Build a personal brand and never jobhunt again
My friends, I confess, there is an important truth that I have neglected to share with you for lo, this nearly one year of stirring the Magic Pot. This is the unspoken truth that we recruiters hate to mention, for it makes us shudder to the core of our very souls. But because I am committed to honesty in the process, I dare speak type it aloud now:
Looking for a job SUCKS ASS.
There are few things more demoralizing in modern life than sending out little sheets of paper (or computer files) from which some stranger in some comfortable office who has never heard of you is supposed to divine your potential worth as a cog in their corporate machine.
And then, if your resume is found pleasing, you get to dress up in your best dress-to-impress gear, and smile and nod and make polite conversation while more strangers ask you ridiculous questions and internally pick apart your every answer while the future of your career hangs in the balance.
Meanwhile, you’re sweating it out in a job you clearly dislike enough to want to leave, or god forbid, you’re sitting at home sweating it out while your bank balance dwindles because you’re out of work.
This is a terrible, soul-destroying process. But take heart- there are things you can plan for that will make it better. You can build what I like to call “your personal brand.” With a strong personal brand, you can achieve what a friend of mine predicted when we had lunch last week: “I’m not applying for my next job. I’m getting headhunted!” Your personal brand is the thing that makes people seek you out, instead of the other way around.
What is a personal brand? In a general sense, it’s the state of being known in a particular community for…something. Ideally, that something will be for your expertise or general fabulousness, not for that embarrassing incident at last year’s Christmas party.
For our purposes, a strong personal brand is the thing that is going to make your next job transition experience much better than your last one. It’s the thing that keeps you from being some random schmoe off the street sending in a resume, and instead makes you the desirable expert employers have been looking for. Essentially, it’s a highly-targeted form of celebrity.
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You’ll find jobs in London at Canary Wharf Jobs.com.
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While it’s certainly possible to develop that sort of renown without thinking too hard about it, it’s a lot easier to get it if you’re planning for it.
First, ask yourself: In which communities would you like to be known? The likely answer is that you’d like to be well known in the local community for whatever your profession is, but don’t stop there. It’s a good idea to also try to build your brand beyond that- people who don’t do exactly what you do should still think of you as an expert in your field. People in your field across the country should know of you, even if they don’t know you personally.
One of the easiest things you can do to enhance your brand’s value is to be as generous as possible with your network and personal expertise. Understand that the value and goodwill you’ve built up in your relationships doesn’t get consumed by sharing it, it’s enhanced. Introduce your contacts to each other. Be free with advice on the areas where you’re qualified to give it. As Keith Ferrazzi says, you should interest yourself in others’ success, which will in turn interest them in yours.
Certainly, the Internet adds a new dimension to this that didn’t exist before. You can start a blog as a platform for sharing your expertise with the people who are interested in it- remember, you don’t have to be famous to everyone- just to a particular, targeted group of people. Blogs in particular are great for helping to develop a following- tools like Technorati help you to keep track of the word-of-mouth surrounding your personal brand, and they provide a way for people to keep checking in on you without the need to speak with you directly.
But resist the temptation to let your blog do all the work for you- get out there and engage with the community you want to be known in. Join professional organizations, accept speaking engagements- yes, for free, and yes, during evenings and weekends. Sorry, but that’s how it is. Leave comments on other blogs, talk to the people who are leaders in your field, but most of all, be visible.
I’ve got a great deal more to say on this topic, but for now, a homework assignment: My coworkers have heard me raving for months about Keith Ferrazzi’s book. I can’t recommend it enough- he doesn’t get around to calling all this relationship-building a “personal brand” until later in the book, but it seems to me that the only way to become well known for anything is to get out and get to know people. So go pick up his book and read it. Now. I’ll still be here when you get back, and it’s an easy read.