“it’s a difficult era in which to be a person,just a real actual person, instead of a collection of personality traits selected from an endless automat of characters.”I’ve always admired this quote from Gone Girl.It is indeed a difficult era in which to be a person,an original being,to be distinguished among others.After all,that is what we all are seeking and the ultimate purpose of our life;to be recognized out of the millions of faces out there.And in the world of business,this can be crucial.
This is where personal branding comes in.According to a Forbes article ” With the proliferation of social media and the gig economy, it has become essential for everyone to embrace personal branding.” you may be wondering by now “what is personal branding exactly?”.Well,as Jeff Bezos so notoriously put it “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”It is according to Caroline Castrillon “the unique combination of skills and experiences that make you who you are. It is how you present yourself to the world”. It is, in a nutshell, knowing how to market yourself.
“So what?” ,you may ask. Basically,With all the people that are graduating everyday and the surging numbers of qualified candidates with impressive,sophisticated degrees and quintessential resumes.Combined with the relatively small number of positions the job market has to offer,not everyone is bound to find a place.Therefore, recruiters are becoming more picky with time,and are starting to rely on new ways of assessing possible employees.Notably,through their personal brand.more often than not,employers are googling candidates to see if they are fit for the position or not.”70% of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process, and 43% of employers use social media to check on current employees” a 2018 CareerBuilder survey found.This is also due,in part, to the fact that recruiters try to save their companies money and time by relying on applicants’ branded resumes.Allowing them to skip interviewing and the rest of the hiring process.
So,your online reputation is becoming a key player in your job hunt.According to careercast.com “The best way to land your next great career opportunity or advance your current career track is through personal branding”.that is because “Personal/Career Branding is the “great differentiator” in job search”.
The question that remains now is “how can I work on my personal brand”.Well,you can start by what a research paper called “Personal S.W.O.T Analysis”,get to know yourself.You can’t differentiate yourself if you don’t even know who you are.So,delve into your skills, abilities, knowledge, talent, personality,strengths and weaknesses and ask others for feedback.To scale your brand,see what people who work with you have to say about you.it is vital that you emphasize your knowledge, experience and skills.This is feasible through the personal branding statement.The latter allows you to highlight your unique value proposition.So,you should identify a target market for your message and highlight your personal skills and knowledge. You should be authentic and demonstrate your abilities online.Be consistent and maintain the same image on your social media,and try to remain professional,as studies have found that unprofessional behavior and appearance on any type of social media site can hurt a career.You can promote your personal brand through blogging, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, Quora, Slideshare,podcasts, wikis, and videocasts,etc.. But it’s important to focus on LinkedIn,as it allows you to showcase your skills and knowledge professionally.If you are into storytelling,you should totally use social media to share your stories,knowledge and experiences and create a narrative that captivates your audiences,but one that is true.As you can see, social media platforms have all been trying to jump on this storytelling trend,so take advantage of that.
Personal branding is essential to emerge and bring into light your knowledge,skills and uniqueness.It is something we should all work on.And with the ongoing pandemic,and us all being home with plenty of time on our hands,now is the perfect time to work on our personal brand.
Ps: I am in no way an expert on this matter,I just attended a training course on personal branding and became interested in the topic.The vast majority of this piece comes from articles and research done by others.
Sources:
https://www.careercast.com/career-news/importance-personal-branding
the hopeless wanderer 