Branding yourself
Branding yourself is important at nowadays job market. More and more companies are seeking for good employers via LinkedIn.
It seems to me that branding yourself is important.
Is it necessary? Not yet, at least in Finland, I think. You can still find a job just using job application and your CV.
I
found this interesting article (very American, to me honest) which
tells you how to create a powerful personal brand. I comment my
opinions based on this article.
Sell Yourself: 14 Steps to Creating a Powerful Personal Brand
http://www.salary.com/sell-yourself-14-steps-to-creating-a-powerful-personal-brand/“One of the best ways to articulate your skills, experience, knowledge, and overall worth in today's competitive job market is to create a personal brand that helps you stand out in the crowd. This article explores 14 steps to creating a successful personal brand.”
How to do it?
Step 1: Determine your unique value proposition
“Spend
some time thinking about what makes you different than your peers --
your strengths, your passions, and your goals. If you left your job
today, what would your company and colleagues miss? Know who you are,
as well as who you are not.”
=>I think this is very good advice. In any job interview you need to tell your weaknesses but most important your strengths! This isn't easy – especially for Finns, so it's good to analyze what kind of person I am and also what kind of employer I am.
When I started my study leave I had worked at the same company for 8 years and it was very hard to say was I important to my company or not. But it was very encouraging to see that they really missed me when I was gone.
I tried to make notes for my duties and ways to handle my job, but still when others needed to take care of my tasks it wasn't so easy for them.
I think everybody should take study leaves or other breaks from work time to time – it is very instructive.
Step 2: Find out how others see you
"Ask trusted colleagues, co-workers, and friends for four or five adjectives they would use to describe you. What are you good at? What are your strengths? In which areas do they view you as "irreplaceable?"
=>
I tried this advice and got these opinions:
- Mira is a faithful and reliable employee.
- Mira concentrates and devotes on assigned tasks carefully.
- Mira does her job smoothly and quickly.
- As a colleague Mira is a cheerful, fun and social.”
How encouraging! :)
Of course by 8 years experience you'll find easier ways to do your job, you know your tasks but especially: you know EVERYBODY – your colleagues, subcontractors, clients and so on – and that makes everything so much easier. You don't have to start from the scratch.
Step 3: Identify your goals
“Where
would you like to be in six months? One year? Five years? Ten years?
Defining your goals is necessary to crafting a message that helps you
reach them.”
=>
This
advice I find also very good. I have heard that when you dream of
something you also take steps to get what you dream of, and finally
you can see yourself living in your dream, your dreams have gone
true.
If
you set goals that are specific and if
you set the target that is realistic – you
will get it.
Aphorism says:
“By choosing our path, we choose our destination.”
Step 4: Identify your target audience
“Just
like Starbucks knows that their target audience is coffee drinkers,
you need to define to whom you want to send your message. This will
not only help you hone your message, it will help you deliver it to
the right places.”
=>
Well,
yeah – true. For example if I wanna start a blog I need to start by
thinking who would read it.
Step
5: Reorganize your priorities
“You're
probably used to putting yourself behind your company, co-workers,
and clients. You still want to be loyal to these groups, but be loyal
to yourself, first.”
=>
This
is so true! I have always been too humble.
I don't want to bring
myself up – sometimes it's good but sometimes you just need to take
the credit of your good job. How could your superior find you
irreplaceable if you don't let your strengths to see?
Step
6: Pay attention to the details
“Everything
you do ultimately contributes to your personal brand. Once your brand
has been defined, make sure that the little things -- the way you
dress, your body language, how you behave with co-workers, the emails
you write -- are consistent with your brand message.”
=>
Once
again, of course true - for example - if you are at job interview.
At daily job I don't know how much time do you have to control
everything? A little bit unrealistic? Step 7: Update your resume
“Go
through your resume to determine it gels with your brand. Ensure that
your resume accurately defines who you are, and is in line with both
your short-term and long-term goals.”
True.
It is important (for example) that your LinkedIn profile is updated. It
gives a poor impression of you, if your
data is very outdated.
“Set
up accounts at social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Ask those in your target audience to subscribe to your pages, and
update on a daily basis. Make sure your updates are germane to your
branding message.”
=>
Hmmm...
a little American way...
Yes,
it's important to be active at social media and via Twitter, Facebook
and LinkedIn you can find interesting job opportunities, but to “ask
my target audience to subscribe my pages”, I think this is little
too much.
Step
9: Build your own website
"Your
website should highlight your professional accomplishments, your
skills and knowledge, what you stand for, and your overall value.
Make it primarily about you, not your company or clients."
=>If I am a politician or wannabe-politician, then OK, but if I'm just one Mira from Turku – I don't think so. :)
Step 10: Blog
“Platforms
like WordPress and Joomla make it easier than ever to promote
yourself to your target audience. Commit to posting a couple of times
a week on topics that your audience will find interesting and
educational, but that also highlight your unique skills and
experience.”
=>True – you can write a blog of your interests, your hobbies, your studies – and that's what we practice now!
Step 11: Get published
“Write
a book, contribute to industry publications, or simply update the
content on your own website. Being published is an ideal way to
promote yourself as an expert in your field.”
=>
Good advice – but a little overwhelming for me..
Step
12: Go offline
“Be
sure to promote your brand in person, too. Join and participate in
industry groups, give talks at conferences, or offer to spearhead a
large project that highlights your unique talents.”
When
you have reached a high enough
position,
you
usually
get to give speeches at
conferences
– but
at my position, this
is not an issue yet.
In any case, live performance is what matters most. You can tell everybody how important person you are on-line, but face to face encounters are most valuable.
“Be
sure to keep co-workers, colleagues, clients, and friends updated
about what you are doing. Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool,
and what the people in your network say about you will ultimately
have an effect on your brand.”
On LinkedIn's
Skills & Endorsements is
based on the
idea what people in your network say
about you. You should keep LinkedIn
up to date!
Step 14: Review your brand (and how you portray it) frequently
“Are
you portraying your brand in a way that's concise and easily
understood? Is your brand message consistent among all platforms? A
regular review will ensure your message remains clear.”
=>
A
good summary! Clear, simple message is important at all
communication.
It
is worth to re-write your CV time to time.
