Follow my tips on how to uniquely market yourself , get your values noticed and build your presence online!
Getting others to recognise your value and knowing how to effectively market yourself is crucial when it comes to getting the attention of potential employers and standing out from other employees , especially when competing with a big number of employees in the same field and with the same level of expertise as you for a job position.
Why can a strong personal brand increase your chances of getting a job and improve your career ?
According to Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” It's the idea people form about you taking into consideration your behavior, your attitudes , your feelings and the way you talk and express yourself.
In case of a job application , for example, your brand is at first represented by the way your curriculum is written (how concise, structured, well presented, professional it is) and the information that it contains. Although it might show your skills, years of experience, education, languages and personality, there could be different traits of personality, achievements and unique characteristics that won't just fit in a two page summary of yourself and your career, even if you add an executive summary of yourself to it. The same goes at work. Some people might have had brief encounters with you and did not have the time to develop an idea of who you truly are and what you can actually do!
Creating your own brand, not only shows employers, colleagues and recruiters the person you truly are in terms of skills and personality , but it's also a great way to present the unique capabilities, projects and knowledge you have.
On top of that , it also helps you increase your social interactions and amplify your network in case you are planning on building an online presence in places such as Linkedin, personal websites and other social media platforms - which I highly recommend. Making new connections and participating in different communities related to your area of expertise can, for example, increase the chances of a referral for a job and increase your knowledge as you might interact or even give advice for people in the same field.
How can I get started?
Evaluate yourself and know your strengths:
There are a few ways to do it. Perhaps you are self-aware and know them. But if it's not the case - and that is the case of the majority - you can ask friends, your boss and colleagues about what they think your strengths are or do a free personality test. I can highly recommend, for example, The VIA Character Strengths Survey:
Establish your values:
What are values? Values are principles that guide your behavior and the way you live your life. It's important to highlight how you interact with others and what matters to you. It will also keep your brand aligned with your personality and goals. Some examples of values are: honesty, empathy, commitment, discipline, resilience, loyalty, curiosity and so on.
Create a short description of who you are, what you have done and what are your goals:
Even if you are not a writer and not good at defining yourself, you can use a few words to help you write a compelling, attractive, unique description of yourself. Make sure to make it concise and precise, but also to highlight, like mentioned before, your strengths , values, years of experience , exciting projects you worked for or things you have developed within different companies. Do not forget: make sure to use data to quantify your results when speaking about your accomplishments! It makes a tremendous difference for people reading it and it gives them a much more clear idea of what you have already accomplished! Examples can be: number of clients you dealt with in the past, number of projects you worked with simultaneously, increase in profitability or productivity and so on.
Use your story , also on social media platforms. This will set the tone of your personal brand.
Increase your presence online and get noticed!
Here are a few suggestions of channels to get yourself noticed I personally use myself:
LinkedIn:
Not only does it have a great reach, but you can also participate in communities related to your field of expertise or interest, post articles and videos , get comments and connect to people. Make sure your experience is up to date and to write a summary to highlight your unique story and experience! If you have your own website or blog, make sure to post the link there.
Create your own website
You can also create your own website. For that, I would suggest using a website builder first. You can choose your website type, choose from different templates, create your unique brand and choose your target audience. It has the option of blogs, online stores - in case you want to monetize your products or services - and online portfolios (with the goal to display your expertise and experience)
But what if you believe you do not have the expertise of a designer and building a website for you would be too complicated? No problem! Wix has also suggestions of designers you can contact and choose from and they can help you all the way from idea conception with your own suggestion (and their as well)
Feel like writing and sharing your knowledge online?
I can recommend medium.com. It is entirely for free and it's designed for people who like to write articles. It is separated into different categories, has the option of views, likes and offers also statistics so you can have an overview of how well your articles are doing. It does also offer the option to monetize based on the views you get and the plan you choose.
Conclusion
A strong, powerful, unique, well-managed personal brand benefits you in several ways. It enhances your visibility, attracts new opportunities and assists you in your career advancement as well as getting a new job! Creating your personal brand, though, requires a lot of work and discipline. Establishing yourself professionally and maintaining it active and updated, is something that requires regular work and attention. In the long run, it will definitely pay off! It can help you uncover, celebrate, and share the unique abilities you bring.