In my practice working with senior-level executive job seekers to define their personal brand and create personal marketing materials to help them land, I find that many people have a hard time grasping what personal branding really is.
In job search, personal branding is all about differentiating and communicating the unique value you offer your target employers over your competitors.
Differentiate to Stand Out From the Crowd
Your resume, bio, LinkedIn profile and other marketing communications need to make you stand out and above your competitors in the job market.
You need to clearly showcase what makes you a better fit than the rest to help them meet their current needs and challenges.
Many job seekers slip up because they strive for sameness.
They think that, in order to compete, they need to come across just like all the other candidates.
But, sameness won’t set them apart. Differentiation will.
Leveraging the “personal” part of personal branding will help to differentiate you.
[MORE: Creating Your Authentic Personal Brand Statement.]
More Than Simply the Right Keywords
Don’t forget that branding is not just about your areas of expertise, detailed through a list of relevant keywords. Branding also encompasses your passions, values, and driving strengths (both hard and “soft” skills).
Think about the hiring decision makers reviewing and assessing candidates through their LinkedIn profiles (usually first) and other online presence, and then their career documents (resume, bio, etc.).
Even the best candidate can get lost and overlooked in a sea of similarly qualified candidates.
Sure, you still need to reinforce that you possess the required skill sets and expertise specific to your target employers. That’s all about using the right keywords and phrases.
But you need to go beyond these basics. You need to generate chemistry. And you need to make your content a more interesting read than the other candidates. Capture the attention of hiring professionals above the fold, and compel them to read your entire LinkedIn profile, or resume, or biography.
How Do You Differ?
How do you stand out from the crowd and generate chemistry? Give yourself permission to be authentically you.
Don’t be afraid to say things you’ve never seen in a LinkedIn profile or resume. Things like:
I’m a champion for innovative, far-fetched ideas . . . or
I’m not intimidated by unknowns . . . or
I’m all about educating and inspiring teams to become great ‘doers’. . .
Or, whatever describes you.
[I offer these examples to prompt your own differentiating brand messaging. Don’t think about “borrowing” these phrases. You don’t want to copy someone else’s brand. You’re an original, right?]
Here are 4 questions I ask my clients to prompt them to be authentic and define what differentiates them:
What kinds of business challenges do you like to solve the most and why?
How would you describe your leadership or management style?
What do you believe gives you an advantage over those you’ll be competing against in the job market?
What makes you (above others competing for the same jobs) uniquely qualified to help your target employers overcome the challenges they’re facing right now?
I have my clients dig deep, using a tool similar to my 10-Step Personal Branding Worksheet. Try it now!
Make Your Differentiators Visible
Make the content in your resume, LinkedIn profile, etc. come alive with your personal qualities that have benefitted past employers, in a way that will compel future employers to see you as the best-fit hiring choice.
