Branding for Career Success

The Importance of personal branding to career success cannot be overemphasized. As simple as the term "branding" may sound, it plays a role in determining the level of your career success. This is because an outstanding reputation can help you overcome several obstacles and allow you to forge ahead in your career choice.  

The concept of branding for career success is about creating and crafting a perfect blend of your accomplishment, skills, values, and experience, then presenting these items in a variety of ways to the public. 

Branding allows you to cultivate what people perceive about you and what they will say about you when you are not in the room.  

Branding helps an organization identify the value you could add. It also determines the types of role and companies that are a good match for your talent and values. 

Although developing a personal brand for career success might sound challenging, there are some effective techniques you can employ. 

1. Write down words you want to associate your brand with.

What are the words you want people to say about you when you are not around? Write down a list of all the words that you want to be associated with and then pick three. 

Examples of words that come to mind are: valuable, creative, consistent, thoughtful, brilliant, innovative, and so on. Then use those words to introduce yourself, in the content you create, and reinforce them when you have the opportunity. 

2. Research your desired niche and follow them

Make a list of at least five leaders in whatever field you are in that you aspire to be like, and follow them on the various social media platforms. Research everything about them, including what makes them different, how they got to where they are, where they contribute their thinking, etc. Success leaves trails, and you can rise to the top if you take inventory of who's already there. You can also reach out and ask them to mentor you or for an interview, so you can learn more. 

3. Prepare your brand statement 

Your brand statement is an effective way to sell yourself and your skills to a prospective employer, and everyone should have one. You've probably heard of the thirty-second elevator pitch but have you heard the five-second elevator pitch? The five-second elevator pitch is suitable for use on your social media profiles, especially LinkedIn. Don't forget to incorporate those words you want to be associated with into the pitches. A convincing pitch will give people an idea of what you can do and why they should consider you. 

4. Write a guest post for an industry-specific blog 

Consider writing a guest post on a recognized, industry-specific site so it will show on up on search engine result pages if someone searches your name. That way, prospective employers will get the message that you're very knowledgeable about your field and that you can add value to their teams. Sharing your ideas via guest blogging will help you become an authority in your niche. You can search for your industry terms + guest blog on google and find some opportunities. 

5. Launch a beautiful site as your branding hub

Business cards are still effective, but if you want a wider reach, having your blog can help bolster your career brand. It's the best place to share your thoughts and provide an exciting insight into the topics you cover. If a hiring manager can locate your blog and see the impressive stuff you're showing off, you're more likely to be contacted for an interview. 

6. Write a book

Before you brush this off, think of how authoring a book on your field can raise your chances of getting hired. You might have the expertise, but writing a book will give you the credibility you need as an expert. 

Thankfully, you don't have to worry about finding an agent or publisher as you can quickly write an eBook and have it published on online bookstores. 

Conclusion 

Career branding is not a once-and-done action but a process that produces the desired results over time. Start working on your career branding now and continue working on it even after you land your dream job. You won't regret it.