The process of developing your personal brand is a responsibility. It’s like signing a contract with you. I am not exaggerating! In fact, a personal brand is one piece amongst others that defines you and helps you find your dream job. Let me share with you Marcus’ story.
Marcus was a Civil engineer for 12 years in New Zealand before he immigrated to Canada in 2012. He lost several jobs to other candidates after the 7th or 8th interview with the same company. I helped him with his brand positioning. He learned what makes him different from others. He learned how to communicate his uniqueness. As a result, he found a job in 6 months in a leadership role as a Civil Engineer.
Steps Marcus followed to develop his personal brand:
1. Self-discovery –Marcus had to answer the following questions: What makes me different from others? What do I want to be known for? What is it about my story that would attract an organization to hire me?
Answering the following questions helped him through his self-discovery: 1) how do I make people feel? 2) How do people benefit by working with me? What words do others use to describe me?
2. Manage his brand – Marcus learned to act and think like his brand. In fact, a personal brand is a trademark. It’s how you want others to benefit to having a relationship with you. It’s a huge responsibility! And don’t kid yourself, it’s not only aligning with your social media, it’s aligning with the total experience of others having a relationship with you.
3. Always dress the part– every move Marcus made either reinforced his brand or violated it Marcus wanted to be known as the best at directing civil engineering projects. His resume reflected that, his interventions on social media also reflected that. EVERY single interaction was consistent with his brand.
What can YOU be doing to announce to the world what your brand is?
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