Branding yourself in this day and age is very important especially when it comes to getting a job.

What exactly is branding?

We are all aware of different brands such as Coca-Cola and Walmart. When you think of Wal-Mart, the words that probably come to mind are low-prices. When you think of Coca-Cola, you probably think “Refreshing.” We think these things because this is how those company’s brand themselves. What do you want people to think about you when they hear your name? Essentially, how you portray yourself and how others see you is YOUR brand.

Why is branding yourself is important

With the job market not being at its best and the competition being stiffer than ever, standing out is important. Having a great cover letter and resume are not going to cut it anymore. Most people have that. Employers get piles of resumes when they have a job opening. They are looking for anyway to weed out the competition. NEWSFLASH: Employers google you and check your social networking sites to see the type of person you “really” are. How you portray yourself on the internet is how you are branding yourself to people who do not know you. If you have a half naked picture holding a bottle of liquor as your profile picture on Facebook, then you are portraying (branding) yourself as a hardcore party animal.
If you tweet negative things, then you are coming off
as a Negative Nancy (as I like to say).
Who wants to work with someone who is always negative?
If you blog and there are numerous typos, you are coming across as someone who is lazy, doesn’t pay attention to detail, and kind of stupid because you can’t spell (LOL).

Most of the job descriptions I have seen require having attention to detail. Having a sloppy blog just weeded you out from that job opportunity all because of laziness.

Before you post something, always think, “Would I want my boss/potential boss to see this?” If the answer is no, DON’T POST IT!

The moral of the story is, if want to stand out from the crowd, brand yourself in a positive light. The things you post on Facebook, Twitter, and your blogs are equally as important as your cover letter and resume. Your resume and cover letter get you in the door, but your social networks could potentially send you right back out of that same door. The competition is STIFF!! STAND OUT!

What’s your brand?