I recently discovered and started following a blog titled “Brand-Yourself” (http://blog.brand-yourself.com/). I am continually telling my students that they in essence are a product – their skills are something they are selling during the job search process and it is important to have marketing collateral to support this “sales” process. This blog and site allowed me to see even beyond that initial selling stage to the next level – creating a personal brand.

To many this may sound completely ludicrous, why would individual people need to create a brand for themselves? When we think of creating a brand we usually think of a company or an organization that is selling a product or providing services or goods. We generally do not think of individuals with skills or services to provide. However crazy this may sound, it is important to identify with the evolution of social media, things have changed. When looking for a position we no longer purchase the local paper and begin circling position we are interested in. It is also safe to say if you are solely relying on job boards for positions you are severely limiting yourself.  And while the job seeker has changed their job search methods, so too have the hiring managers. Where do they turn when researching a candidate – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs – they are putting your name into a search engine to see what comes up, identifying what type of personal brand you, the individual has created.

Having a strong on-line presence is crucial and is why in working with the SetFocus Master’s Program  students we focus on helping them create a presence through LinkedIn, Portfolio’s and Blogging. We want our students/graduates/alumni to not only be found in the searches but we the content found to help them “sell” themselves and legitimize their skills.

What type of personal brand have you constructed for yourself?