I write resumes and other career marketing documents for a lot of top marketing executives who know all about branding the products they promote, but nothing about using their personal brand to market themselves.
Many executive job seekers I talk to are not aware that they already have a brand, which in essence is their reputation. The people around them know where their talents and strengths lie, and what things they can always be relied on to deliver.
With a little thought and probing, they can develop their personal brand and put it to good use in their executive job search and career management. It’s just a matter of tapping into and leveraging the best they have to offer.
As part of the document development process, my clients and I get to the meat through a personal branding session in which we have a value-focused dialog zeroing in on pivotal areas. Some of the touch points include discussing:
→ What makes them really good at what they do.
→ What jazzes them the most about their work and how that converges with what they do really well.
→ How they compare to the best in their field.
→ How they extract the best out of their teams.
→ Measuring their brand based on what those around them have to say about them.
We’re finding added benefits to the session beyond mining information for their career documents. It motivates my clients to move forward and fires them up for interviewing and the road ahead. They’re reminded of all the critical contributions they’ve made to past companies and gain renewed confidence in their marketplace value.
The branded “career success stories” we formulate in the development process become compelling examples of how they tackle and overcome challenges impeding company imperatives.
These stories, interjected in interview conversations, provide evidence of their promise of value to their next employer. They help interviewers picture the candidate on the job, solving problems.
Defining, embracing, and communicating your personal brand differentiates you from competing candidates and positions you at the top of the list. The exercise also preps you to interview better.
Related articles on the Executive Resume Branding Website:
Why Personal Branding is so Critical in Executive Job Search
Thanks for the great question, Charlie.
My experience with my executive clients proves that when their personal brand is authentic and, along with all the other requisite qualifications, aligns with the fit the company is looking for, they can land their dream job.
They’re also finding that, because of a strong brand that pre-qualifies them, they’re offered top compensation — sometimes quite a bit more than they expect.
It only stands to reason that conversely, if a candidate doesn’t communicate a compelling brand, they may be overlooked and miss out on a lot of opportunities.
I don’t think this is set in stone. Some people manage to excel despite negative branding.
It’s important to remember that people carry a brand, whether or not they are aware of it. Everyone has a reputation that preceeds them. How they choose to control and use their brand can have a positive or negative impact on their career.
Ciao! Meg
I’d love to know if people think your personal brand can help you seal that job of your dreams, or alternatively can a poor or non-existent brand set a glass ceiling on how far you can progress at work or in your career. You can read more here – http://blogs.freshminds.co.uk/talent/?p=261 – and I would be really keen to hear your comments.
Thanks,
Charlie
Thanks for visiting, Scot, and for your kind comment.
My executive clients are sometimes daunted by the prospect of a job search and need to get pumped up before heading out there.
But, as you say, everyone benefits from having a few career success stories under their belt.
Ciao, Meg
Building your case through stories that show your accomplishments and practicing those stories for your interviews is a career management best practice. Yet, it is rarely done; executive or not.
Very good advice.