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The Benefits of Creating a Personal Brand Personal Branding in Your Executive Resume Makes You Easier to HireThere are so many strategies you can use to secure your dream job, and making sure you have a consistent personal brand is probably one of the priorities you should be looking at before you start looking for another job. You probably already have the following elements that are already adding to your reputation or brand:  Your Resume that professionally showcases your skills, knowledge and achievements.- A set of Cover letters that explain why you are interested in specific companies or job opportunities, also outlining your most relevant skills and achievements and how you believe each company will benefit from you.
- Your network of contacts that are happy to endorse you as the superb human being that you are. They may even act as a set of ears for you, they keep watch for arising opportunities and will let you know when one comes up.
- The trail of colleagues and managers you have worked with in the past will always have a memory of what you were like at work, how you worked as a team and what value you put forward.
Now it's time to go the next step. You've heard of Web 2.0? Well ... think Resume 2.0. Your resume is just like a 2D version of who you are. If people (who might one day be interested in hiring you) were able to find the more '3D version' of who you are, then they would probably feel they would know you a lot better.  Since companies place a high priority on making sure you fit within the team, and are a good fit for the company culture, they will appreciate gaining an insight into how you think and what you believe in - before they contact you. If they feel they know more about you, they will feel more confident to give you a call or get in contact with you to discuss the job opportunity. There is less risk. In effect, you are allowing every single company to do their homework on you - whenever they want to - and call you when they are ready. The 3D version will include: - a professional headshot,
- your key motivators and drivers,
- your unique personality,
- your management style,
- your ability to innovate and generate new ideas,
- your fresh perspective of industry problems,
- your strengths and character traits,
- your interpersonal skills,
- your ability to solve problems and overcome challenges,
- your sense of humour, and
- your ability to manage conflict, stress and difficult situations
And to give people a rock solid impression of who you are, you need to consistently communicate the same 'brand' over and over again...no more bad moods or disparaging remarks. The way to express yourself and allow for people in the future to get to know a little about you is to ..... drum roll ...... get yourself onto the online world. Do you  make it part of your weekly routine to read blogs, comment on them, particpate in forums? If you have then bravo to you, you've probably got a deeper insight into your industry - on a global scale - when compared to the people who read the local paper to find the next job they will apply for. Have you considered the benefits of creating your own blog? I just want to put the idea out there, as it is a great idea, that I will be exploring with you later. These online activities will be soon be considered mandatory for any one considering a professional or executive role within Australia. It's the equivilant of how a resume is manadory in today's job market. If you have a computer and a fast and reliable internet connection, you have the tools and resources to voice your opinion, share your ideas and help your wider community by offering a fresh perspective. If you haven't started to follow blogs or fourms, or joined the most relevant groups on LinkedIn, now is the time to take some action. The next step is to start contributing to the discussions, posting comments on the blog's that other industry thought leaders have ....and making sure that your online brand represents you with the image you want to portray when you meet people face to face. The Benefits of Creating a Professional Online Brand: Your personal brand will be made up of initially your LinkedIn profile, Your Resume, Professional Bio and Letters to Targeted Companies. To cement your online brand, I would secure the URL that makes up your first and last name.  Jump on to www.crazydomains.com.au and see if it's available right now (please!). If www yourname com is available right now, buy it and if www .yourname com.au is available, buy that one too. You can pay by credit card, and it will only cost about $30. Later you can link it to your blog or website. Action Step: Plan Your Personal Brand Communications Strategy Choose 3 of the 6 tactics below: - Social Media - Networking on Linkedin and/or Twitter.
- Blogging and Creating a Community by Commenting on other Blogs
- Establishing Yourself as a Thought Leader and Industry Expert through Speaking Gigs
- Networking at Industry Events and Professional Development Workshops /
 Seminars - Publishing Articles and White Papers
- Volunteering for an organisation that is affilated to any of your target organisations.
Every step you take, and every word you write will have an impact on your personal brand and help you achieve what ever you have chosen as your career goal. In summary, your personal brand will easily and efficiently demonstrate to prospective employers and hiring managers: - How you are worth the salary you finally will negotiate upon.
- Show cases how you will fit well into their corporate culture.
- Gives them a chance to see how you use your skills, knowledge and experience.
- Allows them to see the network of people you have developed a relationship with.
PS -  If you are seeking a higher six figure salary and don't have a LinkedIn Profile, or don't know what LinkedIn is or how how it can help you, this is the time to go and have a look. Find out more about LinkedIn.
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