What makes JobsCentral Graduate Virtual Career Fair 2021 the place to go? It’s the chance to interact with and get to know some famous brands like EZ-Link, CPF Board, Wok Hey and more.
You know and respect these organisations for the brand they’ve built over the years. But did you know the same applies to you as well?
A personal brand, which consists of who you are, what you stand for, the values you embrace, and the way in which you express those values, is a must-have in today’s world.
Also, if don’t make a conscious effort to nurture your own personal brand, the bad news is: the internet will do it for you. In this age of social media where everything is at the click of a link, potential employers have access to your Facebook, Instagram, blog posts, forum discussions and even that website you made back in secondary school for a joke. So if you don’t start curating the information available about you, you will be essentially inviting everyone to a free-for-all buffet on your life and what you do.
So now that we’ve established that a good personal brand is absolutely necessary, what does it mean?
Dr. Sean Gresh, a faculty member in Northeastern’s Master of Science in Corporate and Organizational Communication program, summarised: “Personal branding is one’s story.”
More deeply, it should represent the value you are able to consistently deliver to those whom you are serving. Don’t confuse this with self-promotion, which is simply putting the best parts of yourself out there. Your personal brand is your unique, authentic voice about what you can offer the world.
Start now:
- Identify and define your personal brand.
As mentioned previously, you already have a personal brand floating around cyberspace. It’s time to look at it in more depth. Do a Google search or set up Google alerts for your name and see what turns up. Then, you can adjust your privacy settings, take down irrelevant content, and be in charge of what you voluntarily put out there for the world ‚Äî and employers ‚Äî to see.
- Make sure your brand is authentic.
No one is perfect, so your personal voice shouldn’t come off like a robot who only says the correct things. Don’t be afraid to show off your personality and skill sets and to set the tone for how you want to portray yourself. While you should always keep it professional, there’s nothing wrong with a little humour and wit, or anything that makes you, you.
- Ensure brand consistency.
While there may be some inherent differences in how you blog versus how you tweet versus what you post on LinkedIn, it should still have a consistent tone or voice.
- Open channels of communication.
Start networking! Explore ways that you can communicate with your audience and create a positive digital footprint that will round out your portfolio. You can start out by curating or reposting content, before moving onto a blog or website of your own. Follow experts in the field, and keep your social media updated and happening – these are a great indication of who you want to be and what you can offer.
- Think before you post!
Sometimes we don’t think of the ramifications of the information we put out there. Many of us tend to vent on social media, but that’s exchanging short-term gratification for a long-term disadvantage.
A good rule of thumb would be to ask yourself: “Would I be comfortable with potential employers seeing this?” If you have any doubts about it, it’s safest to just vent in person or via text.
Have you registered to see some of the best brands around at JobsCentral Graduate Virtual Career Fair? Start now, and move onto a compelling personal brand the shows the world the best of you!
Background photo created by Waewkidja – www.freepik.com