Creating Your Online Brand
Let’s face it: we have all felt the impact of branding efforts by businesses, schools, politicians and entertainers. Their goal is to create an emotional response, to engage us, to compel us to act. Because of the strong Starbucks brand, many of us believe that their specialty coffees are worth $5. As consumers, we buy into brands and believe there is value in their product offerings.
In the past, a brand was defined by advertising and carefully crafted messages delivered through traditional media. Today, a brand is shaped and developed by its actions and engagement with different audiences as much as by advertising and key messages. The Internet has fundamentally changed how brands are defined and maintained. Blogs, YouTube and Twitter are three communications vehicles people use to rant, rave or complain about a product, service or person.
Whether you realize it or not, you have an online “brand,” too. Do you have a Facebook or MySpace account? Do you comment on blogs? Have you tried out Twitter? When you post content, engage others or share information about yourself on the Web, you are creating a unique identity—branding yourself, in a sense.
In your job search, it’s important that the personal brand you present is professional and has a strong message about you to offer employers. According to Monster.com, 77% of employers will Google you. Why? Because they need to manage risk and find the right candidates. The hiring process is time-consuming and expensive, so making the right staffing decision is critical. In many cases, what they can learn about you online will affect their final decision. It’s important to Google yourself and become strategic about your online image.
The advent of blog software and social media tools (Flickr, Twitter, Whyhire.me, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) presents a new opportunity for you to take control of your personal brand. Along with your printed résumé, flashy business card, firm handshake, well-researched conversation points and well-crafted cover letters, you have a new tool to use in your job search: the Personal Uniform Resource Locator, or PURL.
What’s a PURL?
Plain and simple, a PURL is a personal web address that you can share with employers, and that can be found via a Google search. Twitter jumped on the notion of a personal Twitter page. Facebook recently introduced vanity URLs for its members. Although many of these new communication tools have the capacity for a PURL that allows for Google to find you easily—which is the end goal—it’s also important to consider buying your personal domain name, and to grab your account name on many of these new social networks. The more accounts you have with consistent use of your name, the more links and connections to you Google will make, and the easier it will be to find your content when an employer searches your name.
For new graduates, your online brand should include both traditional résumé elements and detailed project experiences that leverage photos, videos, references, links and more. Integrating blogging, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube or Vimeo, WhyHire.me and LinkedIn will also demonstrate your engagement with a chosen course of study, future career interests, an industry sector or a company that brings out your passion.
Why should you care?
The Internet offers you an opportunity to create an impression of your skills, experiences and overall potential. Your personal brand can now communicate and engage your possible employer throughout the interview process. The ultimate aim of developing your online brand is to help differentiate yourself from the competition and to establish a deeper and more meaningful connection with the hiring manager and his or her colleagues.
Think about a traditional printed résumé, with a nice-looking font, printed on crisp paper. The challenge that most graduates face is that their résumé lacks employment experience and depth. When the employer sees a stack of printed résumés, they all begin to look the same.
So how do you stand out? With branding and differentiation: two proven marketing tactics long practised by businesspeople of all types, including celebrities, musicians, politicians and sports stars. Branding is all about creating an emotional connection. Your online brand, correspondence, appearance and behaviour during your interviews will ultimately shape how you are perceived.
Include your PURL in your cover letter, your résumé and your business cards. Take the opportunity to reference your online brand during the interview. When you draft your thank-you e-mails, point out one of your online contributions or opinions that reinforces the impression you would like to leave behind. Show them you are engaged and passionate about their business and that you can help solve their business problems.
Stay committed—it will pay off
Personal branding requires a commitment of a few hours each month—a small price to pay given the overall investment you have already made in your education. As you develop your brand online through school, your first job and beyond, it will attract more traffic through cross-linking with others in your field. In time, your name and PURL will rise to the top of Google search, opening the door to more opportunities for you.
by Patti Church
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