Why Employers Are Looking For Your Personal Brand
To many people the phrase “personal brand” sounds like corporate newspeak and has little to offer to building products, companies and their employees.
The truth? Personal branding is just a way of formalising the kind of behaviour that good employees have always demonstrated.
What Is A Personal Brand?
Have you ever had a colleague that everyone thinks of as the “tech person”, who is always willing to help solve your computer problem? Or someone who never forgets to buy a card for other people’s birthdays?
All these people show an ability to build and maintain a personal brand, simply by using what comes naturally to them. In other words, their skills, qualities and interests that they already have.
To work out the essentials of your own personal brand, think about the qualities you most like about yourself and about how you want others to perceive you.
Then ask how these will apply to you as a professional in a career in Insolvency or Accountancy practice. In any business in today’s connected world, friendliness and a genuine interest in other people are highly valuable.
Why Personal Branding Thrives In a Local Environment
What’s more, personal branding is, if anything, even more important to local businesses than to large companies. Across sectors, from independent bookshops to family legal firms to local pubs, community-based companies are under threat.
Local business owners know that they can’t compete with these giants on price so they have to offer customers something else — a more personal service, a friendlier environment, a feeling that, as a responsible member of the community, the company cares about supporting its customers.
To create that kind of overall brand, employers need staff that will understand and promote what they stand for. This is where your personal brand comes in.
If you’re applying for a job with a local employer, they’ll be looking for more than technical skills and competencies. They’ll also search for clues about the kind of person you are and how well you will fit into the team.
Stand Out
Be proactive. Don’t make the employer search for evidence of your good qualities. Make sure that you have communicated them in your application and interview. If your personal brand is based on your communication skills, make sure your cover letter is friendly yet professional.
If your brand depends on your willingness to help others, emphasise any voluntary or community projects you have taken part in.
If you claim that you are a born extrovert who loves working in teams, make sure you show that off in the interview. An online presence is also a valuable way to enhance your brand since it gives employers an insight into your broader qualities and interests. Just make sure everything you put up online is either consistent with your brand or well-hidden behind privacy settings.
The chances are you already know what qualities make you stand out as an employee or colleague. The key to personal branding is merely emphasising those qualities so that they benefit you, your employers and your local community.
About First 2 Recruit Ltd
First 2 Recruit Ltd, is an owner managed recruitment consultancy providing a full recruitment service including; permanent and FTC positions in Accountancy Practice and Insolvency across the UK.
If you like this blog, why not check out more by visiting our Blog page on our website, we cover every recruitment topic and also have free reports and whitepapers that you might find useful. Visit www.first2recruit.co.uk
Alternatively, email office@first2recruit.co.uk or call one of our friendly team on 01722 440 168.