Since branding is all about what differentiates you and defines your authenticity, it makes sense that when you get to these core issues, you’ll have a better understanding of who you are, what makes you unique and therefore valuable, how you operate, and, ultimately, the best you have to offer your next employer.
Aside from all the great things branding does for a resume, it can do wonders for boosting self-esteem.
I’ve heard it over and over again when working with friends and clients to develop branding for their resumes, that the process really helps prepare them to face the daunting and sometimes devastating job search process.
How so? The very nature of building your brand – identifying your pivotal strengths, understanding where your greatest talents lie, the things you’re passionate about, the critical contributions you’ve made to companies – is energizing and renewing. People facing a job search are probably at a very low point and all of this boosts their confidence in themselves and their value in the marketplace.
While talking about their own career success stories, we begin archiving stories they can interject at interviews. With so many inexperienced or inept interviewers, these job seekers have an advantage when they can pull out a ready-make scenario of how they solved a particular problem for their company and how it accelerated profitability or impacted bottom line. The interviewer is impressed and usually grateful for the help.
Another thing we’ve found is that the apprehensions these job seekers had at first about diving into a job search have turned around and they suddenly feel good about themselves. They’re fired up and primed for the road ahead. They remember the great things they’ve done for companies in the past and what tremendous value they offer their next employer. Their outlook is considerably improved as they move forward.
