Yahoo Finance 5 Tips to Show Off Your Personal Brand
We can all learn a lesson or two from website design and corporate marketing experts. In fact, most of the best practices for corporate branding are easily adaptable to your personal brand. You may not be a corporation, but you can promote your talents using the same strategies.
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First, think about what happens when a recruiter reviews your resume. They make a snap decision based on what your resume says and how it's laid out. And when people meet you in person, they also make an instant judgment by looking at your body language and listening to your word choice. What if you could improve the first impression a recruiter or employer has of you? It all starts with a well-thought-out message and a strong personal brand.
Take time to think about what makes you better or different from the thousands of other people who do exactly what you do. Then blend in your personality, motivation, education and experience. All of these elements become part of your unique personal brand.
Experts from Ready Set Rocket, a New York City-based digital agency, and Solodev, a customizable web development platform, share their recommendations on how to show off a personal brand.
Brand yourself with a personal website. A one- or two-page resume is too limiting. Owning a personal website is one thing anyone serious about building a personal brand can do. It serves as a great tool for highlighting your accomplishments, interests and even creativity. "By incorporating a website into your job-hunting arsenal, you are able to wrap your resume and portfolio into one easily accessible space," recommends Shawn Moore, chief technical officer of Solodev. To draw extra attention to your site, include the link to your personal website within your resume header, email signature and business cards.
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Your name is your brand. You don't need to worry about finding a fancy name for your website. Your first and last name are already the most important elements of your brand. Your name hasn't reached celebrity status yet, but it still may get discovered. Many recruiters will search for candidates online, and your name is the primary search term they or an employer would use to research you.
Consistency is key. Colors, fonts and layout should stay consistent on your site and across your social media accounts. This is just one more way someone can pin all the pieces together about who you are. According to Moore, "Your personal brand, just like the major brands of the world, should be instantly recognizable from piece to piece. For websites in particular, the theme you choose should both match your personal brand and meet your goals." If you share any graphics or visuals, be sure you are using the design and colors associated with your personal website.
Personalize your "about" page. One of the many benefits of a personal website is your ability to include information on who you are and what is important to you. There are many ways you may choose to do this, either through a personal narrative or picking career highlights to promote. "No matter the industry, an about page that includes photos or videos puts a face to the name, shows off your skills or interests and helps make a personal connection with a potential employer," says Moore. While you wouldn't want to reveal too much about your personal life, you can share photos of nonpersonal things such as conferences, events or even a special trip. When choosing photos and how you will tell your story, always be sure to have someone double-check your work to make sure it is appropriate and professional.
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Stand Out. "When designing your site, it's important to remember that if you're using Squarespace, Cargo or a similar service, chances are other applicants are doing the same thing and probably using the same template," says Anastasia Kuznetsova, art director at Ready Set Rocket. You need to find a way to differentiate yourself in a way that makes your page stand out positively. "If you're using a template service, this is your opportunity to push the boundaries of what that platform can do and treat its limitations as a creative challenge," Kuznetsova says.
So if you are serious about your personal brand, take some of these actions today and begin displaying the best there is to learn about you.
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