Finding the career that is right for you should be your #1 priority when it comes to defining your job search and/or your professional life.

It needs to be your ultimate professional goal in life – doing work that you love doing. If you can’t do that today, make a plan on what you need to do to get there.

So many people are not happy at work. In fact, according to an extensive study conducted by the Society of Human Resources Management, (May 2010), 67% of the workforce is disengaged at work. In 2011, it’s well into the 70%ile. Approximately 80% of the people in the workforce plan to switch jobs this year!

Many job seekers are looking for just any job. Whether or not the economy is tight, finding the right job is attainable. You just have to know how to go about doing it so that you completely stand out against your competition.

Contrary to popular myths, we were not put on this earth to do “something” so we can live. It’s our obligation to work, contribute to society and feed ourselves and our families but many people were raised to believe that you do what you have to do because that’s how life goes – you don’t ‘have’ to like your job or you are not ‘supposed’ to like your job.

Many people did not concentrate on maximizing their strengths, talents, and passions and to build their career goals around them at a young age.  But that does not mean that you shouldn’t be doing those things now.

Whether you are out of work and looking for a job or are considering finding a new job, it is critical that you brand yourself properly to rise above the rest to enable you to reach your professional dreams.

The facts are, finding and keeping a job in this new “Web 2.0” world is absolutely nothing like it used to be – even as little as 2-3 years ago.  Millions of people are struggling to find work (or more meaningful work) because they are not utilizing the proper job search techniques, their resumes are all wrong, and they have no idea how to stand out in a job interview.

Searching job boards, applying for jobs, and waiting for the phone to ring is no longer an effective means to find work.  You must create a distinct career brand (online and offline) and utilize the various social media resources that allow you to literally ‘brand yourself’ into a new job.

Yet so many people know so little (or nothing at all) about this. Those who know little to nothing about this method are competing with those who do know about it and are doing it. How can you measure up against them? You can’t.

Regardless of the state of the job market, good jobs can be found and people are finding and getting them!  Why can’t that be you?  The job market is on a slow uptick but regardless, struggling to find a new or different job will continue well past the time that the economy picks up as there are still high numbers of unemployed people and then 80% of the workforce is out there looking too.

Building a career brand is key here. And like any skill, it can be learned.

If you know how to use all the social media and networking opportunities that are out there, you can create the ideal career brand to land you the job of your dreams or to help advance you in the one you are in.

Online or at work, a strong career brand can open up many doors for you. Many people do not intentionally create a career brand or even know what one is. If you have one, you will clearly stand out amongst your job search competitors and/or coworkers. If you don’t have one, you need to create one. It’s not something that you can do, it’s now a requirement.

What is a Brand?

 

If you are utilizing social media tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Blogging, etc. you are creating your own personal brand – an online image of yourself.  This can be an intentional process, but for many it’s an unintentional process. Whatever content you have online, that can be found, creates your personal brand or online image.

This online image is critically important because when you are out in the job market, potential employers will likely Google you, before considering you as a job candidate, and can get a good idea of what your true character is like by viewing your online content.

In essence, it gives employers a glimpse into your personal life – something they never had access to before. It can make or break you in the job search world. Your ‘personal brand’ must be managed properly or it will be a struggle for you to find a job.

A Career Brand is not about all the unique things you do and say online that create your online image – as stated, those are the elements that make up your personal brand.

A career brand is you positioning yourself at the center of your career interests, passions, talents, and strengths, and building a strong presence where you are showcasing your expertise and gaining interest and trust from employers and clients.

Perhaps you are reading this and thinking that all of this does not apply to you because you have no content online. This is your first mistake.  While conducting a job search, millions of people are intentionally creating online career brands that get noticed by potential employers. If your competition is doing this and you aren’t, then there is no real reason for a potential employer to contact you, when they can contact others who have impressed them in ways that go far past their cover letter and resume.

However, it is important to note that your online career brand and your online personal brand cannot operate separately from each other. The success or failure of one brand can and will create the success and failure of the other brand.

Your Two Online Brands

 

If you have content anywhere online, you have created an online brand for yourself. If you are not actively managing it, the content you write online will manage it for you and it will create your personal and/or career brand – good or bad.  You can have an online image that is:

  • Only a personal brand (strong or weak)
  • A strong career brand and a strong personal brand
  • A weak career brand and a strong personal brand
  • A strong career brand and a weak personal brand
  • A weak career brand and a weak personal brand
  • Only a career brand (strong or weak)

Whether your brand is strong or weak depends entirely on the content. Is it positive or negative? Using inappropriate language, posting profane or obscene pictures/videos, using harsh language, being argumentative, and just having a general negative presence creates a weak brand. On the other hand, posting high level content that reflects you as a high energy professional with a positive attitude creates a strong brand.

Whether your brand is a personal brand, a career brand or a combination depends on whether or not you create content related to your personal life or your professional life – or both.

The facts are, if you do put out content related to your career interests and your personal interests, your online personal brand will become part of your online career brand and your online career brand will become part of your online personal brand. Because of this, some people choose to never write about their personal life online. But you can have two distinct brands working to your advantage. You just have to manage it properly because a strong career brand is literally worthless if you have a weak personal brand.

Why is a Career Brand Important?

 

Why a career brand needs to be its own distinct entity is because your career brand reaches far past anything you might say or do online.

What does that mean?

A career brand consists of anything and everything that has to do with how you present yourself in relation to your career or career goals.

Your career brand starts with your potential employer Googling you, to learn more about you. But, once you ‘pass’ that test, it leads to a conversation on the phone, in-person interviews, salary negotiations, and your onboarding process. You will then continuously be assessed and evaluated until the day you leave the company.

Anytime anyone is assessing or evaluating you (and yes, this goes on every day at work) you must be conscious about building a strong brand.

Even if you own your own company, your clients and employees are forming opinions about your career brand.

There are many components to career branding, but as an example, let’s look at how online career branding can be extremely helpful if you are looking for your first job or are looking to switch careers.

Just as employers never had an opportunity to get a glimpse into your personal life, before social media became so big, they also were very leery to offer opportunities to candidates who had little or no experience in their chosen field.

If you were a new graduate or you wanted to switch careers, you could write your cover letter and try to convey this knowledge you might have (without having any relevant work experience) but still – how could an employer ever really know if you even know anything about it all?

But in today’s day and age, if you are striving for your first job, a new job, or a career change, you can easily position yourself at the center of your relevant career interests thus making it easier for the right people to become aware of who you are.

You can freely showcase all your knowledge on any topic you choose and even be seen as an expert in a field that you have never worked in before.  The opportunities are endless because online networking is one of the top ways to access the hidden job market and ultimately find a new job.

There are many strategies that you can utilize to plan, implement and execute a successful career brand for your job search.

The whole key to career branding is making people aware of who you are and what you can offer and you must stand out. You need to implement a plan to elevate your image online and offline. A strong career brand, with all its components, will cause the right people take notice and will bring new opportunities to you much faster.

Creating a Strong Career Brand

 

Elements that make up your total career brand:

  • Online Career Brand (your intentional efforts to brand yourself into your career niche)
  • Online Personal Brand (the combination of everything that Google can find out about you online)
  • Job Search Strategy
  • Resume and Cover Letter
  • Interview Skills
  • Personal Appearance
  • Work Style (how you plan, implement, and execute; how well you work with others, leadership skills)
  • Attitude (beliefs, behaviors, morals, and values; emotional intelligence)
  • Education and Training
  • Groups and Associations (where you are or should be a member, including any speaking engagements that may result)

A good career brand is authentic, strong, and creates awareness about you – and it should brand you as a leader in your field. You don’t have to be a manager or a supervisor to be a leader.  The key to your success is finding the right brand for you and building your brand as a leader in your field- whatever that is. You then must actively and continuously strive to make it stronger and better as you gain new skills and experience.

Managing your personal and career brand has to be a conscious process. The biggest mistake people make is letting these brands create themselves and they turn out to work against you. That is the fastest way to kill your job search or potential for advancement in your company.

Your brand is the key to your future success. This is your life and your career. Create and build a sustainable brand and make it work for you and not against you so you can drive your career down your own path and get the fulfillment that only the ‘right’ career can bring to you.