You: A brand worth building

0 Comments

April 3, 2009

Is it worth it to spend time creating your personal brand? A recent New York Times article explores this topic and talks with experts about why it is valuable to brand yourself.

Many people may not have the option to stay in a company without branding themselves to stand out. So, branding yourself actually may help create your own job security, according to the Times.

You should attempt to establish an online presence, but it is up to you to decide where to do that, the article states. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are generally the easiest places to start. And if possible, you should try to monitor what information will appear online when a potential employer searches for your name — professional information is a better search result than photos from a party. But if you are unsearchable online, then you might as well not exist at all, according to the article.
 
“Finding your niche is key,” said personal branding guru and author Dan Schawbel.

He champions a four-step process for this: discover, create, communicate and maintain. By discovering your interests and combining them with your strengths and skills, then creating a portfolio or profile that reflects your brand and pitching it — and finally, updating and supervising conversations, you can successfully brand yourself.

Make sure that your brand is consistent, unique and highlights your areas of expertise as well as past achievements, according to the branding specialists interviewed. The experts interviewed by the Times also suggest networking and becoming involved in alumni associations, as well as being aware of your competition.

View Comments

Comments

No comments have been submitted yet.

Post a Comment

Editor’s Note: Please limit your comments to the specific post. We reserve the right to omit any response that is not related to the article or that may be considered objectionable.

Name:
E-mail:
Comment:
Validation:	Please enter the text in the above image.