Are You Ready to Venture into a BRAND New World?

Thanks to the development of social media, contemporary job hunters are afforded new and creative ways of finding that dream job online, without having to blast out blind resumes and constantly look up job-boards. There are online social networks, so-called "Professional Web", that help people manage their career. For example, LinkedIn, Ziggs, and ZoomInfo are great tools that enable people create a profile page, convey their skills and experience, and boost the image they want to present to the world.

Even better, many of these online networking tools are free-of-charge. Yes, I mean FREEBIES, again!

LinkedIn, a relevant social network available since 2003, has aggregated over 20 million members. It offers useful resources for professional and businesses as well as advertises free in-person networking events. Due to its abundant source of people's information, professionals can find creative ways to use the site. While a marketing professional may use it to promote his or her company's brand, conduct market research, look for prospective clients, and check up on competitors, an HR professional may use it to recruit, do background checks, and host email campaigns. All other folks may use it for open networking, Q&A, introductions, recommendations, and many more. Further, some businesses offer cash incentives to anyone who recommends candidates that result in successful hire. To further grow its user base, LinkedIn has also introduced new updates and additions such as group media, profile page, and iPhone application. Like most social networks, LinkedIn has its values as well as its flaws. Thus, users need to be aware of its potentials and use it wisely.

Now that we have venues to make us visible out there, how are we going to do it?

One way to effectively promote ourselves is through Personal Branding. We need to develop a strategy to campaign ourselves. We must be able to address questions such as what makes us stand out from the crowd, what are our greatest strengths and remarkable personal traits, what are our work ethics, and what value-add do we offer to our project teams, etc. We also need to know our mission and our passions (i.e. what do we want to do and what we want to be famous for?) and be able to deliver, with style, a unique and representative message about us.

In campaigning ourselves, one key step is to find ways to gain visibility. Some ways to promote word-of-mouth marketing include engaging in activities that can enrich our profile and show our skills, maintaining good social networks with our colleagues and friends, and growing influence and reputational power over those we work or associate with. The goal is to create a perception in others that we exhibit creditability, leadership, and power. Sometimes, it may mean teaching a class, contributing to a local newspaper, joining panel discussion, or presenting at workshops. Other times, it may mean volunteering for tasks at work that can broaden our involvement and thus allow us to voice our opinion on important issues. Bear in mind that, in order to get optimal results from using social media such as LinkedIn, we must invest time and effort in regularly assessing the changing market. This allows us to keep our skills in line with the market demand, and reinvent ourselves as necessary to maintain our brand's value.

Will all being said and done, is it safe to assume that our career would be a smooth sailing, with little left to do except inquiring the Magic 8-Ball regarding our luck or waiting for a wishing star to zoom by? Or, do we still feel that our career remain a challenge, like a checkerboard, a maze, or even a Rubix Cube?

Sources:

Branding Image

Lidsky, David. "It's Not Just Who You Know." FastCompany.com - Where ideas and people meet | Fast Company. 19 Dec. 2007. Web. 18 Feb. 2010.

Peters, Tom. "The Brand Called You." FastCompany.com - Where ideas and people meet | Fast Company. 18 Dec. 2007. Web. 18 Feb. 2010.

Ryan, Liz. "The Savvy Networker." Yahoo! HotJobs - Thousands of jobs. Find the right one. Web. 18 Feb. 2010.

Wallace, Brian. "How to Get the Most Out of LinkedIn." Social Media News and Web Tips – Mashable – The Social Media Guide. Web. 18 Feb. 2010.