Your Personal Brand — how you show up, authentically — is a mix of your Principles (what you stand for), your Superpowers (what you’re great at), your Reputation (what others say about you), and your Legacy (how you want to be known). This powerful combination can help you figure out the perfect job for you, and to land it, once you’ve found it.
Your personal brand can help you:
- Decide which jobs are best for you
- Match yourself with companies or organizations
- Put your best foot forward
Decide which jobs are best for you
Sometimes, figuring out where to focus can be a challenge, especially when you’re first starting out (and many times, later in your career, too!). One of the big themes that came up at a college career expo I spoke at last week was around how to narrow the field and decide what jobs to pursue.
My advice is to look at what you’re great at (superpowers!), first. And think about what you love to do, too, because if your heart isn’t in it, it’s really not a Superpower for you.
Then talk with your friends, family, college, your college placement office (many of them are open to graduates as well as students), and anyone else you can think of. No one will know all of the jobs that exist that align with your superpowers, but if you gather lots of perspectives, you might uncover some interesting jobs you never knew about!
Match yourself with companies or organizations
One of the best ways I know to pick a company or organization to work for is to look at organizations in the perspective of your Principles.
Is what’s important to you important to your potential employer? When you see your principles reflected in the mission or culture of an organization, it’s easy to imagine yourself being comfortable and able to express yourself there. And conversely, if the company and you don’t align principles at all (or if the employer has a principle that’s in direct conflict with one of yours), it’s probably not the right company fit.
If you’re looking for an interview question to ask around this topic, try this one: “In your experience, what are the top 3 things this organization stands for?” It’ll be interesting to hear how each person you talk with answers the question.
Put your best foot forward
Your personal brand can come into play with your resume and interviews, too.
Take a look at your resume. Does it just state what you do, or does it reflect how you get things done, too?
I know two people with similar (and stellar) backgrounds who were applying for the same jobs in the same town. One got tons of interview requests; the other, not so much.
The biggest difference between the two resumes is that the first one had a compelling brand statement at the top, and the second didn’t. The resume with the brand statement (which linked her principles and superpowers to show her value in a few short words) resulted in a bigger share of the interviews. And job offers.
Being super-clear about what you stand for and what you’re great at gives you an advantage in your interviews, too. You’re more confident, because you’ve spent time learning about yourself, and you’ve done the work. And you don’t have to make stuff up about yourself on the spot, because you already KNOW.
Your personal brand can help you figure out which jobs are right for you, match yourself to an organization you align with, and put your best self out there in both your resume and your interviews.
How will you use your personal brand in your job search? Tell us in the comments below!