Do you have a brand? When people meet you or hear your name, what message do they take away?
If this isn't something you think about, you might want to start. Because having the right image associated with your name could be a boon for your career.
No longer is a strong resume all you need to get noticed. Thanks to an economy that's created widespread unemployment, competition in today's job market is fierce. That means you've got to stand out. But more importantly, experts say, you've got to know how to stand out.
And that's going to take some effort on your part.
“You have to realize that you're constantly being assessed,” said Georgia Doran, director of career education for the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. “It's everything you do, everything you wear, everything you say.”
That means there can't be any inconsistancies between what you say about yourself — in person, on paper and online — and what others say about you, including on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
More than 90 percent of companies research a candidate's “electronic presence” during the recruitment process, Doran said, so the message must be uniform.
“It's extremely important that there's no disconnect there,” she said.
Just to be on the safe side, Doran said, it's best to set your Facebook account to private. Also, Google yourself to make sure there's nothing on the Internet that could hurt the brand you're trying to present.
Show off your work
Another way to build your brand is to tout your accomplishments, not just spout off a list of job duties or skills. While a results-oriented resume will help, building a professional profile on LinkedIn — complete with references — or having your own Web site to show examples of your work and your influence will help convince a company of your value, Doran said.
“The company wants somebody who can bring something to the table,” she said. “Companies are selfish. They want as much value as they can get for the least amount of money possible.”
Marketing experts say some aspects of personal branding are the same today as they've always been, with or without Web 2.0. For example, being a jerk in any capacity probably isn't going to get you anywhere.
But the explosion of online communication tools only offers another avenue to build your reputation. You've just got to do it right. So put serious thought into what you're throwing out there, experts advise.
Ross Kimbarovsky, co-founder of crowdSPRING, a Chicago-based marketing firm, advises that people find a niche that's interesting to them and find a way to provide value to someone else interested in the same topic. Be engaging and share useful information.
“Over time, people start to listen to you,” he said.
You can help yourself by being active in discussions on blogs and social networking sites to build relationships.
“As you develop those kinds of online friendships, you do begin to develop a reputation,” Kimbarovsky said. “People start recognizing you as adding some value.”
Pick one name
Another tip: Don't dilute your brand by having lots of different user names on the various networks. Pick one, and stick with it, Kimbarovsky said.
“It's very hard to build a single brand if people call you by 10 different names,” he said.
Winthrop University senior Ryan Drumwright, 22, is trying to build his brand through social networking to position himself as a recognized voice on digital marketing and strategy. Over the summer, he worked at Sony Online Entertainment in San Diego and helped create the company's first social media strategy. He's now interning as a strategist at Social Rocket, a social media marketing firm.
“These days, you are what you Google,” said Drumwright, an integrated marketing communications major. “In order to compete in our current environment, we have to set ourselves apart, stay connected and establish a presence online. I decided to do this through social networking. … People I have never met in real life might not know what I look like, but they know my Twitter avatar and handle.”
It's important to be seen on multiple social networking sites, Drumwright said.
“This lets all different types of people be exposed to your brand,” he said. “My friends on Facebook might not be on Twitter, so to make sure they are exposed to ‘Ryan Drumwright,' I need to make sure I maintain a steady presence on both Facebook and Twitter.
“Multiple times, I have been in random situations where someone who appears to be a complete stranger comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, you're @Ryan_Drumwright on Twitter. I follow you.' It is a thrill for me to meet these people and connect with them in real life.”
Personal branding has become so important that USC will require business majors to take a class on the topic before graduating starting in 2011, Doran said. The school offers the class as an elective now, and students are often surprised to learn of all that goes into selling oneself to an employer, she said.
“You can be like a human computer,” Doran said, “but if you cannot present yourself properly … you're not going to get the job.”
Herald Business Editor Jason Foster's “Biz Buzz” column explores how business issues and trends are playing out locally. Contact him at 803-329-4066 or jfoster@heraldonline.com. You can follow his business coverage at Twitter.com/HeraldBizBuzz or on his blog at heraldonline.com/blogs/bizbuzz.
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