Personal branding is an overused term, but that doesn’t mean it’s not essential. Personal branding is consciously creating the narrative of your skills, talents, and experience. It is how you claim your expertise and how you want to be seen.
I have found two articles that will help you understand the power of developing a personal brand.
Dorie Clark, one of my favorite business thought leaders, makes a strong case in her article How Women can Develop and Promote Their Personal Brand.
We all know developing a personal brand is valuable since a strong reputation can put you on the radar for exciting career opportunities. It’s far more likely you’ll be tapped for relevant and interesting assignments when your talents are well understood. Sylvia Ann Hewlett at the Center for Talent Innovation learned that cultivating your personal brand is one of the best ways to attract a sponsor — and professionals with sponsors are 23% more likely than their peers to be promoted. Your brand is also a powerful hedge against professional misfortune.
Abbey Locke
Take a few minutes and read the complete article.
By Abby Locke
Your personal brand is the keystone to communicating your value during a job-search campaign. Once you have a clear statement to describe your value to an employer, you can start convincing others to believe it.
Gain a competitive advantage by honing a personal brand statement. Include it in your resume; revise it to create an attention-getting, 30-second elevator pitch; expand upon it through career success stories in an interview and communicate it frequently to others at networking events.
The following examples use the same personal branding statement, which was developed for a manufacturing executive.
I employ cutting-edge technologies to speed manufacturing so companies can grow revenues, cut costs and increase profits.
How best can you use this simple statement of value? While you don't want to repeat it word for word, you can improve your perceived market value by weaving this message into every phase of the job search.
1. Incorporate it into your executive summary
With only 20 to 60 seconds to catch a recruiter’s or hiring manager’s attention, you can draw them into your resume and set the tone in your header and executive summary:
Example:
SENIOR MANUFACTURING EXECUTIVE
Senior executive with broad-based expertise steering multimillion-dollar, global manufacturing companies. Strategic thinker able to identify new technologies that make manufacturing more efficient and revenues stronger, improving profit margins. Creative leader with proven strengths in P&L management, product innovation and turnaround operations.
2. Add power to your elevator pitch
As you network, you'll need a brief, memorable elevator pitch that sells your value, not just your experience.
Before:
“Hi, my name is Carl Brown, and I am an executive with 15-plus years’ experience with global manufacturing companies.
After:
“Hi, my name is Carl Brown. I'm an experienced manufacturing executive who deploys new technologies for global companies seeking efficiency and revenue growth. Some of the top companies I have worked with include ABC Plastics, Newform Manufacturing and TechNec Corporation.”
Career Advice from TheLadders
3. Make an impression in interviews
Understanding the core of your personal brand will help you answer critical interview questions with authority.
Question: “So Carl, tell me about yourself.”
Possible answer: “OK. As you've seen from my resume, I've got more than 15 years’ experience in P&L management, product innovation and turnaround management for global manufacturing companies in the plastics industry. Throughout my career, I have employed innovative technologies to manufacture products more efficiently. That's helped my employers achieve aggressive business goals.”
Once you can articulate your unique value to your next employer, you can leverage that personal-branding message in creative new ways.
Abby Locke is an executive career marketing strategist who partners with senior-level professionals and C-level executives to achieve personal success through cutting-edge, brand-focused career communications and innovative personal marketing/job search services. Get a complimentary copy of her report “Mastering The Executive Online Job Search” at www.premierwriting.com