Personal Brand Strategies for Professionals
Dear Debra,
Q. Your team did a wonderful job on my résumé last year and I recently read an article you wrote about Professional Branding. I am happy in my new role as Vice President of Operations, but at some point would like to become a CIO or CEO. What can I do on my own to improve my branding efforts and what services do you offer that might be of help?
G.F., Cleveland, OH
A. This is a great question and I am so happy to hear about your new role. I am also glad to know that you are already taking a strategic stance to position yourself for the future. Many people leave this to chance and forget to plan ahead.
Below are a few things you can do on your own along with various ways in which we can help you define and further your professional brand.
- The first step to promoting your professional brand is to determine exactly what that looks like. As with the marketing of any product, you need to identify the selling points, features, benefits, etc. What unique qualities do you offer?
- One of the ways we can help at CDW is by providing you with a Professional Branding Profile you can use for developing brand-oriented, market-driven themes in all correspondence, verbal messaging, interviews, networking, and career planning and activities.
- Once you have defined the specifics of your brand in detail, you can put it into action. Open and grow a twitter account, create a blog and start writing regularly, participate in appropriate LinkedIn groups as a trusted expert. Leverage your brand every chance you get at networking events. If time permits, volunteer.
- Another thing you can do is prepare a ‘case study’ of your work to provide a top-line look at your ability to deliver sustained results. We can help you with this as well.
If professional branding were easy, everyone would be doing it. In order to be successful, it requires dedication and a time intensive commitment. The first step in the process is to create the building blocks and set realistic goals that you can slowly attain to consistently drive home the value you offer.
Please feel free to contact me at debra@careersdonewrite.com to discuss the specifics of this plan based on your personal situation.
If you have a question for the Ask Deb column, please email debra@careersdonewrite.com
Dear Readers,
In conjunction with Job Search Digest, we will be conducting a webinar on February 8, 2011, Financial Résumé Writing – Extreme Résumé Makeovers. It is open to all executive level candidates regardless of industry, but space is limited.
For further info or to enroll go to EXTREME RESUME MAKEOVER.