How to Brand Yourself in the Job Market
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People spend a lot of time searching for required jobs online. They go through a number of websites, become a member of these and then apply for the job that suits them the best. Still one is not always successful in finding the right job for oneself. This is a very frustrating process that a job seeker undergoes or shall we say an average job seeker. One needs to find a better way of getting more suitable jobs. One such way is career brand or better to say branding of oneself. Now a day’s branding isn’t limited to products anymore. One has to brand himself/herself for finding the best suitable jobs.
Branding can be defined as a promise that states why a product is good and must be preferred over its competitors. It is projection of a positive image through various online and offline activities. In the job market, a job seeker has to present himself in a positive light as confident, well-qualified and self-motivated professional.
A. Harrison Barnes of Hound.com believes that branding is very essential for career advancement. As a result of your branding strategies, employers will be able to know about your capabilities, skills, and unique qualities. For this, first of all, you should be proactive and have LinkedIn profile, a personal website or blog, Twitter account, Facebook profile, and any other social networking website account that will help. You need to state in your profile all the above mentioned points and what makes you different. If you are a job seeker who do not prefer in establishing and building their brand online chances are that you might not get the job you wish to. Today, with Internet being a powerful medium, it has become a necessity for everyone to brand themselves and have web presence.
Good branding or marketing is very much essential. As a good product, if not marketed well, its reputation will be low and people will not readily buy it compared to other products that are low in quality. Same goes for self branding and marketing in the job market. One needs to market oneself well in order to have more good jobs in hand. But here, the “product” is one’s skills and ability to perform the job. Here, the “customer” is the company that recruits its employers.
A. Harrison Barnes also says that a good resume is the best way to promote oneself. Most job seekers feel that their only duty is to provide a resume that shows their qualification and turn up for the interview. They expect that the manager in charge will just see the resume and understand their capability and hire them. People write what wonderful qualities they have but they do not explain how they can be useful to the company they’re applying to. They appear for the interview with the attitude that their qualifications – degrees and certifications, skills, and experience are enough to get them a job. But these days employers go online too know more about the candidates so by having online presence will give a job applicant an upper hand over other candidates.
Building the brand begins with one’s past accomplishments and new experiences. Accomplishments are the foundation for a person’s career brand. But before one starts a new job search, one needs to prepare a plan and focus on what kind of brand one wants to project and also build a strategy around the same. A. Harrison Barnes suggests that one should complete their additional education, trainings or certifications. This will be of great help while branding oneself.
One needs to lean how to promote oneself because just being an amazing brand won’t help find employment. A good brand needs to be promoted. This can be done through a good resume consisting of key accomplishments, education, and skills. One needs to make two portfolios – one online and the second a printed one. One should have a personal website too to let the world know about his capabilities. The portfolio should include all necessary details – samples of work, awards and honors, mission statement, articles and working papers, testimonials and many more.
One needs to have a constant online presence in order to have a strong brand. But one shouldn’t forget to promote one’s brand during the interview. Inform the employer about all your achievements till date.
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