Building Your Personal Brand for Job Hunting

The term ‘personal branding’ may sound odd to many of us. A brand is usually something we would associate with a company, not a person. But building a personal brand is a great way of distinguishing you from other professionals.

It can take some time to fully develop your personal brand, and you may find that over time your personal brand will change as time goes on. Here, we help you develop your own personal brand with five easy steps:

1. Establish Your Identity

The first step in establishing your personal brand is to understand your personal and professional identity. This includes your background, skillsets, strengths and weaknesses, along with your own personality.

It’s also a good idea to think about what makes you different from other professionals in your field. Having a niche to your identity can be the difference between getting noticed or not. This is also known as your USP (Unique Selling Point).

Most importantly, your personal brand should be genuine, and reflective of who you are personally and professionally.

2. Consider Your Audience

Next, you need to consider the type of audience you want to attract – and this determines what platforms you will use to promote your personal brand. Below are some of the main platforms:

LinkedIn is the largest professional networking website and is an excellent starting point to promote your brand. Every recruiter has a LinkedIn presence, and so promoting yourself on this channel is a great way of inviting job opportunities.

Twitter is a great way to connect with your chosen industry where you can demonstrate your own thought leadership. Using this, you can follow relevant people in your industry and engage with them as you build your network.

In certain visual-based industries, a personal website or portfolio of work may be worth considering.

3. Testimonials

You’ve established your identity and decided on your audience and platform presence – the next step is testimonials.

Having a previous employer or client be able to attest to the quality of your work ethic, you can prove the genuineness of your brand. Ask your last employer to provide a recommendation for your LinkedIn page, or to endorse your skillsets.

4. Consistency

Your personal brand is an extension of yourself, so it’s important that you ensure consistency between it and you, online and offline. For this reason, it’s important to ensure consistency across your communications.

If your personal brand revolves around a specific field or topic, ensure that you focus on this niche in your communications. Part of being consistent includes strong activity and engagement levels on your platforms across your industry.

5. Networking

By now, you’ll have a strong sense of self in terms of personal branding. The next focus is to expand your professional circle by networking. This takes place via social platforms like LinkedIn, but also in person too.

As 85% of jobs are filled via networking, the benefits of engaging in networking are clear.

It’s good to work on expanding your online connections with industry peers and thought leaders. But don’t underestimate the power of face-to-face contact, as you may discover networking events in your area worth attending.

Building a strong, personal brand will make all the difference for your professional growth. With this in mind, click here to see our current listings. Contact us at 021 2066 578 or email us at info@aaeuro.com. With offices across Europe, our reach allows us to find the right job for you anywhere in Europe.