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Brand to the Beat of a Different Drummer

In today’s job market, job seekers inevitably want to get hired and are constantly seeking new and unique ways to brand themselves so to stand out from the crowd. However, with so many professionals trying to establish their personal brands off and online, it may seem that it is becoming increasingly challenging to stand out and get noticed in one’s industry or area of expertise and interest.

I reached out to fellow job seekers and career experts for effective personal branding tips that could help you distinguish yourself to your chosen and targeted audience of employers, and here are some top tips that I compiled to share with you today:

Learn or Master a Skill

Focus on your area of expertise that you want to be known for. Stick to what you’re good at, and then make it even better it. How? For starters, don’t do what everyone else is doing. Don’t go to the local non-profit organization and volunteer your time, joining its marketing team to end up doing whatever task comes your way. Take control of the direction of your marketing project. Go online, research, and commit to learning one new focused skill; pick a skill that increases your value in your expertise. This is your new job for now. Really commit to it, and spend the time it takes to learn it. Master it. Then, go to someone in your target audience, and offer that skill to them to solve a problem. Show them how you can help them; offer them your solution. Make it the best. Wow them with it. - Maren Finzer, www.marenfinzer.com

Write a Book

I’ve been lecturing and writing about careers for quite a while now and the best branding advice I can give is this: write a book. Or, an e-book at least. Choose a unique title to enhance your branding efforts. Include the e-book when job-applying online. Ideally, you can afford to have an actual book printed and can include it with your resume when you’re being interviewed in person. Don’t let the idea a writing a book deter you-books nowadays don’t fit the traditional definition. They can be a collection of blog articles. Or, short manuscripts. (I’ve been some that have fewer than 30 pages, some of which contain a simple quotation.) You could even outline the knowledge/expertise that brands you and hire a ghostwriter. - Marlene Caroselli, www.caroselli.biz

Plan an Event

Plan a local event for your industry. Sounds crazy, right? With the popularity of “un-conferences” growing, it’s possible for anyone to plan an event for their industry. Local project manager Jason Brett planned ProductCamp Atlanta. He recruited sponsors to pay for the food and facility. He invited everyone he knows in the industry. 200 people RSVPed for the free event and 185 people attended. It was held on the Georgia tech campus, which provided ample parking and free wireless access. Jason used consistent branding for himself and for the event – so that his name became well-known throughout the community. Jason received a job offer within 30 days of the event. - Brandy Nagel

Use Video

Because personal branding is just that -personal- one of the most effective tools we teach our clients is to allow potential employers (or customers) that “VIP-Access to get to know you” via use of video. We encourage our clients, for example, to produce a 6-part series of 60 second videos sharing relevant information to not only show their expertise, but also to allow others the chance to understand their personality and build a following. Potential employers start to like you before you’ve even met face to face. Suddenly, you are walking into an interview where everyone has already watched your carefully built You Tube channel and vlog posts (they watched it while you slept) and they feel like they know you. You are a friend on their doorstep, while the other candidates are strangers they’ve never met. And you know the rule about that. Never talk to strangers. - Aly & Andrea, www.AlyandAndrea.com

Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this wealth of personal branding insight!

Chris Perry is a Gen Y Brand and Marketing Generator, a Career Search and Personal Branding Expert and the Founder of Career Rocketeer, the Career Search and Personal Branding Blog.

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5 Day Plan to Take the Personal Branding Plunge

Many job seekers find themselves plunged into the world of personal branding by default. You need to find a job, so you have to market yourself.

But many of those job seekers have never had to conduct a real job search before. Maybe you’ve had a corporate job for 15 or 20 years, or maybe you’ve had a series of them but have always been recruited into your new role. It’s entirely possible for a person with an advanced career to have never written a resume.

So if you find yourself building your personal brand from scratch and it’s gotta get done now, here’s a 5 day guide to creating a professional presence that will get you a job.

Day 1: The necessities - Resume, cover letter, elevator speech. These are the three things that you must have in order to successfully search for a job. Truthfully, you should be using the elevator speech first and much more often, but this order - resume, then cover letter, then elevator pitch - is a common procession for putting together the information. Don’t go crazy with your resume at this stage. Find a good reference, and go from there. If you don’t have a resume, build one from scratch. If you do have one, spend the time updating and targeting it for your next role. Write a good, basic customizable cover letter. Then, develop a 30-second speech that tells people who you are and what you have to offer in a professional, compelling way. Sure it’s good to have a good finished product here, but remember that this process will help you prepare for future networking and interviews by reminding you of the great things you’ve done in the past. The process is just as important as the result.

Day 2: Develop a networking plan. The old adage is that “people buy from people,” and it’s just as true in hiring. People hire people, not resumes. So while the resume is an important tool to support your efforts, you’ll get a job much more quickly if you can get a lot of face time. On Day 2, make a list of all your options for networking, including professional associations, general networking groups, faith-based organizations, meetups, yahoo! groups, social networking and more. Figure out how much networking you can realistically do, alloting time for travel, events, and follow up with each of the people that you meet. Consider moving beyond attending into volunteering or even speaking. Develop a general outline of how you can make the most of your time through events and programs that will support your networking goals.

Day 3: Manage your online image. Google yourself. What do you see? If it’s less than flattering, or if you don’t see yourself at all, make a proactive plan to address the problem. Start a blog on a topic related to your field, create a profile on LinkedIn and other sites that are indexed by Google so that they appear in the search results. Tweet. Write articles and submit them to blogs, article sites, etc. Whatever it takes to get your name associated with your professional work online.

Day 4: Create your brand message. Do you have a tagline? A mission statement? How do you explain who you are and what you do? Work to create various ways to express your value. Have a business card that captures your message. Have a tagline. Revise your online and offline materials to answer the question, “Why should I hire you?” Have that answer ready.

Day 5: Get feedback. Ask people that you know and trust to review your materials, online and off. Make them commit to giving honest, impartial criticism. Enlist them in helping you be the best that you can be. Ask them what your resume says about you, if they find your cover letter engaging, whatever makes sense. Internalize their criticism and make it your springboard for excellence.

Of course, personal branding is not a 5-day effort. Effective personal branding requires cultivation over time. But this 5-day plan will kick start your job search efforts and help get you started on the way to success. Once you’re on your way, just keep moving. Eventually, you’ll get the superstar status that you deserve.

Kristi Daeda is a Success Coach and creator of Career Adventure, a blog which helps professionals in the pursuit of their inspiring work. To receive her free report, 51 Ordinary and Extraordinary Places to Find a Job, sign up for her free Career Kick Start newsletter.

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Brand Camp ’09 Workshop: The Rise of the Brandividual in Corporate Culture - @ScottMonty

Brand Camp ’09 Workshop Description: Scott Monty, Global Digital Communications Manager - Ford Motor Company

It wasn’t that long ago that 30-year careers at a single company were the norm. Today, with fluctuations in the marketplace and corporate stability more questionable than ever, the notion of the company taking care of the individual is but a faint memory. At the same time, we’ve been the recipients of a gift in the way of technology that creates publishers, journalists, pundits and thought leaders of out anyone who puts their mind to it.

This session will explore the notion that the individual and the brand are merging and will raise a number of complex questions:
- In the process of this movement of so-called “personal branding,” how does one begin to balance the personal and professional?
- Where is the line drawn, or does such a line no longer exist?
- What are some key behaviors in a brand representative, and how can those be applied to your business?
- As the brandividual becomes more well known, is the company the greater beneficiary, or is the individual?
- What happens when this person decides to leave the company?

To hear this session, register for Brand Camp ’09. You won’t want to miss Scott.

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Brand Camp ’09 e-Flyer: Early Bird Reg. Ends: 9/18)

Brand Camp '09 - Personal Branding 2.0 Conference (eflyer)

Early Bird Registration Ends 9/18!!!

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Personal Branding: It’s Not What YOU Say.

There’s a lot of personal branding advice out there, much of it really good. There are guides to SEO for your personal brand, The Brand YU Life, how to answer “What do you do?” to support your personal branding efforts, and how to brand yourself on LinkedIn. All of these are focused on what you put out there — your marketing message.

But your marketing message is only one part of a cohesive personal branding effort.

Think of the last time you had a crappy experience with customer service — something you really got your panties in a wad over. How do you feel about that company today? Have you ever considered egging someone’s office? Written a strongly worded letter? Wanted someone fired?

Bet that perspective isn’t anywhere in their brand messaging. But it’s definitely a part of the brand experience.

Your brand is more than a summary of your resume, a polished professional photo and a strong handshake. It’s even more than well-crafted copy and a cohesive online presence. It’s a feeling. It’s a relationship. Where effective personal branding truly comes into play is when you can align what you say with what you are. That’s when you have a strong,
integrated brand.

Do you know what other people think about you? What they perceive as your talents and your weaknesses? How they think you fit into the world? Their estimation of your competitive value?

If you don’t, you’re not effectively managing your brand. Understanding how you’re perceived can help you improve your value, and better understand the value you’re already delivering.

How do I know how others experience my personal brand?

  • Ask. Find a few trusted advisors who might be willing to give you some honest feedback and ask them what they think of you. Try the following script:
“I was wondering if you might be willing to help me with my [business development, job search, etc.] by giving me some feedback. Would you be open to that?”

(Get agreement.)

“Great. It’s really important to me that you feel comfortable giving me completely honest information. Please don’t worry about hurting my feelings. The more direct and honest you can be for me, the more helpful it will be. Just a couple simple questions. First, what do you think of when you think about me?”

(Give space for reply.)

“Fantastic. Thank you. That’s very helpful. One more question — is there anything that you think I can do to improve?”

(Give space for reply.)

The key to success here is to be relaxed, open and comfortable with the conversation. The person you approach may be nervous. So, the more you can convey that the information is both important to you, and also not a big deal, the more likely that you’ll get an open, honest assessment.

  • Listen. Even without asking straight out, there are clues delivered all the time. In what contexts does your name come up? What are peoples’ reactions when you ask them for or offer help? Do people say the same things to you over and over? (“I know you must be swamped” might indicate that you’re perceived as overworked or not open to participating in new projects. “I know you’re the person to go to for X” may show your perceived expertise, or perceived willingness to help.) Look for trends or themes.
  • Notice. What results are coming your way? Are you often invited to participate in groups, or do you seem to be missed? Are you getting new assignments? Is training available to you? Or do you feel like you’ve stagnated? Seeing opportunity come your way is a positive indicator of your brand, and seeing it pass you by is a negative. It’s up to you to determine exactly what part of your brand is bringing success and what is getting in your way.

Take an interest in how you’re perceived, and you’ll learn how to better market yourself.

Kristi Daeda is a Success Coach and creator of Career Adventure, a blog which helps professionals in the pursuit of their inspiring work. To receive her free report, 51 Ordinary and Extraordinary Places to Find a Job, sign up for her free Career Kick Start newsletter.

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