you
No matter how many doors your resume opens, you will not get job offers unless you ace the interview. Once you have a good understanding of your personal brand, it can help you answer critical questions in the interviewing process. Use it as a base/foundation for developing powerful interview responses.
Interview Question #1: “So Carl, tell me about yourself.”
Possible Answer:
“Okay. As my resume demonstrates, I bring over 15 years’ experience in P&L management, product innovation and turnaround management. Throughout my career, I have been repeatedly employed cutting-edge technologies that expedited manufacturing processes and achieved aggressive revenue, cost, and profitability objectives for global manufacturing companies in the plastic industry.”
Interview Question#2:
“Why should we hire you?”
Possible Answer:
“I deliver results through technology-driven strategies—in every company, I have integrated cutting-edge technologies and new manufacturing processes to propel aggressive revenue growth, achieve cost-cutting objectives, and increase profitability margins.”
Interview Question#3:
If we hired you today, what immediate value can you bring to our operations?
Possible Answer:
I would introduce cutting-edge technologies that would eliminate operational inefficiencies, expedite manufacturing processes, and accelerate revenue growth and profitability while achieve cost-cutting objectives.
5) Power up your email signature
With technology playing an integral part of our lives today, you will be conducting a fair amount of your job search through electronic and online arenas. Use your email signature as another opportunity to sell yourself.
For example:
Carl Brown
Senior Manufacturing Executive
Linking Cutting-Edge Technologies With Manufacturing Operations To Grow Revenues, Cut Costs, & Achieve Profit Objectives
Cell Phone: 806-555-1212
Home Phone: 806-121-8654
Web Portfolio: carlbrown.com
If you have not fully harnessed the power of personal branding, now is a great time to get started - you will not regret it.
By: Abby Locke
Abby M. Locke (premierwriting.com) is a career marketing strategist and leadership brand coach who partners with 6-figure executives and professional MBA women to help them achieve true career mastery and success through cutting-edge, career branded communications, innovative job search campaigns, and proactive career management tools.
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