Personal branding is flavour of the month in the careers world and many careers services (including ours!) are piggy backing on this current trend, encouraging students to create and market their brand. Here’s why: a strong, identifiable brand is a ‘must have’ in today’s crowded job market – it’s much easier to sell a product with a powerful brand. And like it or not – YOU are the product. Treat your job search like a mini marketing campaign.

Apple. Lexus. Innocent. Hollister. What unites these seemingly diverse brands? Identity and personality. Given a pen and blank sheet of paper you could conjure up any number of descriptive words associated with each brand. And what they represent. Can you do the same for yourself?

You can’t know your brand if you don’t know who you are. Start with the basics:

• What are your strengths? Are you organised, laid back, creative or witty?
• What are your values? Do you strive for excellence, harmony, equality or status?
• What can you bring?  Are you a connector, an organiser, a leader?
• What can you do? Qualifications, skills, experience(s).
• What would people say about you? What would you’d like them to say?

Personal branding is about the message and the delivery. It’s not just what you say, but how you say it. In all spheres. Every interaction – both on and offline – leaves an impression, a footprint. Make sure it’s the one you want.

If you’re new to the notion of personal branding and wondering where on earth to start, then you can’t do better than this fantastic infographic from Enrico Bisetto at Sestyle.  How to create brand ‘you’ in 9 easy steps…