Why Personal Branding is Important

Written by: Chane da Costa

Tardar Sauce is a cat with over 5 million likes, just from effect personal branding.  Do you know who Tardar Sauce is?  If you Google it, you will most likely know exactly who she is. But let me save you the time and energy, Tardar Sauce is known globally as Grumpy Cat. What started out as just a random post on Reddit, turned this cat into a public figure and a perfect example of personal branding.

If personal branding works for a Grumpy Cat, why would it not work for you?

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos says “Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room”.  This is personally the perfect summary of a personal brand, because in essence personal branding is what people think of you.

Whether you like it or not, in this day and age there is always information on you, out on the internet.  The world is focusing more and more on social networks and connecting with those individuals whom they share similarities with.  This trend has become so popular that is has even starting affecting ones professional career.

Brands are normally generalised around superlatives. For example, Starbucks has quality coffee, Hooters waiters are hot with big breasts and Iphone is the best phone. Your online personal branding should be clear about the promise of your value to people. This is what you are naturally good at, what makes you great and what makes you unique. Often these characteristics are part of our natural behaviour that we don’t notice it. If you are struggling to ordain your differentiator, ask your family, friends and acquaintances what makes you unique and valuable to them and what you do. This will assist you in creating a clear value that you can promise people.

Previously, branding was orientated around companies, ensuring a holistic outlook is portrayed to the public. As times have changed and information has become available at our finger tips, not only do companies have to manage their brands, but so do public figures, celebrities and every other person out there. Industry leaders have even started dedicating a lot of time and effort in creating and maintaining their personal brand to ensure they are known for their unique brand.

So how do you create and maintain your personal brand?

Choose the social media platforms that you enjoy and want to be followed and known on. Here are some popular platforms you could consider:

•  Facebook
• Twitter
• Linked-In
• About Me
• Pinterest
• Instagram
• Blog
• Klout
• Behance

It is always better to create the foundation of the content displayed about you online. The top Google searches on your name should be about the content you created. This is so that anybody searching your name on Google will view who you are and how you want them to perceive you on your personal content.  Always update and maintain the platforms you decide to sign up with. Imagine what your social media platforms say about you, if they are left collecting dust online.

A recent article Why Should You Care About Personal Branding? On the Undercover Recruiter Blog listed 5 great reasons to create and maintain your personal brand.

1. Grow your network
Expanding your network is hugely important to business success, it opens up avenues you never thought of. When you have a strong brand you will notice that people want to know you and help out any way they can. Your personal brand works like a magnet and it attracts like-minded people which can be very useful for your business or career, just like you can be useful to them. Networking is all about karma, help others and they will help you.

2. Attract opportunities

As a result of your expanded network and you having a strong presence online, not only will people help you but some will actually have relevant opportunities for you. This could be a customer referral, a joint venture, co-writing a book, a new job or an investment in your business. Your personal brand demonstrates success and that is what others will be looking to tap in to.

3. Establish credibility

Your personal brand is your unique promise of value and as long as you add this value to others on a consistent basis, you are gaining trust and credibility. This trust will be your best and cheapest promotional activity, as word travels fast when you do great work. Let your customers be your fans and become your brand ambassadors.

4. Increase your online clout

As you build your personal brand, you will notice that you get a loyal following online. This following will put you in a position of influence, as others listen to what you have to say. You can turn your clout into business as long as you do it in an authentic and trustworthy manner.

5. Securing work

A magnetic brand will ensure that you keep busy. You and your services will always be in demand, as long as you live up to your personal brand. This is a good comfort in case your workplace is facing downsizing, or one of your biggest clients are in financial distress. There is little you can do about external factors but you can rest assured that your strong brand will help you attract other opportunities instead.

Transforming your name into a personal brand that others will recognise and follow is a smart move in terms of a career and long term success in a business aspect. By Differentiating yourself from other individuals or competitors in your industry, potential employers and customers will immediately notice the value that you are offering them on these platforms. Therefore, to place yourself in a position of growth and a high sense of demand, it is essential that you create and maintain a strong personal brand online.

Should you put social media links on your resume?

 Written by: Chane da Costa

Mashable reported that 10.9% of resumes have links to social media profiles, and this continues to grow. However there is a big debate amongst recruiters as to whether or not resumes should have links to social media profile.

Although social media profiles provide a sense of transparency and help potential employers become more comfortable when it comes to hiring you, it can however have a negative influence on your application if you have inappropriate posts that can be viewed.

This does not mean that if you don’t have links to your Facebook and Twitter page that potential employers won’t seek and view your profile. For those active job seekers, I cannot stress enough how important it is to monitor your profiles and ensure that your posts are decent and appropriate in case potential employers search your name.

There are 3 main social media platforms used on resumes. To determine whether or not you should use them, I have discussed each one with guidelines on how to use them.

1. Linked-In     

For those who don’t know what LinkedIn is, it is a social networking website for people with professional occupations.  It is mainly used for connecting with and growing a professional network as well as job searching. 

Linked In’s personal profile is in a similar format to that of a resume, which allows your networks and potential employers to view your qualifications and experience without requesting your resume. This will also allow potential employees to view your professional network, projects, skills and endorsements as well as recommendations from former colleagues and employers. It is however essential to constantly keep your profile updated so that it reflects all your recent information.

Often the LinkedIn profile URL’s are long and can make your resume look untidy. To shorten and personalise your URL, follow the steps below:

1.       Go to your profile

2.       Click the edit tab

3.       Under your name will show your URL, with an edit button next to it.

4.       Edit and  personalise your URL

2. Facebook 

Whilst Facebook is the most popular social media network in the world, whether or not to add your URL onto your resume is a difficult decision. Although it creates a sense of transparency for the potential employer, the purpose of your resume is to market yourself to the employer considering your applicant and Facebook might do the exact opposite. We generally use Facebook as a more personal platform to connect with family and friends about our comings and goings as well as our own personal thoughts and opinions. These thoughts and opinions could be contrary to that of what the potential employer associates with and could potentially intervene with your application.

So when deciding whether or not to add your Facebook URL, you can ask yourself if your Facebook page adds value to your job applications or not. If it would not add any professional value do not add a Facebook URL. However as stressed earlier this does not give you reason to relax and not monitor your profile, as potential employers can still do a search and view your profile.

3. Twitter

Twitter, like Facebook is an online social networking platform where users can send and read “tweets”. Twitter differs slightly to Facebook by being able to read and receive tweets about a specific professional industry. By tweeting with your industry specific influencers, you are able to get a foot in their network and this could show your potential employers your knowledge about the industry and your professional networking skills. This could create a good impression.

The correct way to put your Twitter handle on your resume: @ElectusRecruit - Never use the URL link.

The employee transparency subject that was brought up will come up again with Twitter. However, if you are not interacting with your industry/influencers of choice and are using Twitter for personal use this will have no benefit for your potential employers to view your Twitter profile.

As social media recruitment slowly becomes as an integral part of our lives, slowly the distinction between professional and personal social networking platforms will fade. It is of utmost importance for social media users to maintain a reputable online presence whether they are job seeking or not. Remember even if you do not include social media links this does not mean your potential employers won’t search your name.