Day 2 of TheLadders’ SeekWeek Webinars was about “Managing your many faces: What to say about yourself and where.”

The focus of this program was on personal branding, from the resume and cover letter to having an online presence.

A personal brand is important because:
-Credentials are not enough
-People pay more for brands (Tide is more expensive than the store brand)
-Technology has raised the bar (It’s even harder now to stand out)
-You want recruiters to seek YOU out (you have to be visible)

There were three speakers: Deb Dib, President of Executive Power Group, Kirsten Dixson of Bradego, and William Arruda, President of Reach Communications. To view the archive of the presentation, click here.

The speakers focused on 5 steps in branding yourself for the job search:

1. Know your brand: It is important to know your VPs (Vision, Purpose, Values and Passions) when establishing your brand, which is also your reputation. Determine what attributes describe you (visionary, rainmaker, outspoken, charming, etc).

2. Put Your Brand in Context: You have to know your audience, which can be hiring managers, recruiters, companies, and industries. You also have to know about your competition - what do you have that is the same as your peers? What is different? Then perform a gap analysis to determine what unique benefit you bring that makes you irresistible to others (besides your looks, of course).

3. Express Your Brand: After you have established your brand and completed the gap analysis, you have to design your “marketing materials” (resume, cover letter, etc). With regards to resumes, it was suggested the document begin with an executive summary that includes your brand statement. This catches the recruiters’ eyes quickly and hopefully entices them to read the rest of the resume more carefully.

(Note: I revamped my resume based on their comments and suggestions. I’m really happy with it and hope to get favorable results.)

4. Build Your Brand in Bits and Bytes: Google yourself. It is important to be visible, and one way is by “being found” on the Internet. Some suggestions included starting a blog or creating an online portfolio.

5. Exude your Brand - Get the Job you Deserve: A brand must be Clear (precise message), Consistent (across all channels - resume, cover letter, bio, etc) and Constant (always visible to the target audience).

In addition to these 5 steps, there were also tips on “collateral” material like resumes, cover letters, bios, resume addendums, executive summary, etc. For more information, link to the webinar.