How to showcase your personal brand in your job search

When you think ‘brand’, you might immediately think of Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, or Microsoft. For example, when you see the large M, you immediately associate it with McDonald’s, right?

But YOU are a brand as well! You are your own personal brand. What are you doing to make potential employers associate your personal brand with YOU?

Highlighting your personal brand to recruiters and hiring managers is an important and sometimes overlooked component to landing your next job. Too often, job seekers simply send out a cover letter and resume, with resume format in Word or a PDF file, and hope for the best.

But in most cases, companies want to see beyond the professional document and a short cover letter. They want to hire a person, not just fill a position. This is where your personal story comes in. If you’ve taken the time to build an identity and a persona through an online presence and connected network, then you can show employers who you really are and what you uniquely bring to the company’s culture.

How do you showcase your personal brand? Let’s find out!

The Birth of the Personal Brand

In 1997, management expert Tom Peters published an article that first used the term “personal brand.” In it, Peters introduced the idea that individuals should do as major brands do: market their individuality and uniqueness. The idea of personal branding for professionals, Peters said, was to better their careers.

The internet and social media platforms became tools through the early 2000s for people to take the idea of personal branding into realms that perhaps even Peters did not envision. LinkedIn, Facebook, and other platforms began to propel professional networking and self-expression into vast landscapes that would eventually have impacts on career development, job search strategies, self-promotion, identity, and more.

Today, personal branding allows job candidates to stand out in a competitive market and is a growing component of the job search and interviewing process. In 2017, a CareerBuilder survey concluded that nearly 60% of managers are not likely to interview a candidate they cannot find online, and 70% use social media to screen candidates.

Make Your Personal Brand Part of Your Next Job Search

So, you’re looking for a job. Now is the time to tell your story. YOUR unique story.

Showcasing your personal brand will separate you from the pack and make you stand out against other job candidates. How do you accomplish this?

Here’s what you should be doing to establish your professional personality and grab the attention of hiring managers and recruiters:

Establish Your Social Media Persona

Social media may arguably be the biggest tool in your toolkit when it comes to personal branding. Remember, almost two-thirds of employers screen candidates via social media.

So, get on Facebook, Twitter/X, and LinkedIn. Create a professional profile and make sure all information is up-to-date. Be sure to indicate your area of expertise. Post often. Share relevant content.

It is crucial, however, to avoid any offensive or profane content or uploading inappropriate photos or images.

Create Your Own Website

Having your own website allows you to build your online presence and your online personality. With your own website, you can expand more and not be confined by any guidelines or limitations set by social media platforms.

Here’s where you can put your personal brand statement. This is typically a two- to four-sentence summary that describes your expertise, mentions a past accomplishment or two, and identifies your particular approach that separates you from others in your area of expertise.

Integrate industry-related keywords and use SEO practices in your website’s content to help boost your site on search engines. This will help recruiters and hiring managers find you more easily.

You should have contact information on your website. It’s recommended that you use a custom branded email address that sounds professional. This email provides the opportunity to interact with potential employers and builds your reputation and legitimacy.

Other details you could include on your website are:

• Education
• Short bio
• Professional training
• Professional certifications
• Hobbies
• Volunteer positions

You can also add video content that demonstrates your public speaking and presentation skills. In addition, you can start a blog that not only showcases your content creation and writing abilities, but boosts your SEO skills and drives traffic to your site.

Network, Network, Network

Just like a successful business is all about location, location, location, so is a successful career dependent on you networking, networking, networking.

Attend conferences, webinars, and other industry events to meet like-minded individuals in your area of expertise. Doing so allows you to widen your audience, which will expand your personal brand.

Networking also leads to getting advice and direction from other professionals and further developing your personal brand. A contact made through networking might lead to a speaking engagement, a freelance role in the development of a project, or recommendations for further contacts leading to a job offer down the road.