Five Essentials for Building a Personal Brand

Realize it or not, everyone has a personal brand. If your business involves you being in the forefront, personal branding should be a top priority. How you package yourself to the public is especially important when trying to convert your target audience into actual clients.  The best advice is that you drive your personal brand versus letting it drive you.  If you’re not quite sure where to start, here are five essentials you will need to help you on your way:

Define Yourself – Consider who you want to become, how you want to be known, and who you will serve.  Be specific and don't be concerned with limiting yourself. Pinpointing your expertise and identifying your audience will provide clarity on how best to set yourself apart from others in your field. Once you have formulated and written your thoughts, this will become your personal branding statement. Your personal branding statement will help guide your day-to-day business and branding decisions.

Be Memorable – If you are mixing your personal brand with your business model, make it count. Memorable people have something that sets them apart from everyone else. Ask yourself, how do I add value and what makes me unique? Your response may be your expertise, appearance, personality, or ideology.  Regardless of the “how”, don't be afraid to stand out, instead embrace it!  In the world of personal branding, being memorable for the wrong reasons ranks higher than being forgettable. 

Leverage Social Media - Don't miss out on opportunities to expand your influence and reach by using social media. Develop and execute a social media strategy and start by creating or strengthening your presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Social media provides an opportunity to reach a larger target audience, the key is consistency and good content. If you don't have the time to do it yourself, hire a social media manager. Social media management plans are affordable, but be sure to hire someone you entrust with communicating your brand.

Create a Personal Website - For independent professionals or industry experts, having a personal website is a necessity. It's a place where potential clients can learn about you and your expertise.  Your website should be visually appealing and contain content that catches the attention of your audience.  Depending on your profession, your website content will vary, however, including a bio, resume, portfolio, and links to your social media pages will cover the basics.  There are numerous do-it-yourself website templates in the marketplace, but, if you are not tech savvy or if writing is not your forte', consider employing a website design firm or a content writer to achieve professional results.  

Network, Network, Network - Connect with mentors and create partnerships. Associating with other respected professionals will help to build your brand's credibility and will serve as a valuable resource. You can learn a lot from those having already established their personal brand and you may be surprised by how many are willing to share their branding and business faux pas. Glitzy websites and trendy social media pages are not substitutes for networking, continue to build professional relationships and expand your knowledge base. Also remember, networking is not just about receiving, so be sure to play it forward when the opportunity arises.

Wanda Jones is the founder of WriteImage LLC a content writing, branding, and publicity firm.

5 Effective Tips For A Better Resume

Qualified job seekers often become frustrated when resumes do not result in interviews.  Perhaps it's time to revamp your resume to make it more appealing to potential employers. There are some simple yet effective changes you can make to render your resume more attractive. A great resume is comprised of relevant content and is visually appealing. Here are five tips to help get you get started:

Increase White Space
Avoid cluttered resumes. While it may be tempting to list every accomplishment and project you've ever completed, forcing the information into limited space will make your resume visually unappealing. Stick to details that are most relevant to the position for which you are applying. Once you land the interview, use that opportunity to expand if needed.  Unless you are applying for a senior management or executive position, more than a two page resume is too long.

Remove Dated Experience
There is something called the 15 Year Rule and it applies to resume work experience and education.  While it is great that you were the treasurer of you college's science club, chances are if you've been in the work force over 15 years your potential employer is not interested.  They will care more about recent accomplishments. The same applies to work history, jobs over 15 years ago are likely no longer relevant to your current search and could lead to potential age discriminatory practices. If in doubt, leave it out.

Delete Filler Words
Everyone is a great "team player" and "well organized" on their resume. Including these descriptions will not make you stand out from your competitors. Instead of using cliché phrases and words, opt to include skill sets that communicate your unique, relevant, and specific qualifications.
 

Accomplishments - Use The APR Formula
Avoid making your work experience read like a job description. Focus on highlighting your accomplishments instead of tasks. The APR Formula (Action + Problem/Project + Result) is an excellent way to convey projects you've completed and the results you achieved. Be sure to use action verbs (e.g. generated, streamlined, facilitated, etc.) to detail your approach. Then describe your results in measurable terms. Example: Restructured the ABC process resulting in a 20% increase in productivity, a 5% decrease in error rates, and improved customer satisfaction.

Choose the Correct Resume Style
Recent resume trends allow for more creativity. While it is acceptable to add a little flare to your resume, the style should remain consistent with your industry. If you are a graphic designer or marketing professional, let your creativity shine through your resume. However, If you are a banker or an accountant you will want to stay with the more traditional styles. Hint: Try Pinterest. There are tons of fresh resume templates for all industries, but be sure to use an editing eye. 

7 Tips for Connecting Your Inner Brand With Your Outer Brand

Despite your intelligence, professional credentials, and experience you just don’t measure up. The evidence of your competence is unmistakable, but instead you dismiss your accomplishments or influence as a result of luck, being in the right place at the right time, or knowing the right people. While it is quite possible that some levels of success can be attributed to those factors, it’s more likely that your accomplishments are a direct by-product of hard work, perseverance, and preparedness.  Some cannot relate to this concept, but for many it's a reality. Many professionals, business owners, and leaders are waiting to be "outed".  They live in fear that someone will discover that they are not as together as they appear to be, despite external evidence of their competence.  This psychological phenomenon is known as the Impostor Syndrome. It describes high achievers that are unable to internalize their accomplishments or successes and those afflicted with the Impostor Syndrome are convinced that they are frauds. 

The Impostor Syndrome can be crippling, but it is not a life sentence. I know because, despite notable accomplishments and experience, I am an Impostor Syndrome Survivor.  Recovery does not happen overnight. As a survivor, I've pushed through doubts and uncertainties to become a business owner and an intelligent risk taker. Here are some tips that have proven helpful for me: 

1) Acknowledge that you suffer from the Impostor Syndrome.  You won’t fix it until you acknowledge that it’s broken. 
2) Embrace positive feedback. When complimented, simply say…thank you. Resist the urge to downplay your accomplishments. 
3) List your accomplishments and compare them to your failures. Notice something? Remember every successful person has failed at something, use failures as lessons and motivators. 
4) Be resourceful. It’s okay to ask for help.  Most successful people surround themselves with knowledgeable support systems. Not having all the answers does not negate your competence. 
5) Step out of your comfort zone. Successful people feel stifled when stuck in the comfort zone and it’s an incubator for the Impostor Syndrome. Feelings of accomplishment are heightened when we conquer a challenge. You need to be in the challenge zone, not the comfort zone. If fear is holding you back, read #3 again. 
6) Stop comparing yourself to others. Often there is a difference between what you think a person knows versus what they actually know. If you need more convincing, read #4 again.   
7) Be accountable for your successes. You’ve prepared and you’ve worked hard, your credibility, influence, and accomplishments are the results.