Graduate Employment: Personal Branding

When it comes to finding a job, we can all take a few lessons from successful brands. Think about a brand you like. Maybe a surf brand like Billabong, a charity like World Vision, or a corporate brand like IBM. All of these big names have powerful attributes that we immediately associate with their company.

For graduate employment, a similar idea applies. Imagine yourself as the Chief Executive Officer of your own company. What would you like people to think about you and your business? To secure the right job and create the right impression, you need to think about your personal brand.

A strong, definite personal brand can help you:

• Stand out from the competition and differentiate yourself from other graduates.
• Creatively showcase your skills and abilities.
• Tie together your professional history and all your key assets.

How to establish a personal brand:

• Think about what you want to communicate to potential employers. Then, write down five key brand values. These could be things like: confident, forward-thinking, friendly, down to earth or reliable. Under each value, write about why it epitomises you and how you want people to perceive you.
• Google yourself. Check out how many websites there are with your name and details. Do what you can to manage these assets professionally.
• Don't post embarrassing or inappropriate content on sites like MySpace or Facebook where potential employers may look. A vast number of recruiters and employers now check these sites as part of background research.
• Always dress well and in a way that matches your personal brand whenever you're meeting a potential employer or you're at a networking function.
• Be professional. In all your dealings with colleagues or potential employers, be courteous and polite. Return emails and calls promptly. Use business language. Thank people for their time.
• Network. Use your contacts to build up your network. You can also use social media tools like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to establish relationships with people in your industry. Just be sure to be completely professional if using these channels for work purposes. Be selective about who you "friend".
• Work on your interview skills. Practice interviews in front of the mirror. Regard every interview as a valuable learning experience. After an interview, think about what went well, and what didn't go so well. Write down the things you can improve next time.
• Review your personal brand over time. Ask for honest feedback. If there are elements of what you're doing or saying that aren't resonating with people, consider changing them.

Above all, when it comes to your personal brand, be honest. Your brand values can be ambitious – but they have to be values you genuinely believe in and stand for. This will make it much easier for you to convince a potential employer of your integrity and passion.