Personal branding and your job search
By CareerBuilder blogger on Oct 27, 2008 in Featured
Hey Buzz readers – Happy Monday!
Hope you had a great weekend. Most of my friends were a bit confused this weekend, since many of us believed it was the weekend to “fall back” for Daylight Savings Time.
We’ve got a guest blogger today – he’s talking about the concept of personal branding – how to present you and your job skills in a focused way to land the job you want.
Dan Schawbel publishes Personal Branding Magazine and blogs at the Personal Branding Blog. He’s also got an upcoming book, Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success, that’s coming out in Spring 2009. Here are Dan’s thoughts, as well as some success stories from some of his clients.
Got a blog? It can help you land a job!
Frustrated with the economy? Giving up on your job search? Feel like you’ll never find a job you love? These questions float around time and time again but no one seems to do anything about it.
Building your personal brand with a blog is nothing out of the ordinary these days, whether you are currently employed or are a job seeker.
By establishing a blog around your passion and subject matter expertise, you are telling the world what type of position you are looking for and therefore, you’ll receive opportunities relevant to that theme. I landed my current job after building a brand through the creation of a blog, podcast, award and magazine.
Below are two stories of individuals who have become successful by getting their brand name out there.
Success story #1: Dave Knox – Digital Brand Strategist, Corporate Marketing at Procter & Gamble. (Dave blogs at http:// hardknoxlife.com)
Dave says: I started my career with Procter & Gamble in 2003 in our Brand Management/Marketing function working on Secret Deodorant. Over the next four years, I followed a typical career path with 2 Assistant Brand Manager roles before being promoted to Brand Manager in 2007
My blog, HardKnoxLife, was really meant to be a vehicle of self-expression on how I saw marketing, media and technology intersecting and the transformation it would have on brand building. It was a topic I had talked in all of my assignments at P&G, and a frequent discussion with people I respected in the industry.
Hard Knox Life is a completely personal site with no tie to P&G but it has allowed me to meet some people that are having a big impact on my network and career. Most importantly, it keeps my ear to the ground for innovation, hopefully staying a step ahead of the competition but hearing about great ideas first and engaging in the conversation immediately.
Success story #2: Matt Dickman,Vice President, Digital Marketing at Fleishman-Hillard. (Matt blogs at http://technomarketer.typepad.com)
Matt says: Blogging helped me land my job with the largest PR agency in the world. I was working in Cleveland, OH at a mid-sized interactive shop and I knew that to become a global thought leader I had to do something.
I have had a blog for around 5 years now, but three of those years were wasted. It wasn’t until about two and a half years ago I woke up in a cold sweat. I had come to an epiphany, I needed to use my blog as a personal branding launch pad, connect like crazy and move to a large global agency.
Late in 2007 I was actively looking for a job. I had a number of leads in major cities, but nothing local. Then someone from Fleishman-Hillard called me and wanted me to interview for a position with a focus on social media.
Frankly, it was a pretty easy process, because they had all read my blog and seen my videos. They understood what skills and knowledge I had, because the blog displayed that knowledge. The opportunities are endless for anyone starting or re-starting a career and a blog may be the launch pad they need to move forward successfully.
Tim Tyrell-Smith | Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
Hi Patrick – Good topic! I have been blogging for just a short time. My blog is called Spin Strategy™ – Tools for Intelligent Job Search. It covers the strategy, tips and psychology of successful job search. My purpose for writing is not to look for a job (I love the one I have), but rather to give back to the community that was so supportive of me back in 2007 during my own search.
I hope my site can be of help and support to your readers! A few posts that might be of interest:
http://quixoting.typepad.com/spin_strategy/2008/10/tell-your-job-s.html
http://quixoting.typepad.com/spin_strategy/2008/10/job-search—av.html
Thanks!
Mary | Nov 3, 2008 | Reply
Who has time to blog, young people or unemployed people maybe? Possibly those that are self employed. I work full time, drive and hour+ to get there and then again to get home to pick up my 3 yr old before daycare closes. This gives me about 3 hours max each evening before it’s bed time. I think I would love blogging about payroll (my expertise) and would love to participate in blogs but it simply is not a realistic option for me.