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Through months of unemployment, guest author Joshua Persky chased job leads. But as soon as the ex-banker and MIT graduate identified his personal brand and created a cohesive marketing platform, "the job leads began chasing me," Persky writes. Soon, he had a couple of offers. I studied marketing at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Four years of my professional work experience were in international marketing of satellite communications equipment. Another four years was spent acting as the "brand police" at a U.S.-based affiliate of a large European bank, ensuring that all of the company marketing communications material, including its web site, conformed to the European headquarters’ marketing standards and policies.
I value the importance of brand recognition, packaging and a uniform message.
So, why didn’t I apply my marketing expertise to myself when I was searching for a job? Why did someone else have to tell me what to do?
Create a Uniform Brand Identity Everywhere You Are Visible
It made perfect sense to me when my career coach, Paloma Bowland, told me to identify my personal brand, professionalize and unify my LinkedIn and Facebook profiles, resume and blog. But it also seemed like a daunting task.
You may not think of yourself in terms of a brand. I didn't either. However, personal branding is an important element in marketing yourself to prospective employers. A personal brand can make you easily recognizable, emphasize your best skills and traits, give you a competitive edge, enhance your reputation, and enable you to efficiently garner attention, expand your network and reach your goals. Many people have similar skills and work experience, but there is only one you. If you want to be the one to get the job, it helps to stand out by being a recognizable and reputable brand.
Fortunately, I was branded by hundreds of people from around the world who had seen my story in the news and felt obliged to contact me. So it was not difficult for me to identify my personal brand.
Identifying the Brand
Numerous people e-mailed and called to tell me how creative and brave I had been to stand out on Park Avenue with a signboard. Furthermore, dozens of people told me they had seen my image in the newspaper or on television and I had exuded such integrity, they felt compelled to contact me.
It was quite clear to other people - and quickly became clear to me - that my personal brand was creativity, bravery and integrity. So I reinforced my personal brand by infusing it into all my communications.
My children had lured me onto Facebook, and I only used it to keep up with them. It has now become recognized as a professional tool to show more about you to a potential employer.
My blog, Oracle of NY, was in its infancy and I was not sure in which direction to take it. I had created the blog mainly to stay in touch with people from all over the world who had contacted me by e-mail and telephone. I wanted to use it to document my job search. It was also serving as a creative outlet for my thoughts and writing. Lastly, I expected it to help me find a job and advance my career.
In short, I wanted my blog to be everything for everyone.
Treat Social Network Sites As Part of Your Brand Identity
One of the first steps to strengthen a personal brand is to professionalize your social networking profiles. Complete them fully, keeping in mind that you want them to help you find a job. Never post or let anyone else post anything that might prevent you from getting a job!
Make sure to create a unified marketing platform by making your profiles consistent. For instance, use the same photograph as your profile picture on your various social networking sites.
Register your domain name. If your legal name is already taken, include your middle name, initial or other unique identifier. Owning your domain name will come in handy for having a blog, personal web site or online resume under your own name, making it easier for potential employers to identify you.
Start a blog related to your career, hobby or any passionate interest. Maintaining a blog demonstrates creativity, enthusiasm and discipline. A blog related to your chosen field of work can help you find a job and enhance your career.
Throughout my unemployment, I was chasing job leads. As soon as I identified my personal brand and created a cohesive marketing platform, the job leads began chasing me - and I soon had a couple of offers on the table.
<i>Joshua Persky is a New York-based career management author, blogger and lecturer whose professional background is in corporate finance and valuation. Last year he gained worldwide media attention for handing out his resume to strangers on the street while wearing a homemade sandwich board that read: "Experienced MIT Grad for Hire." </i>
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