Whether you’re an Instagram influencer or a YouTube personality or not, you still have a digital brand. And like it or not, what people can find about you will affect how they form an opinion of you.
Personal branding really boils down to reputation. It’s in your best interest to make sure you know what that image is and control it going forward. You need to be strategic with how you use it to move through your career journey. You already know that over 70% of hiring professionals admit to checking out potential candidates social profiles. But did you know that over half say they found something that made them pass on a candidate?
If there are things you need to fix, the first step is determining a clear vision for what you want that brand to be and to commit to making it a reality. The first few days of exercises should have helped you start shaping that vision. Fixing your brand won’t happen overnight (just like it wasn’t created overnight).
Commit to removing offensive or inappropriate content. Make sure your friends know you’re going to be using your social media as part of your career search so they won’t tag you on posts that can cause you problems in the future. Don’t delete everything personal, we want people to get an idea of what you enjoy and what matters to you.
The next step is to start creating strategic content that will begin to reshape what people find about you.
From here, we’ll be jumping into LinkedIn big time. You’ll be designing a profile that will attract potential employers.
I want you to start thinking about a simple posting schedule you can use on Linked In (you can utilize it for Facebook, Instagram or Twitter as well).
We discussed the importance of getting strategic in building a career image. I want you to begin searching online for articles you can share that mention the industry you are interested in working in a positive light. Save the web addresses in a Word document so you’ll have a stockpile for days you’re too busy to spend a lot of time looking for new ones. You can also share articles about skills and traits that reflect positively on you and that are mentioned in job searches you’ve done. That could be items like: how to build strong teams, leadership, analyzing marketing trends, apps that make you more productive – see the field is wide open. Make sure it’s something that interests you because a diligent HR manager might even refer to something you posted in a future interview.
I encourage you to share an article or quote at least 3 times a week. You can also share one personal post as well on LinkedIn. LinkedIn frowns on people treating it like Facebook (posting meals, selfies, etc..) so keep that in mind. It’s critical that you commit to being consistent with this.
Since you’re starting to post and draw attention to your social accounts, next week we’ll really focus on building out your profile in a way that highlights the best of your skills and abilities.
I wanted to go ahead and give you this link so you could have it handy when you begin setting up your LinkedIn Profile. This web link will take you to the instructions on how to make sure you are visible for recruiters to find.
Once you turn it on, you’ll need to check your LinkedIn messages. That’s where recruiters will reach out. Most won’t email initially.
Branding doesn’t just happen online. Don’t forget to take your efforts offline as well. If you want people to think of you in a certain way, make sure you’re involved in activities that reflect that. Think about ways you can incorporate this visible piece into your volunteer activities, on campus organizations, church groups or others. Don’t forget, the people you encounter in these areas will be part of your network going forward. You want them to share the same vision of you as you are creating online.
So far, you should have:
- A clear understanding of the traits and skills you need to build a brand around.
- Created a personal branding statement that highlights your unique skills, abilities and personality.
- Completed your Brand Audit
If you have any questions, remember I’m just an email away.