I’ve heard it said that branding is all about getting yourself noticed. I’d tend to disagree – at least I’d tend to disagree today. It’s my opinion that personal branding only begins with getting noticed. If done right, personal branding efforts (for employment) should continue down a path that leads potential employers to see you as the only viable option they have for a job they’re looking to fill (or to create!)

But first let’s have a quick chat about getting noticed…

In today’s world of rapid communication the task of ‘getting the word out’ has become incredibly simple. However, in the world of branding it is as it was with Peter Parker. “With great simplicity comes great responsibility.” - or something like that. What do I mean by this quick butchering of Uncle Ben’s infinite wisdom? It’s simple, really…

A posting on your blog or Facebook page where you only average 3 or 4 hits a day might seem like a safe place for you to crack a joke at your current or potential employers expense. But with microblogging tools like Twitter it only takes one savvy web surfer to stumble across your message or throw your link into a quick tweet. What could follow is a domino effect where hundreds or even thousands of people find your comments – to include said employer.

While one of the keys to creating an effective brand is to strike an emotional chord with your audience, you may want to temper your rants and raw humor just a bit – at least where they’re tied to your personal brand. Generally, however, you’re shooting for credibility with clear and concise messages rather than your ability to create a 500 word essay on why the local diner is poorly managed and understaffed or how amazing the Hooters waitress looked last week at your favorite eating establishment.

When you started your journey to create a personal brand for yourself one of the first things you should have done was decide what you wanted your image to be. As mentioned in a previous post on RecruiterGuy.net, you should have created a list of knowledge, skills, or abilities that you were hoping would become your calling card. It’s important to remember these goals when posting any messages to your site or network – as well as any responses to the postings of others anywhere on the web.

If you stopped right now and threw your name in Google what would you find? Do you find yourself in the top 10 results? Are you even on the first 3 pages anywhere? If you aren’t – you’re too hard to find from an employer standpoint. If you do find yourself within the results of the first few pages are you happy with what you see? Is what you’re looking at in-line with your branding strategy? Why or why not?

Check your presence regularly in engines like Google or any industry specific forums or networks. Monitor your reputation and communicate with those that you feel share your values or goals and stick to contributing content that helps your cause. That old saying that “Content is King” never rang so true in a world of rapidly moving information and quickly shifting opinions. After all – one reader tells two friends and they tell two friends and they tell… well, you get the idea.

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