So, you’ve heard about “establishing your brand” as it relates to your job search, right? Or maybe you haven’t.
Your brand is your own personal mark. It’s your style. It’s what you’re known for. It speaks to the problems you solve and how you solve them.
Everyone has skills, but your brand is uniquely you. As a friend of mine puts it, it’s your competitive advantage because it helps you stand out from the crowd.
One of the most common things the brave job seekers I work with need and WANT help with is learning how to communicate their brand effectively. But guess what…
Before you can communicate what your brand is, you have to IDENTIFY & DEVELOP IT. It’s not something you sorta automatically know one day like it’s your birthday.
It takes thoughtful and intentional reflection. It takes practice. It takes really knowing what matters to you.
It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you need to feel confident in it and your ability to communicate it.
Why? Because if you can’t confidently describe it, you can’t expect someone to know what makes you unique or how you in particular get things done.
And if they don’t know that, they won’t hire you.
But let’s back up a little. What is a personal brand?
WHAT’S A PERSONAL BRAND?
Your brand is composed of your values, your personality, your core skills, and how you wrap all that into a nice package based on themes.
Through your brand, you produce desirable outcomes in your career.
Outcomes that people in your industry (especially hiring managers in your industry) really want.
And since your combination of your values, personality, core skills, and themes is largely unique, your brand will help you stand out.
IF you’ve done the leg work of figuring out what your brand is and how to communicate it.
Now then, let’s take a look at some of the really important reasons why you need to know your brand.
3 REASONS WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW YOURS
Reason #1: More clarity → More confidence
When you know your brand well, you can communicate it more confidently, effectively and clearly. You can clearly articulate what problems you can solve and how you solve them.
Why does this matter?
Because ultimately, a hiring manager mostly cares about whether or not you can solve the relevant problems. If you show that you can do that well, your chances of getting hired go up!
Reason #2: It’s easier for recruiters to identify you
When you’re really tuned into your brand, that’s the vantage point you’ll communicate from. You can gear all your materials and online presence (i.e. LinkedIn, portfolios, etc.) to reflect your brand.
When recruiters go searching for candidates who closely match your brand, you’ll be easier for them to find and classify as an expert in the areas they’re looking for.
And yes, you should be engaging and posting on LinkedIn because, yes, recruiters do use platforms like LinkedIn to find and recruit candidates.
Reason #3: Find better job opportunities
Knowing your brand will help you identify better job opportunities.
If you’re really tapped into your brand, it’ll be easier for you to tell when a job or work environment isn’t really good for you…because it doesn’t match your brand.
The benefit of that is you’ll decrease the risk you run of accidentally accepting a job that isn’t well-aligned with what you want and need. Very useful for combating burnout.
NOW THEN…
So now you know why it’s important to know your own brand.
It makes you more visible. It improves your filter for the right opportunities. It helps people understand the value you bring to the table through the problems you solve.
That last part is very important. It’s a mindset shift you need to make right now if you’re job searching.
And it’s a mindset shift that the vast majority of job seekers NEVER truly make.
They’re constantly thinking like an Applicant. Stop thinking like an applicant if you want to nail your brand and end your job search.
Lemme help.I want you to sign up for a free webinar I’m hosting: Stop Thinking Like An Applicant!
It’ll be Wednesday, February 7th from 5:30pm – 6:15pm PT. It’s a quick webinar where we’ll look at a simple mindset shift that leads to more productive habits, which leads to more job search success: more interviews, more offers, more compensation.
Click here and sign up for free!
Be Gallant Coaching 