How can I go about developing my personal brand?

The Career Doctor's Cures & Remedies to Quintessentially Perplexing Career and Job-Hunting Ailments

Question: "How can I go about developing my personal brand?"

by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

Of course, I am biased since my background is in marketing, but one of the most exciting trends for workers and job-seekers is the notion of developing your personal brand.

For years now, I have been trying to show you how to use the power of marketing to gain greater success in your career and job-search. And certainly, putting a marketing eye to your cover letters, resumes, and interviewing responses are all important elements, actually establishing your personal brand takes it to a strategic level.

We have all been exposed to brands and marketing since we were babies -- we were fed Gerber baby food, wore Pampers, watched Sesame Street, played with Fisher-Price toys, and so on. As adults, we buy branded products all the time -- many of us choose the name brand over the store brand. Now, have you ever considered why you buy the name brand over the store brand? Probably because you trust the national brand's reputation and feel it will have a higher value to you even though it costs more than the store brand.

Ah, so there it is. That's the lesson you need to apply to yourself. By establishing yourself as a name brand over some unbranded job-seeker, you add value that should result in better job-searches and higher salaries. I really believe that creating a personal brand is one of the hottest trends in career development today -- and it will only get hotter.

You can employ numerous ways to establish and build your personal brand, but the first step is always determining what you want your brand's core value to be. What is the most important thing you offer employers? The next step should be building a complete list of your career accomplishments.

Once you have established your brand and have the proof (your accomplishments) to support your brand statement, the next question is how do you promote it and build upon it.

To promote your brand, I recommend developing a personal (professional) Website... it could be something as simple as an online portfolio (including your resume, work samples, accomplishments, elevator speech, honors, etc.), or something more elaborate that establishes you as an expert in your field. Recruiters and employers are routinely Googling potential job candidates and using social networking sites such as LindedIn -- and that will only increase.

To build your brand, go beyond your accomplishments by showcasing your talents, expertise, and knowledge in your field by writing articles for industry trade publications and Websites, by speaking to industry groups and at trade shows, and by working with media to get quoted by the media.

Some resources that can provide more depth in your branding quest:

Career Branding Tutorial: Take Your Career to the Next Level

Building Your Brand: Tactics for Successful Career Branding

Career Branding: What's the Value of Your Personal Brand? A Quintessential Careers Quiz

This article is part of a series from The Career Doctor's Cures & Remedies to Quintessentially Perplexing Career and Job-Hunting Ailments. Read more.

See a list of all the most common college, career, and job questions -- and Dr. Hansen's solutions.

Who is the Career Doctor? Learn more, read his current career column, or browse the column archives when you visit the Career Doctor's homepage.

QuintCareers.com Founder Dr. Randall Hansen

Dr. Randall S. Hansen is a nationally recognized career and job-search expert. He is founder of Quintessential Careers, one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well CEO of EmpoweringSites.com. He is also founder of MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of Quintessential Careers Press, including the Quintessential Careers electronic newsletter, QuintZine. Dr. Hansen is also a published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He's often quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops around the country. Finally, Dr. Hansen is also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years. Visit his personal Website or reach him by email at randall(at)quintcareers.com.

Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.

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