Building your personal brand – How to become a highly sought after candidate.
Gillespie Manners Global Executive Search
Global Executive Search ?? We champion talent at the cutting edge of technology.
The Power of Personal Branding
As an Executive Search Manager, I help emerging and established global organisations in their searches for highly skilled senior and c-level candidates every day. My clients specifically seek only the highest calibre talent, which means head-hunting targeted individuals who aren’t active on the job market. These candidates won’t scour the web for work before making applications – they’ll be purposefully sought out with specific roles in mind. They’ll be among the first to find out about the hottest opportunities, and they’ll have a fast-track pass to throwing their hats into the ring for vacancies that might never make it to the open market...
...Did you know that up to 60% of jobs are never even publicly advertised?
Whilst some of that figure will comprise of roles filled via internal processes, a significant proportion will be filled with the help of specialist head-hunters like me. Tapping into this exclusive job market isn’t as hard as you might think. I’ve put together a guide to getting recognized as a highly sought-after candidate.
Make them come to you
Build it and they will come. It shouldn’t surprise you to know that if you haven’t put yourself out there, your door won’t be knocked down with offers out of the blue. You’ve got to be in it to win it, which means optimizing your LinkedIn profile. I’ve put together a dedicated guide for this step, which you can read in-full by clicking here. Or if you’d prefer a quick reminder, here’s a checklist:
Expand your network
I like to think of this as reverse headhunting. If you want to be connected with those in the know about all the best opportunities in your industry, it makes sense to do a little research about the key players in the market. As well as connecting with companies and key hiring managers in your industry you should look into the Recruitment and Executive Search firms they’ll be serviced by. Whilst a hiring manager might not be as likely to accept connection requests from people they don’t know, most Recruitment Consultants will be more than glad to expand their network. You can keep up-to-date with our latest Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Retail Executive Search appointments by following the Gillespie Manners page here, where you’ll also find our team of friendly consultants.
Relationships are everything
Who you know really does count. Further to the pointers on expanding your network, it’s important to remember never to burn bridges. If you’re approached by a recruitment consultant about an opportunity that isn’t right for you, let them know constructively. They may well be working on other more relevant roles themselves either now or in the future, or have colleagues who are. Reputation counts for a lot, and if a consultant or hiring manager catches wind that a person has been difficult to communicate with, that experience could be shared further than you’d like. The best approach is to treat anybody you encounter as professionally as you would a prospective hiring manager or client.
Build your personal brand
Even if you’re not considering a job move for a while, it’s well worth investing some time into building your personal brand now. Not only will it pay dividends when you are ready to move, but in the meantime, it will help to cement your positioning as a trusted industry expert. Think about how you’d like to be perceived within your industry and start regularly posting with that in mind. You’ll also want to make sure you’re making an impact beyond your immediate LinkedIn connections. Here are a few ideas for putting yourself out there: ?
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1.?????Appear as a guest on a corporate podcast:
Many companies are now hosting industry-related podcasts as part of their content marketing mix. These offer a great chance to showcase your knowledge and ideas to a wider audience, and offer something great to add to your professional ‘show reel’. It’s worth letting the marketing manager of your company know that you have an interest in sharing your knowledge, and to keep an eye out for any opportunities that might be a good fit, either in-house or as part of a collaboration with another brand. ?
2.?????Pen a thought leadership article
As with the above, thought leadership articles are another component of the marketing mix utilized by almost every single b2b organization. Have a think about some industry-relevant topics that you might be able to offer insight on and submit an article outline or draft to your colleagues in the marketing team. Whether it’s posted on your company’s website, LinkedIn or on a third-party news outlet site, the article will contribute to your SEO appeal when you’re googled by prospective employers. It’s also likely to be shared across LinkedIn, which will help to get your name in front of a wider audience.
3.?????Feature as a panellist on a webinar
You don’t have to be client-facing to participate in a webinar. Whether it’s hosted in-house, as part of a co-branded collaboration or a wider industry event, the organizers will be looking for experts who are comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas publicly.
4.?????Speak at an event
If your company attends or holds face-to-face industry events, it’s worth enquiring about the potential for speaking slots. These are sometimes available to businesses as part of sponsorship packages, and will literally provide you with a platform to put yourself before key players in your industry.
And once you’ve managed to achieve one of the above, make sure you share the news far and wide via your LinkedIn and other social media.
Whilst building your personal brand will take time, and require an initial investment of energy, the eventual payoff can be enormous. So, which of these tips will you be taking on in order to elevate yourself as a highly sought after candidate?
By Daria Oborina
Daria Manages the Supply Chain, Logistics and RFID practice at Gillespie Manners. She and her team of consultants routinely deliver senior and c-level roles across the UK, EMEA, US and APAC. ?