Personal Branding: How To Market Yourself

Did you know that you can be a brand? You will find much more success in your job search if you market youself just like a product. Before you start breaking out the film cameras and filming a commercial, let me explain a little more. Take a look at all the things that represent you, both online and in your appearance. What does your Facebook page say about you? Does it paint you in a good light, or is it embarrassing What about your e-mail address? Are you still using that funny username you made when you were younger? If there is any doubt in your mind about these questions, you need to start changing them to improve your personal branding.

Nonprofits go through many qualifications when hiring a new employee. They will want to know not only whether the individual has the right skill setfor the job, but also whether they are a quality person. These organizations are not going to want to soil their image by hiring people who don't seem professional. That's why you must clean up your image immediately to make yourself marketable. Let's start with your Internet presence. Whether it's fair or not, your online personais fair game for potential employers. This doesn't mean you have to make your Facebook or Twitter into sterile environments, but it doesn't mean you need to think twice about what you write or share. Here are some things you should avoid:

*Refrain from using profanity in your status updates or tweets

*Before you share a link, make sure it doesn't contain anything that can be offensive. If you really want to share it with friends, send it in a private message.

*Everything you write should be free of typos or grammar mistakes. You should also avoid the use of common Internet abbreviations. The fast-paced world of the web may have made these things commonplace, but it doesn't mean an employer will judge them any less harshly.

*Use a separatee-mail address from your personal one. This is even more important if your personal e-mail uses a silly username. You're not going to get a high level position if your e-mail is "thecowgoesmoo@yahoo.com."

*Make sure your LinkedIn profile is completely up-to date. It will look really bad if your employment history doesn't match what's on your resume.

Personal appearance is also important. Shave before you go into an interview, even if you're thinking of growing a beard. Women should avoid wearing flashy jewelry or revealing clothing. For both sexes, make sure your clothes are well ironed. There's nothing more embarrassingthan walking into an interview with wrinkled clothes.

Personal branding is a fine art, but it's one that is vitally important to your career success. If you can associate your name with professionalism and skill, you will be well on your way to getting a great job.