Finding a job is always a matter of competition. While you may be highly qualified for a role, there could be a myriad of other applicants equally or even more qualified than you are, all hoping to be selected for the position. However, when employers can see that you’re experienced, thoughtful and motivated to learn and grow—“top talent,” so to speak—they’ll be eager to bring you on board.
But to earn this reputation, you’ll need to work on building your personal brand. To do so, consider the following advice from the members of Young Entrepreneur Council. Below, they discuss some of the steps you can take to develop a “top talent” personal brand and why each step is so effective in helping you achieve your career goals.
Members pictured from left to right.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Develop Your Thought Leadership
One thing job seekers can do to build their personal brands as top talent is to create a strong online presence via social media platforms and press articles or blogs. This can include creating a focused, niche brand on Instagram as well as a professional profile on LinkedIn, publishing articles and blog posts that showcase their expertise and participating in relevant online communities and forums. By consistently demonstrating their knowledge, skills and values, job seekers can establish themselves as thought leaders in their field, be an authority and build a reputation as top talent. Additionally, networking with professionals in their industry and collaborating on projects can further enhance their personal brand and help them establish meaningful connections in their field. – Fritz Colcol, Simply Thalia
2. Identify Your ‘Focus Product’
Every business has a focus product, as does every person. When building your personal brand, identify what you are good at and make that the focus—your selling point, so to speak. But it’s not enough to tell people that you are good at certain things—you have to be more specific. If you say your brand is helping startups with their marketing needs, then you have to prove that you have the credibility and skills. You must have the experience and training to prove your expertise. You must continue learning through seminars, conferences and workshops. Never assume that you have learned everything. New trends are always on the horizon. Learning about unrelated things that would complement your marketing knowledge, such as customer service, emotional intelligence and technology, are also ideal. – Bryce Welker, Big 4 Accounting Firms
3. Build Relationships At Desired Companies
One thing job seekers can do now to build their own personal brands as top talent is to focus on creating relationships with people at companies where they want to work who might potentially hire them. This means reaching out and connecting with people through social media, speaking opportunities, networking events and more. – Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
4. Curate Your Portfolio
Creating the best portfolio website you can will make you stand out. Consider anything you spend here to be an investment in your own future. Also, don’t just work on this website in between job searches. This is a typical approach that makes perfect sense, but you run the risk of forgetting all about some of the best work that you may have done. You might put off updating your portfolio so long that the page you created gets taken down or you misplace the file for the materials you wanted to add. Don’t count on anybody else to have the material you worked on saved once you’re back in the job market. Be the best chronicler of your own good work. – Tyler Bray, TK Trailer Parts
5. Start Earning Reviews
Job seekers are missing a lot of opportunities to build their portfolios and image. The one thing I would suggest is to join a platform like Fiverr to do some work on the side while you are looking for a job. That will bring in some money but, just as important, it will bring in reviews. It’s a way for you to start creating an image for yourself in what you do. It also gives you some experience, which will be a benefit when you do get a job. You can take all of the work you do and use it and the reviews in a portfolio to show interviewers. You can put that work on a resume to craft an image of having more experience. You can promote it online as another way to build your brand. – Baruch Labunski, Rank Secure
6. Tailor Your Resume
Tailor your resume around the industry or product focus you have experience in and want to leverage to attract interest from hiring companies. In your experience description, focus on the software tools, awards and experience that resonate with the prospective company you ultimately want to work with. Too many job seekers have resumes that are too broadly focused, so it helps to pick your niche professional identity that you want to project—you’ll get a much better hit rate because of it. – Andy Karuza, NachoNacho
7. Review And Edit Your Online Presence
Your web presence matters more than ever—and I don’t mean in the “if you post pictures holding red Solo Cups in college, you’ll never get a job” sense that your teachers warned you about. I mean the first thing any hiring manager is going to do is Google you. If your SEO isn’t up to par, what will they see? Your competitor, on the other hand, has an online portfolio that shows off who they are, the work they’ve done and the depths they are willing to go to make an impression. Their SEO game has just crushed yours and that’s who’s going to get the job. We’re in a new hiring world where you can’t just be a ghost on the internet anymore. If you’re looking for a new job, now’s the time to shake off the cobwebs, get together a great online portfolio website and get ahead of the competition. – Isabelle Shee, GROW
8. Craft An Interesting Cover Letter
Have a cover letter that includes a story about your childhood, upbringing, values or character. Your resume gets your foot in the door to show you are qualified for the role, but your cover letter is your opportunity to show what makes you unique and what sets you apart from other candidates in your own voice—plus everybody loves a good story. This is why you’ll often hear TED Talks and presentations start off with a compelling story. It shows the audience a little bit about you as a person and why they should listen, and allows the audience to gain a deeper understanding of who you are through examples. Once somebody can relate to you because they have a shared experience, they are more likely to listen to your point of view on why you should be hired or why you are a good fit. – Givelle Lamano, Lamano Law Office
9. Get To Know Yourself
Self-awareness is the secret. Start by being really honest with yourself about your personal strengths and weaknesses. Spend time getting to know what your interests, goals and passions are in general. But spend just as much time discovering what it is you don’t like too. The more you understand what isn’t right for you, the more focused and determined you will be at chasing what is right for you and your future. Once you feel at peace with yourself and what you stand for, spend time creating content that aligns with that. The more grounded you are, the greater your ability to reveal and explain who you are to others and let those qualities shine through. Self-awareness is a rare, admirable quality to have. – Blair Thomas, eMerchantBroker