Your Brand

What is Your Brand?

Your Brand, or personal branding, is how you market yourself to others, including the digital representation of yourself online. Your brand is who you are and what you stand for, including your goals, values and skills. Your brand is the combined sum of everything you are and how you project it to others, whether online or offline.

And people who matter to your future are searching for you online - employers, co-workers, clients, business partners, dates. Personal branding on the web means shaping their perceptions of you by defining your strengths, values, goals and personality and presenting yourself in a compelling, persuasive manner.

If your name is only attached to a single social network like Facebook, your total personal brand online becomes that profile. If you have commented on ten blogs, and have three social network profiles, then the sum of that participation and creation is your brand - how people perceive you.

Developing your personal brand online will attract greater opportunities and help you stand out in your field. Plus, it's fun to see relevant Google results for your name increase as you strengthen your brand.

Why should I care about personal branding?

19 to 30 year olds (Generation Y) live in a new world of work. They switch jobs on average every 18-month job, execute shorter-term projects, and work in a highly competitive job market. Personal branding allows you differentiate yourself and thrive in this fast-paced job market.

Brands are more powerful than you think.

You have the chance to create a personal brand that puts you in a position of power for the next season of hiring.

"There are plenty of people who cut hair for a living. It's a huge category. But I have been with my same barber for nearly ten years. And although there may be cheaper stylists, more conveniently located, my stylist is the only person I will go to. I trust his brand. The brand promise of trust is everything." - Garr Reynolds

Understanding the power of your personal brand will put you ahead of your competition.

The internet lets millions of applicants reach new employers on a massive scale. Today, standing out rarely happens without developing, packaging, and communicating your brand.
Your goal is to avoid being just another face in a pool of applicants. You need to employers to believe that you are the best solution to their problems.

If you aren't branding yourself, others are branding you.

Shouldn't you have as much as control as you can over your reputation? Shouldn't you have some power to shape the perceptions people have about you?

Nike spends huge amounts of money to influence what people think and feel when they see its logo. That's corporate branding.

Personal branding means thinking about yourself as a company. What do you want people to think and feel when they hear your name?

Brands give us mental shortcuts.

Brands tell us who we're dealing with and set expectations about the quality of goods offered. So keep in mind that everything you do shapes your personal brand: your language, your appearance, your web presence and your physical behavior.

Ask yourself right now: Is the image you're projecting today the one you want to be represented by? Are you even projecting an image at all? Are the pictures of you funneling beer on Facebook really promoting the image you want?

Learn to stop letting your brand manage itself.

If you aren't proactive, you'll have no say in what your brand stands for. It's dangerous to sit back and let others make assumptions about you. You need to be taking an active role in shaping the mental real estate of those who determine your future.

Employers need to know: Are you credible? Can I trust you? Would we get along? And 80% of employers search for their applicants on the web. Your online presence will answer their questions, solidify your brand and put you in the driver seat. Then where you will drive is up to you.

Resume Resources

We've had so many requests for certain resume-related items that we've put them here for you. Since a strong resume is such an important touch-point for your personal brand, we suggest you check these resources out and see if you can benefit from them. They are Functional Summary Resume Examples and Blank Resume Forms Free.