Saturday, August 15, 2009

Personal Branding - Your Key to Career Success

Most people have this notion of branding as limited only to companies and business. However, the concept of branding can also apply to people. In fact, the most successful individuals in this world make full use of personal brands in order to promote themselves and advance in their careers.

In the context of personal branding, it simply means that you develop an image that you constantly maintain in front of your employers. This is the image that most employers will look at when you apply for a job, and what your former employers will tell their colleagues when they are asked for references about your work character.

Personal branding is awfully important if you are looking at building a career out of your field of expertise. With a solid personal brand backing you up, applying for jobs in reputable companies would be a breeze. This type of branding is what sets other job seekers apart from each other. This is the answer to the question as to why one of two equally qualified job seekers was accepted into the position while the other was not.

How to Build Your Personal Brand

Unlike commercial branding, acquiring a personal brand takes a bit more time, but it's okay; there are no hurries. In fact, in building a personal brand, it's better to have spent a lot of time building your skills because you have something to back your application up, which is what a brand is all about.

The first step to building a brand is to acquire a lot of skills related to your career path. This means that, when you are working at a job, do your best to grow your skills and be noticed by your superiors. This doesn't mean you aggressively brag about yourself; instead, you just concentrate on doing your job and make special efforts to improve yourself in parts where deficiencies have been detected in your job performance.

It can also help you to challenge yourself at your job. Take some of the more difficult jobs so that you won't succumb to mediocrity and monotony. This is also a preparation for you just in case you're advanced and would have to take those jobs and responsibilities. It doesn't help to be ready after all. If there is training available for advancement, don't hesitate to take the opportunity as well.

The workplace is not the only place to gain experience. You have to consider reaching into new horizons as well. Nowadays, there are websites that offer freelancing options for those who want to earn extra and gain new experiences that will not otherwise be attained in the office.

Last but not the least, list down all your accomplishments related to your field when you are applying for new jobs. The resume or curriculum vitae is what employers look at when gauging the eligibility of job applicants. Make sure that you list down all the things that make you qualified for the job including job experience (both in and outside the workplace), educational attainment, and special skills.

Jim Rogers is a uk based designer and illustrator and has been been working for Orb Creative, a Birmingham graphic design and branding agency for over two years.

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