We’ve done the research and compiled here a few great ideas you can use.
When a you become a job seeker, you become a marketeer
Granted that the creation of a personal brand that you are “marketing” to employers may be advanced to the novice job-seeker, it is still a fundamental element of a job-search. A personal brand is your value proposition to your potential employer and, by not having that in your arsenal, employers (and it’s important to see it from their perspective) are left seeing the candidate as a mystery as they search for that candidate who will stand out in a pool of applicants.
If there is no way, create one
As an example of a profile of a stand out candidate, look at the story of Dr. Larry Strybel’s. He describes in his blog in the Harvard Business Review how he made the transition from being a clinical psychologist into becoming a business consultant. Although he did not explicitly describe his value proposition, we can surmise that he is selling his ability to size people up, to get into their minds, and to get traction for his friends’ business through cold calls. His brand sent a message that he was somebody who can listen, dissect his clients’ problems, and somebody who is clear in language and thought.
Let’s highlight a few key takeaways from Dr. Strybel’s story. First, he was very clear on what he wanted and what kind of value he was providing. He wanted the experience in the marketing and the sales of Dr. Daily’s business. He also wanted the title of ‘Business Development Associate’; and the title would lead to referrals, connections, but—MOST IMPORTANTLY—the experience that he needed. Notice that he just did not ask for the experience, it was pretty much created for him using his brand as a tool for convincing Dr. Daily to give him that chance. He was also clear on the kind of value he was providing. He made the calls; he got the appointments. He never made the promise that he was there to generate sales because that was beyond the scope of his value proposition.
