It is not easy looking for a job. Where do you start, knowing companies demand high levels of professionalism and performance. It is more than your resume. It also includes your online reputation and the fact that it has to be solid. Knowing how you want to look online as your ‘personal brand’ is a great way to make a reputable impression.
If you are serious about it, building a personal brand take hard work but it’s a strategy that will last forever. Take a look around online and you will see many professionals who have leveraged their personal brand into a larger brand over time, whether their own or part of their employers. This is your platform to build relationships and help open the door to new possibilities.
Ok, let’s get you started on your way!
Get Involved on Multiple Platforms
Be present and active on social media platforms. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram are four of the giants related to promoting your brand. Don’t rush to join every platform out there just to have your name showing only. It is critical that you make use of each platform daily. Consistency is the important word here (you will hear this more often). If you post equally with each platform, you will show strong commitment to your brand. Having a strong profile on LinkedIn with all the checkboxes ticked while posting pics on Facebook or Instagram showing off your hard-partying ways over the past weekend does not do your brand any good. Your online brand has to show consistency (told you, you’d hear this more often) across all platforms. Work hard to build out your profiles to show each as fully and as accurately as possible.
Be Yourself But Use Good Judgement
Find the right balance for you. Yes, you don’t want hard partying to show up, but at the same time an overly professional squeaky-clean profile will make recruiters skip over in seconds. Personal branding requires a set of guidelines to follow as does a professional one.
Ground your profile with a foundation of professionalism. Show off those traits that make you unique. If you enjoy a fun hobby, show it off. If you use colloquial phrases often, don’t try to hide them. The goal is to avoid posting anything that seems incompetent, risky, unprofessional or embarrassing to yourself or others.
Your Personal Branding Statement
The important points to meet here are values, goals and experience. It should be about 30-ish words in length. Pick 1-2 sentences that sum up your values, goals and experience that makes you unique to others.
Quick Wins
- Post regularly and consistently – show you are serious care about your brand; once a day for Facebook and LinkedIn or 3-5 or more daily for Twitter and Instagram.
- Join Groups that share your professional interests – you should show off your expertise in the industry and your engagement to the community.
- Gently reach out to potential connections – follow or connect with as many professionals as you can (as long as you’ve introduced yourself first).
- Be open about your desires – don’t hesitate to announce your on looking for a job. be smart about it though. don’t say “just got fired, who can help me”.
- Be Patient – we told you this will not be easy. don’t expect to see results the next day. this will take several months not days.
- Pick an appropriate picture – we’re thinking you know this already, but it has to be said.
- Unify your social media bios – consistency (theirs that word again) is the key here to show ‘you’ as you want to be seen.
More Brain Food
Information that helps get you hired in your posts (from least to most important)
- Your creativity
- What other people are posting about you
- Professional online persona
- Qualifications supporting the job
Well there you have it. All the information you need to begin. Get started today!!
