Building Your Online Brand

Question:

How can I build an online brand to help me find a better job?

Answer:

Building your brand can be described in five steps:

1. Start thinking of yourself as a brand. How do you present yourself to the world? How do people perceive you? What comes to the minds of people who know you when they think of you? Are you happy with the answers?

2. Define your brand. What are you famous for? What are you really, really good at? What is your nickname and why? What do you do best? What do you like to do? What is your calling / purpose / reason for being on earth? Ask people who know you well what they think. Google yourself; that may prove instructive.

3. Tell your story. Be proud of it. Focus on the positive aspects: your accomplishments, your skills, barriers you’ve overcome. Feel free to brag on yourself; better yet, get others to brag on you. Remember, the rest of us don’t know you. You have to tell us about yourself, and do it consistently. Brands are built by consistent behavior over time.

4. Create your personal branding statement. Think of it as your branding mantra. It can be as short as one word (“Innovate.” “Reliable.” “Expert.”) Or it can be as long as a paragraph. Keep in mind that shorter statements are easier to remember and often have more impact.

5. Tell the world! Now that you know what your brand is, tell everyone you know. Share it with your friends, family, networking buddies, anyone who will stand still long enough. Tell it to American Job Center staff. Make new contacts, especially with people who know a lot of people. Consider creating a website, blog or podcast to show off your expertise. Make good use of LinkedIn and Twitter.

Those ideas should get you started on building your brand, and making the most of the brand you already have.