Discover the Power of Personal Branding
What do Oreos, Kleenex and Justin Bieber have in common?
Each is an incredibly strong brand.
Branding isn’t just for products anymore. Around the world, people from all walks of life – from administrative assistants and engineers to business moguls and celebrities – are discovering the benefits of personal branding. Now it’s your turn. If you’re looking for a job, creating a compelling personal brand can help you:
- differentiate yourself from other job seekers in a rapidly changing job market;
- properly position yourself in a potential employer’s mind;
- increase your visibility and credibility in the job market;
- ultimately land the job you want.
So, just what is a personal brand?
Much like a corporate or product brand, a personal brand sums up the unique benefit or value you offer a potential employer. Also known as a USP (Unique Selling Proposition), your branding statement sets you apart from your competitors and provides a compelling reason to hire you.
Your personal brand should be a concise statement that communicates your:
- specialty (who you are);
- service or skills (what you do and how you do it better or differently);
- audience (whom you do it for);
- most notable attribute (the single most important skill you possess).
Please note that while your brand is designed to influence an employer’s perceptions of you, it should not mislead. Make sure that your branding statement is based on your real identity – who you really are and what you can really do – not just who you want people to think you are.
How do you define your personal brand?
Before you can discover your personal brand, you must know yourself and your audience well. Start by considering:
- how you describe yourself;
- how others describe you;
- your greatest strengths and weaknesses;
- what you can offer an employer that nobody else can;
- what you are motivated by and passionate about, when it comes to work;
- who your audience is (i.e., potential employers and/or recruiters);
- how you would describe your ideal job and employer.
Use these attributes as the basis for your personal branding statement.
How do you write a personal branding statement?
Writing a concise and compelling USP can be the most difficult part of your branding efforts. So don’t worry if your statement isn’t perfect at first. As you move forward in your branding efforts, you can easily update and refine your USP. Just make sure your initial statement is short (30 words or less), accurate, unique and benefits-oriented (i.e., it tells an employer what you could do for them).
If you do a little research online, you’ll find an amazing range of personal branding examples to get your creative juices flowing. Here are just a few:
“Seasoned administrative assistant who organizes office details while implementing efficiency recommendations.”
“Teacher and blogger who inspires passion for business through rigorous, globally focused education.”
“Safety coordinator with strengths in training and program implementation, who helped reduce workers’ compensation claims by 37 percent over a four-year period.”
Discover the power of your personal brand with Snelling Staffing Services. Our experienced recruiters will get to know you as a person – your unique skills, interests and career passion – and match you with the perfect temporary, temp-to-hire, contract or direct opportunity. Contact your local Snelling office today to get started.
