Another Job Search Essential: Your Personal Brand - Part 2

The job market continues to change and so must your approach to finding a job. Personal Branding is the latest key to success for your job search. The market is very competitive and a Personal Brand will help you stand out from your competition.

In this three part series we will cover the what, where, why and how of personal branding.
 What is personal branding?
 Why should I implement branding in my job search?
 How do I identify my brand?
 Where do I use it?

In Part 1, we covered what is personal branding and why you should implement it in your job search. The link to that article is:

http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2011/06/another-job-search-essential-your.html

Part 2: How do I Identify My Personal Brand?

Now that you understand how branding will set you apart from your competition in your job search, you need to know what that brand is.
You actually already have a brand. Hopefully before you updated your resume you inventoried your skills, abilities, accomplishments, values, interests, etc. If not, that is where you want to begin. Your brand is a combination of how you are unique, what you want to do, and how the company will benefit from this.

Ask these questions:
• What am I known for?
• What is my expertise or what am I an expert at handling?
• What do I do better than others and enjoy doing?

You can start identifying your brand by noticing the trend in the things you have done for other companies that you enjoyed doing and became known for.

Picture your boss holding a box that contains a problem or situation. The boss is looking at you and your peers and asking himself, “Who is the best person to take care of this problem or situation?” What is the problem or situation in that box where you are the best person to give “it” to?

The “it” should be something you enjoy doing and you should have at least three separate examples or STARs that support your claim at being good in this area.

Brainstorm

Start to write down ideas that come to you as you review the list of accomplishments you documented. Do not edit the words or ideas; just let them flow.

Once you have jotted your thoughts, verify that they can be supported by at least three separate accomplishments. If what you did was fabulous but you only did it once at one company, that is not your brand.

Then start to form your Personal Brand Statement which is 3-4 lines long. When I am working with clients on their brand statements, I make sure I have a blank MS Word document open so I can type in the various words and use the Thesaurus to see if there are better words that more concisely communicate the idea.

Once you have a tight PBS then find the most powerful concepts to create your brief your tag line (no more than around seven words).

Test It Out

Now try out your personal brand statement and tag line on someone else to be sure it “works”. Ask the other person if your PBS and tag are clear and clearly communicate your audience, your value to the audience, what you want to do, and how you are unique at it. Then share with them the three STARs you feel support the brand.

Next: Where to Implement Your Brand

Now you have two parts of your brand. In the next and last installment you will learn how to incorporate your brand in your entire job search.

*1 For more on STARs, go to

http://rightchangesjobsearchcoach.blogspot.com/2009/06/power-of-your-star-statements.html

By Judi Adams, the Affordable and Successful Job Search Coach. In addition to her coaching responsibilities, Ms. Adams is a keynote speaker and her blog of job search articles are read world-wide. Ms. Adams is about to publish her first book. Stay tuned for more about her upcoming, one of a kind, book about the job search.