Branding long ago expanded beyond the realm of products. Starting with actors and athletes, the concept of a personal brand has crept into all walks of life, popularized by social media and the gig economy. Are you doing enough to clean up your personal brand as you look for that dream job?
The process might be more crucial than you think. One recent survey found that nine out of 10 employers check a candidate’s social media feed. Meanwhile, 75% of companies formally require their HR departments to research job applicants online.
Given the broad use of this kind of fact-finding, it’s important that you shape what employers see when they look you up. That’s the heart of personal branding. With that in mind, here are a few tips to clean up your personal brand while looking for a job:
Define Your Ideal Brand
Before you take steps to clean up your personal brand, decide what it should be. Think about the image you want to deliver to employers. From there, you can determine the specific way you want to communicate your brand.
Here are a few steps to take as part of this process:
- Determine Your Longer-Term Goals
- Think about What Makes You Unique
- Summarize Your Story
- Explain How You Provide Value
Scrub Social Media
Most kids don’t think about their brands. As you proceeded through school and entered the early years of your career, you probably didn’t take your public persona too seriously. However, now that you’ve become more focused on your career, you have to adjust your presentation to best fit your professional goals.
In other words, it’s now time to look at your social media. Once you know the image you want to project, you have to conform your outside-facing presentation with that brand. It’s time to look through the previous content you’ve sent into the world and make sure it fits with your current goals.
Here are a few categories of content you should look to delete:
- Anything related to drugs and alcohol
- Edgy jokes
- Sexual or sexualized content
- Disparaging former employers or coworkers
- Controversial Opinions
Craft Your Narrative
In some ways, creating a brand involves telling a story. Think about your career history up until this point. What aspects define your professional progression? How have you gotten to this place in your development?
Being able to explain these details will help you connect with the kinds of opportunities you desire most. Having a well-crafted career narrative will help you at several steps along the way.
This way, it gets easier to create key documents, like resumes and cover letters. Meanwhile, you’ll also improve your interview skills, letting you stay on message as you answer questions.
Create Targeted Content
Now that you’ve removed potentially harmful posts from your social media feed, it’s time to create content that pushes your career forward. Establish an online presence that highlights your personal brand and showcases your value to employers. Here are a few steps you can consider:
- Use social media to spotlight accomplishments
- Continue to network with like-minded professionals
- Become a thought leader by engaging in industry discussions
- Create a blog
Regularly Ping Your Network
Branding is about communication. In many ways, this means broadcasting your particular message. However, narrowcasting also plays a role.
As part of this, bring your brand into your traditional networking efforts. Connect with your professional contacts. Seek out opportunities, build relationships, and absorb feedback. This will help you improve over time and drive you towards potential jobs.
Contact PrideStaff Bend Today
A personal brand can help you reach your professional goals. A top recruiter, like PrideStaff, can fuel this process as well. You’ll get the support and guidance you need to optimize your career.
Contact PrideStaff Bend today to upgrade your professional development.
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