Career Options Magazine

6 Personal Branding Tips to MAKE IT During a Recession (Or Anytime)

Me, Inc.

The only person invested in your career, and the person who knows it best, is YOU. Take the time to be sure that your personal brand is clear and consistent so that the people who need to know about you can understand clearly the unique skills and strengths you offer.

Knowledge

Start with what you know really well. Running off and doing something new can be saved for another day. When you are on solid ground, you can look at other opportunities.

Touch base

Networking is always important, not just during tough economic times. Keep in touch with people rather than calling on them only when you need something. Make sure that everyone you connect with feels part of your network. When you offer help, advice or information, your efforts come back to you many times over.

Achievements

This is not the time to be shy or overly humble. Make a note of the contributions you make and their impact in all areas of your work and volunteer commitments. Communicate these successes in terms that are easy to understand, and tell people about them as often as possible.

Expertise

In tough times, companies are not going to take risks with the unknown or the untried. They are going to invest in people who can add value to their organization. Be sure you are on the same page when it comes to their needs and your experience.

Internet

Technology has great impact and offers a lot of reach during a recession or down market. You can connect with anyone in the world via social networks or blogging, but to exist in that world you need a visible online brand. Take time to build that online brand, and remember that it needs to be in sync with your offline brand.

Have you been Googled recently?

At least one out of every four times you ask this question, the answer is yes—even if you didn’t know about it. Googling people is now a common business tool and one of the latest reasons that personal branding, a new approach to career management, is becoming more popular.

In a recent Harris survey, at least 25 percent of business people used Google or other search engines to find out about the person they are about to meet. With the surge in people joining online groups such as LinkedIn and Facebook, and the growth of information networks, this number is set to rise dramatically.

Who you are and what people say about you are huge factors in your level of success. Many people are using the power of personal branding to ensure that the external identity they portray helps them connect with people and gets them the work they want to do.

Personal branding is the process of understanding one’s unique qualities and skills and communicating them in a clear manner to help build a career and find success. This approach to self-marketing has come about through the meeting of two key societal trends—the new world of work and egonomics.

The new world of work is one where change is the only guarantee. Cheaper labour and faster technology have ensured that the “job for life” our grandparents enjoyed will never return. Young people today will see work as a mixture of contracts and projects; they will constantly develop new skills and move into new industries.

Egonomics, a phrase coined by Faith Popcorn, a consumer trend spotter and marketing guru, is the demand to feel engaged and to contribute. No longer do people settle for just going through the motions—if they are going to spend the next 30 or 40 years working, they want to see that they are making a difference.

We crave recognition and we want to be seen as unique, as innovators. With innovation comes creativity, and with creativity comes diversity and
a recognition of unique skills.

To get involved in the work you want to do, make sure that the person you portray is someone who is suited to that work, that environment, that culture.

Personal branding helps you to clarify and communicate differences and specialties and use those qualities to guide your career. By understanding your strengths, skills, passions and values, you can build on what makes you different to separate yourself from your peers and competitors.

Interestingly, customer-focused employees who have gone through the personal brand process and discovered a “new me” through it are not found scouring job boards or classified ads. Instead, they have become more engaged in their current position. Their new sense of purpose improves their interaction with customers and the employees’ impression of their company.

Personal branding is on the rise. As more young people—who are both used to the branding of everything and crave individuality—join the workforce, personal branding could become the new standard in job search techniques and career management. CO

Paul Copcutt is a leading personal brand consultant. He combines a passion for people with the knowledge that strengths and specialization are the keys to success.