branding yourself for success

1 Job Search 2.0 F09

Job Search 2.0BRANDING YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS

Anita Manuel, M.A. Joe Bucher, M.A.


BRANDING YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS

Agenda:

What is a brand?Why do I need a brand?

Your brand & the job searchEthics online

Q&A

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What is a Brand?

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A brand is a collection of symbols, experiences and associations connected with a product, a service, a person or

any other artifact or entity. (wikipedia)

• It sets an expectation• It creates an emotional reaction/association • It becomes recognizable and distinguishes UNIQUE characteristics of a person/product/idea

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What is a Personal Brand?

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Personal branding is the process whereby people and their careers are marked as brands (wikipedia)

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Why You Need a Personal Brand

Brands from McDonalds to Google have all claimed headspace in the minds of their spectators, so why can't you?

You can, by establishing a personal brand that allows you to

differentiate and position yourself from the competition and claim your job. In this case, your audience is the hiring managers and recruiters that deal with thousands of resumes each day. Candidates are viewed as commodities,

unless they provide some unique value, which competitors

do not share. Your goal is to stand out and in doing so; you will

land your dream job. Dan Schawbel, Gain a Competitive Edge by Establishing a Personal Brandl (www.about.com)

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HR & RECRUITERS

A recent poll of human resource professionals conducted by HRMarketer.com found that

LinkedIn is used by 93 percent of companies,

followed by Facebook at 70 percent.

What does this mean for your job search?!

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Step I: What is Your Message?

• What are your unique traits/experiences?• What are your strengths?• What are key words/ideas you want to be identified with?• What are your accomplishments?• What are you proud of?• Where can you develop an “expertise”

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Step II: Your Branding Toolkit

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Job Search 2.0: Social Media + Your Brand

• learn about careers (videos, networks, blogs)

• develop, expand your network

• develop AND showcase specific skills (visualcv)

• become an “expert” or “influencer”

• access industry specific jobs/internship/contacts

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traditional job search:•blast out resumes to company sites•use job boards for leads &distribution•hard copy documents or email pdfs•passive networking•find ways to get past “gatekeepers”•describe value add

job search 2.0•develop a brand•create virtual resume/portfolio•actively access and update social networks•use social networks to be “discovered”•show value add

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Step III: Who Do You Know?

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friends/family

peers/alumni/colleagues

professionals/associations/groups

target employers

80% of available positions are found through networking (not job posting sites)

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Step IV: Do Your Research

YOU SHOULD:• Set up News Alerts: Google, Yahoo• Conduct blog/microblog searches:

blogsearch.google.com techonorati.comalltop.comsearch.twitter.comwww.twellow.com

• Search social/professional networks:LinkedIn : company search, group searchFacebook search: companies, groups, fan pages

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Exploring LinkedIn

LinkedIn-”Faceboook for professionals”

Currently has 48 million members in over 200 countries and territories and is available in English, Spanish, French and German. About half of LinkedIn users are based outside the United States.

Uses:

• Profile which highlights experience, education, achievements, and references

• Search groups, people, organizations, and jobs

• Question and Answer section

• Network with professionals in your field

Tips:

• Fill out profile 100% and join groups

• Keep it professional, update your profile constantly

• Look for mutual contacts to get introductions to people in your field/desired organizations

• Look for jobs on LinkedIn’s job board

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Exploring Visual CV Visual CV- “Internet Resume”

Similar to LinkedIn, but let’s user add multimedia into profile (video, audio, charts, graphs, images, work samples, etc.)

Uses:

• Customizable profile that highlights your experience, education, achievements, and references with multimedia.

• Apply for jobs using your Visual CV or include your url on resume, cover letter

• Develop a professional network

Tips:

• Decide if you want to make your profile public or private

• Determine the amount of time that you are willing to spend on media projects

• Use your profile to highlight work samples, references, etc.

• Outreach to employers via Visual CV site

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Example of What Works Profile: Josephine Chandra, Public Relations (Senior)

Goal: networking, internship & career leads in public relations

Branding tools: Visual CV, Facebook, LinkedIn, Personal Blog, Twitter

Results:

• Networking with influential contacts in PR field via Twitter

• Contacted by VP of Marketing for online social media site to work on

some projects

• Developing a professional network

Tips:

• Make sure your info is current and updated on all networks you use

• Clean up your profiles and give thought to what you put on your status updates which can be viewed by all or come up in Google searches (e.g. “I am procrastinating…Feeling lazy”

• Use your online profiles to show how you use your skills (projects, tips, what you are currently reading, writing ability)

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What is twitter?

Free Social Networking/Microblogging application•Broadcast messages of 140 characters or less to friends or “followers”•Allows you to specificy which users you want to “follow”

Answers the Question "What are you doing?”•Really answers “What are you interested in?” or “What do we have in common?”

Allows for open communication •Unlike Facebook or LinkedIn-most of time permission not needed to connect.

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Positive Branding = Good Reputation

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*35% of hiring managers who researched job candidates via social networking sites said they found content that helped to

solidify their decision to hire the candidate.

Hiring manager remarks:

•candidate's background supported their qualifications

•candidate had great communication skills

•candidate was a good fit for the company's culture

•candidate's site conveyed a professional image

•candidate had great references posted about them by others

*CareerBuilder.com


Top mistakes candidates make:

•Posting inappropriate photographs or information

•Posting information that “bad-mouths former employer”

•Candidate's screen name was unprofessional

•Candidate had poor communication skills

•Candidate lied about qualifications

According to a nationwide survey*,45% of employers use social networking sites to research candidates

*CareerBuilder.com

Consequences of Negative Branding

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Reputation Management

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Suggestions regarding social networking sites:

•Clean up digital dirt. Make sure to remove pictures, content and links that can send the wrong message to a potential employer.

•Use privacy features. Untag photos, limit profile access. Know the difference between your personal and professional self.

•Remember, the internet is public domain. Whether you are on Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, etc. know what information is appropriate.

•Use social networking to your advantage by networking with professionals, writing or commenting on a blog, and showcasing your work/achievements.

•Maintain your online brand, by portraying an image consistent with how you want to be perceived.