Thursday, December 19, 2013

Are You Managing Your Personal Brand for Success?

Are You Managing Your Personal Brand for Success?

If you think brands are the exclusive property of companies, think again. Your "personal brand" might be the difference between finding the job of your dreams, or spending years in career limbo.

In order to make the most of my Calgary resume writing services, perform a little due diligence on your end to bring personal brand in alignment with you...r resume or CV.

Understand the Term

Personal brand does not mean you need a logo and a colour scheme, what it means is that you are comfortable being who you are and are confident enough to share yourself boldly with the world.

Comprised largely of perceptions of who you are, a personal brand is an amalgamation of:

• Your online presence
• Track record
• Personality
• Appearance
• Interests

Understanding the state of your personal brand is as simple as running your name and province through a series of online searches. Results will be similar to those that a potential employer sees. As you analyse, put yourself in the shoes of a recruiter and look for anything that could throw up a red flag, for example, something that is inconsistent with your resume.

Why Personal Brand Matters

Along with your resume and cover letter, various bits of information lingering in cyberspace come together to create a sketch of your personality and attributes. They result in first impressions that can determine whether you will get the opportunity to compete for a position.

Personal brand also matters while employed, especially if you have a prominent position or work with a reputable local company. For example, if you hired me to be your resume consultant in Calgary to help you land a senior-level sales position for a local printer, you would want your personal brand to reflect your passion for print. You would not want to focus your personal brand on electronic media and marketing materials.

Showing you are comfortable with yourself is one of the most beneficial aspects of managing your personal brand. To many recruiters, this level of confidence can be irresistible. Your personal brand can be an excellent way to share interests, opinions, and the ways you are preparing for the future. Those pieces of who you are do not normally come through on a formal resume or CV.

Managing a Personal Brand

Define how you want the world to see you. Do you want to be known as a conservative professional who studiously gets results or do you want to be seen as a gregarious marketing professional? Each of these types of brands has different needs.

Next, look at what is publicly visible on Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn. Each platform offers some control over how your information shows in search results. Account settings in Google and Facebook can control privacy and search engine visibility. The 'public profile' is what LinkedIn shares with search engines. Modify visibility to meet your needs, and delete content that is contrary to the image you wish to portray. Finally, update your profile pictures to display a professional headshot and proceed with a smart strategy about what to post.

Allow your personal brand to develop with you, naturally. As you learn new things and take on new interests, share your findings. Be proud of the steps you take to improve and advance, even if it is in contrast to something you did before.

Bringing your resume in line with your personal brand is also especially important if you are in search of a new position. As a certified professional resume writer in Calgary, I can help identify how to bring your brand to life with a professional resume. Please feel free to contact me today to discuss your goals and timelines.

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