Meera Singh Rawat

What is Personal Branding ? #3

Tips on Personal Branding for Job Seekers

In the first 2 posts on Personal branding, we have covered what is personal branding and its importance. In this post let us look at why is personal branding important for job seekers and what is it that one can do to get better at it.

In today’s pandemic times – our world has become online and it happens to be the New Normal – we are using online for practically everything we need – right from our education to learning to electronics to shopping to retail therapy to entertainment to fitness and the list goes on.
So where do you think the HR and recruiters are finding their candidates? The answer is obvious that their focus and source too has moved majorly to Online search. It has its pros and cons. The personal touch is lost that one did have in the past and the only mode that’s available for job seekers is to make their online presence significant and put out their USP – Unique Selling Proposition to differentiate themselves.

There are 3 stages of Personal Branding when it comes to job search / career:

Applying for jobs
Interviewing for jobs
Advancing in a job (or your career)

Let us look at some of the techniques by which the job seekers can build their Personal Brand:

Begin with asking your selves the questions with the Who-What-How

Who am I?
What is my passion?
What makes me different from others?
What do I want to do?
How do I want to do it?

The above will get you started with identifying your Unique selling proposition and tell your story

What do you think about your Resume – is it Good – can it be better and how to make it the best:
1. Employers assess candidates on their resumes – it tells them how ready you are for your job. Job seekers should use specific examples when describing past responsibilities and always tailor resumes to the positions they apply for. It is that one tool in your hands where you have the freedom to tell your story your way.
Time to check your Elevator Pitch:
1. An elevator pitch is the summary of your personal and professional background
2. The remote way of working makes its critical that your elevator pitch enables you to express and convey your strengths and contribution effectively in absence of the otherwise face to face meetings where non-verbal skills can be leveraged
3. Prepare-practice-perform – use this technique for perfecting your Elevator Pitch
Have you aligned your Social media profiles to positioning your personal brand:
1. Candidates are selected / rejected based on their social media profile and their stories
2. Time to do a rain check on making sure that it tells what you truly want yourself to be known for.
Google your name and see what comes up:
1. Everyone is googled all the time – what comes up drives the decisions
2. Employers will do the same to research about you – so stay ahead and be the first one to find out
3. Do a Search engine optimization (SEO) to benefit from increased search visibility

Have you considered building a Personal portfolio / website:
- This is one of the effective tools to build your personal brand and stand out in the digital crowd
- It helps you to put it out all in one place whether its your experience or your projects along with showcasing your creativity and innovative bent of mind

Hope the above ignites your mind and gets you to start working on your personal branding. As always shared below are articles for those who want to know more. Stay safe till we meet again in my next post.

Citation and your take away resources:
https://theinterviewguys.com/personal-branding-for-job-seekers-101/
https://thestartingidea.com/personal-branding-guide/
https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/vital-seo-trends-for-google-rankings/

What is Personal Branding ? #2

Why is Personal Branding Important ?

Has it occurred to you that from the moment you wake up and reach for that inseparable partner i.e.: your mobile phone to check either the social media updates / office emails instead of saying a gratitude prayer 😊 – Right from that moment you are actually a browser of personal brand of either products or people or anything of your interest! And what makes you stay a little longer on a post or subject than the others – a lot of that emanates from the personal branding effort from the other end.

I have always enjoyed referring statistics just to understand where the trends are going. So, whether you are an entrepreneur or a corporate professional, if you simply google for statistics on importance of personal branding – you will find huge eye-opening facts and figures on the subject. I am presenting here a few of those statistics just to bring a point home that personal branding is the key to success in today’s digital era. Think of personal branding as an executive level strategy for paving your paths to achieving your goals.

A few statistics on Importance of personal Branding by ceohangout.com:

Recruiting

Companies that invested in personal branding initiatives of their employees found that employees were 27% more hopeful about their company, 20% more likely to stay, and 40% more likely to believe in the competitiveness of their employer.
95% of recruiters think that the job market is going to get more competitive, and job seekers that stand out are likely to benefit.
90% of recruiters said they conducted online research on potential candidates.
78% of recruiters say they find their best quality candidates through referrals. (Source)
80% of jobs that are available are hidden, and are not advertised to the public eye (Source: Carleton University).

Natalie Ellis, the founder of bossbabe said recently that “personal branding gives you security and stability, no matter what’s going on in the world.”
Quoting from this article here are a few more pointers on Importance of personal Branding:
https://www.avrocreative.com/blog/personalbrandingfor2021

Security: Personal branding gives you security because you are able to effectively communicate your value. And in the event that you find yourself looking for a job, your personal brand, or your reputation opens doors for you.
The power of being online: Online is the ONLY place recruiters and employers can find you and connect with you about opportunities. Being invisible online will hold you back from opportunities now more than ever! Having a personal brand means that people will find you online more easily and they’ll be impressed by what they see.
Your network is your lifeline: The hidden job market is real and if you’re not networking you don’t have access to it! A personal brand allows you to network effectively and with confidence. You know your value and your goals, and so does your network.

I believe in keeping things simple – and I hope the above post helps you in understanding that personal branding is no more a want but a necessity and more so now given the COVID times. So get creative and look forward to my next post on “How to build your Personal Brand #3”

As always here are your take away resources – happy exploring:

Website: https://www.meersnghrawat.com

What is Personal Branding ? #1

Personal Branding Series…

Hello Everyone! We always start by asking “how are you doing” – Most of the times we respond quite mechanically to it. However, when I come to think of it – My days are always amazing as I get to engage with individuals from different countries, different phases of their career, different cultural mindset and different walks of life. It was one of those days when a client comes in not knowing what to expect. He wanted to understand what more can he do to become an influencer and a visible leader. He happens to be someone who is academically very accomplished and also well placed with one of the fortune 500 companies.

The aspect that we realized that needed a consideration was his personal branding. As we got deeper into the discussion, I realized that there are so many of us who could benefit from understanding this subject better. Personal Branding can be quite exhaustive hence I will be sharing my views in a series on this topic in the coming weeks. So, today I am beginning the series on how personal branding can help you not only build a positive image, credibility, distinguish you from others but much more and beyond.

SERIES #1

What do you mean by Personal Branding?

How would you like your peers to think of you and remember you? What personality do you want others to see of you? What is your digital footprint – all the things that you have posted knowingly or unknowingly remain permanently on internet. In today’s digital era, it is becoming increasingly pertinent to not only be aware but also conscious of what can make or break your personal image. Do a quick test – just google your name and see what comes up for you! That’s where the journey of building your personal brand begins.

Quoting from Wikipedia here is the definition:
Personal branding is the conscious and intentional effort to:
– Create and influence public perception
– Positioning them as an authority
– Elevating their credibility
– Differentiating themselves
– Advance their career
– Increase their circle of influence
– Have a larger impact

The process of personal branding involves:
– Finding your uniqueness
– Building a reputation on the things you want to be known for
– Allowing yourself to be known for them

Ultimately, the goal is to create something that conveys a message and that can be monetized. So, lets together understand how Personal Branding can help communicate the right story, manage perceptions that are aligned with their values, beliefs, goals, and purposes in this series on the subject.

More in my next post till then happy reading and reflecting.

Take away resources:
Here are a few Brand assessment tools – go ahead and check the health meter of your
Personal branding:
https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/what-is-your-personal-brand-quiz/ https://www.selfbrand.com/tools/assessment/short-test.html

Citations:
https://influencermarketinghub.com/what-is-personal-branding/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_branding

7 Signs when you should consider hiring a Career Coach

If you are unsure on when to seek some professional help to advance your career – Here are the 7 Signs that will serve as a guide for meeting a Career Coach

1. You’re experiencing job anxiety or insecurity

When you feel you are bored of the job and having a frustrating experience everyday with your colleagues, peers and mostly you always have a feeling of what other career options do I have besides the current job. Then this is the time you speak to a career coach who helps you identify new opportunities and avenues.

2. You’re mindlessly doing a job search

Being in a state of stress you are just sending resumes left right and centre which is not actually giving you the results, meaning – you are not getting any calls nor any job interviews. Then this is the time you hire a career coach to guide you through a scientific approach to job search using a measurable framework.

3. Your Personal branding needs a facelift

Are you struggling to tell your story, what is the digital footprint that you are promoting – are you unsure if your social media platforms are your disablers. Then this is the time you need to take services of a career coach. Your coach will help you visualize the missing dots to build an enabling personal brand.

4. Your career is going South

Your career is stagnated and you are not able to climb the ladder despite your hard work. This is a clear sign that you need a career coach as one needs to be groomed for nest level or leadership, organizational change and traversing office politics. I having operated at the C-Suite level and managing organization inertia gives me the first-hand experience of navigating across all such road blocks / situations.

5. You’re confronted from within to stand out from the crowd

If you have a burning desire to differentiate yourself from other job pursuers, one needs to hone their skills and elaborate on credentials. Today’s world being very competitive, just by enhancing on your distinctive fortes will not reach you there. Instead it’s the bringing out of the unexplored dimensions that can make all the difference. Then this is the time when a career coach can help you discover your hidden strengths to help you reach your goals.

6. You struggle with your inner self and lack of motivation

When you have got an enhanced role in your career and you are experiencing challenges. Maybe it’s the new turf or non-conducive environment –that makes the most motivated individuals find themselves sulking, slacking or burnt out. If you feel you need hand holding during these times and a partner to manage your current transition this is time you need a career coach who can help you manage your career transition and lay a path for achieving your milestones.

7. You want to give wings to your career

In order to achieve your goals and catapult your ambition, a career coach could be the facilitator. One needs to prioritize accomplishment, and with a career coach by your side, realizing your professional goals becomes a reality

What is Coaching ?

How Coaching can enhance your Career and Life ?

Coaching is a process that aims to improve performance and focuses on the ‘here and now’ rather than on the distant past or future… Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance. It is helping you to learn rather than teaching you.

While there are many different models of coaching, here we are not considering the ‘coach as expert’ but, instead, the coach as a facilitator of learning.

There is a huge difference between teaching someone and helping them to learn. In coaching, fundamentally, the coach is helping the individual to improve their own performance: in other words, helping them to learn. Coaching helps one to reboot one’s system to discover and grow their strengths, overcome challenges, have an action plan to achieve their goals.

“Good coaches believe that the individual always has the answer to their own problems but understands that they may need help to find the answer”.

Coaching enables listening to your inner voice and discovering your potential to explore new horizons and reach your goals.