5 Creative Strategies for Career Branding - Sterling Career Concepts

5 Creative Strategies for Career Branding 5 Creative Strategies for Career Branding In today’s competitive and digital-driven world, your personal brand has a tremendous impact on your career. Just think about it, what’s the first thing you do after meeting someone at a business event? Typically, you look them up online. The way you present yourself online, as well as offline, defines your personal brand. Whether you’re just entering the workforce or are an experienced professional, it’s crucial to develop a personal brand that will have a positive impact on your career. Creating a strong personal brand, however, requires a lot of time and effort. You need to be able to develop creative strategies for crafting an image that will better position you in the job market and boost your career opportunities. There are many strategies that you can use to help you establish and grow a successful personal brand. Here, we take a look at five proven strategies to help you get started. 1. Build your Brand Every great brand has a brand statement, and your personal brand is no exception to the rule. Your personal brand statement should be as unique as you are and memorable in the eyes of your target audience. This self-promotional tool is a short, concise statement that describes who you are and what differentiates you from others. To develop your own personal brand statement, consider the following: In what areas, industries or topics do you excel? What types of projects do you most enjoy? What types of projects do you find most stressful or overwhelming? What specialist expertise do you have to offer? What differentiates you from your peers? Once you’ve identified your brand statement, practice it with your friends and family. Be open to honest feedback and remember that every word in your brand statement needs to earn its place. Try to avoid cliches and focus on what matters most. 2. Be Authentic Authenticity is key when it comes to career branding. Your audience is buying into you, after all. Be consistent with your personal brand and stay true to who you are. Just like corporate brands, your personal brand may evolve over time as you progress in your career. 3. Focus on your Expertise Many job seekers tend to position themselves as knowledgeable on a broad range of topics to suit the varied needs of today’s employers. However, this approach of being an expert on everything typically tends to backfire. Rather than showcasing your breadth of knowledge, focus on your depth of knowledge. Hone in on one area where you possess the most expertise, and then focus on how you can use that to help build value for the company from Day One. 4. Promote your Brand As with any brand, it’s important to promote it! A great way to promote your personal brand is by starting a blog. There’s plenty of website builders available today that allow you to quickly and easily create a blog. The key is to focus on quality, rather than quantity. Take the time to create blog content that’s insightful, informative and showcases your expertise. Consider setting up a social profile on LinkedIn where you can then promote your blog content, as well as your experience and expertise. Your LinkedIn profile can be an excellent way to establish trust and credibility with hiring managers. As you set up your LinkedIn profile, be sure to include the following: A professional profile picture A concise, impactful profile headline An insightful and engaging profile summary Recommendations from former colleagues Highlighted experience and projects Published works and articles As a thought leader in your field, you may even become popular enough to develop a large following of people who want to support you offline as well, for example through lines of branded clothing, stickers or other promotional merchandise that your brand ambassadors will cherish as an extension of yourself, and which will give you another source of income. 5. Embrace Networking Source: Unsplash Your personal brand extends far beyond digital. In-person networking is a great way to expand your professional circle. Connect with like-minded peers and industry leaders by attending trade association events, local business chapter events or informal networking events. When you make connections, you gain the opportunity to expand your own network and benefit from others’ skills and knowledge. However, remember, networking is all about relationships; you must be able to give something back in order to build long-term relationships. While you may meet a lot of connections at events, it’s important to continue to build the relationship after the event concludes. Connect with people on LinkedIn, or make it a habit to send helpful articles to key contacts. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for informational interviews or to meet for a casual coffee. Networking is all about spending the time to get to know others and developing a mutually-beneficial relationship. Conclusion Building a successful personal brand takes time, effort and also requires a bit of patience. However, with the right strategies, you can craft a unique personal brand that will help you stand out in the job market and boost your career in the long-term. Just remember, just like corporate brands, your personal brand will continue evolve as you grow and advance in your career. It just takes a bit of courage and commitment to get started!