5 Ways to Build a Personal Brand That Brings Employers to You

5 Ways to Build a Personal Brand That Brings Employers to You 5 Ways to Build a Personal Brand That Brings Employers to You Have you ever looked at the personal brands of celebrities like Oprah Winfrey or Tony Robbins and thought, Yeah, it works for them, but Im not successful enough to risk standing out like thatHeres the secret A brand isnt something you build once opportunity has landed in your lap. Rather, a brand is the engine that brings new opportunities your way. It fuels growth no matter what stage of your career youre in and perhaps most importantly, it separates you from the pack. The end result? Youll be onthe receiving end of a steady flow of new opportunities from employers and people who wish to do business with you. You may never have to hunt for a job again.Heres how to get started building such a brand for yourself1. Define Your MissionA sense of purpose is essential to a brand that attracts attention. It is the North Star that guides every action you take, from giving a talk to firing off a tweet. If you skip this step,you willquickly find yourself lost in the woods, struggling to be found.Start by listing your top five values from most important to least. Examples might include family, community, and ambition.Then, list your top five passions from most important to least. Are you obsessed with advances in technology? Do you love being a connector between people in your network? Are you a fiend for mountain biking (like I am)? Dont separate career and personal just listyour passions.Finally, list yourtop five ideal traits. What traits have been most responsible for your successes to date? Quick learning? Empathy? Curiosity?Now review your answers to create a powerful one line mission statement. Here are some examples- My mission is to help ambitious people reach new levels in their careers.- My mission is to improve the lives of patients bybringing game-changing digital health solutions into the marketplace.- My mission is to show compani es that investing in HR and talent development isnt frivolous, but absolutely critical to long-term success.2. Turn Your LinkedIn Profile Into a Brand AssetIf your LinkedIn profile does nothing but reiterate your resume, youre wasting an enormous opportunity. Hook employers by turning it into a space that captivates and drives engagement instead.Create a headline that speaks directly to your audiences pain. Youre not an FPA manager, youre a leader who can tap into finances potential to unlock value. See the difference?Turn curiosity into engagement by haring your story in the summary section. Use the following structure1. Your mission2. How your background personaland professional revealed this mission to you.3. What youre currently doing to advance your mission.Be sure to bring in visual elements. A picture truly does say athousand words. Invest in some professional headshots and think hard about developing visual assets like a case studies report or project portfolio you can lin k to your profile. Thesewill add major value3. Launch a Top of Mind CampaignRegular engagement on social media is key to making sure your name is the first one on peoples lips. Think in terms of delivering valueinstead of self-promotion. Ask yourself, What problems are my target employers grappling with? and What is unique about the way I see this problem?Beyond hot takes on industry goings-on, you can share quotes, thank others in your network, and share your learning. In other words, as you learn interesting and relevant new things and come across amazing content, share it with your followers. This will help you come across as an industry insider and go a long ways toward establishing credibility with employers before theyve even reached out to you.Consider using a service like Hootsuite or Buffer to manage all of your social media accounts in one place, and schedule a weeks (or months) worth of posts in one sitting.Use the ABA principle for your campaign always be analyzing Wha t posts struck a chord with your target audience? Do more of that.4. Amplify Your Voice Across PlatformsOnce youhave a regular top of mind campaign going, its time to get serious about creating shareable content that will juice your efforts and act as calling cards with potential employers.Get serious about blogging. platzset up a personal website (all-in-one website builders like Squarespace and Weebly can get you up and running quickly) and start creating long-form posts that key decision-makers at target companies would find highly useful. These can also be shared on LinkedIn. Expert tip Use Quora to search for questions that are frequently asked by professionals in your niche and write blog posts addressing those questions in depth.Launch and manage a niche LinkedIn group for example, Digital Marketing and PR Outlaws. This can help establish you as a thought leader and bring a steady flow of relevant industry connections your way. Just be sure to carve out some weekly time to m oderate comments and engagement. A spam-filled group does you no favorsConsider creating a weekly podcast or YouTube-hosted video series that will give you a broader level of exposure and foster deeper connections with your target audience.5. Take It OfflineAs alluring as online brand building is, there is no substitute for person-to-person engagement. Research local events and meetups where you can speak. Provide tons of value and be sure to record them to share on social media to add to your portfolio Its an amazing way to meet and leverage industry influencers.Anish Majumdar is a career coach, executive resume writer, and LinkedIn expert. Check out his career videos atResumeOrbit.comand connect with him onLinkedIn.