Display confidence

Confidence is the key to creating a strong brand perception. When displaying strong confidence it makes others believe in you. It acts as a guide to create a vision that others can follow. Whatever you want it's up to you to be strong and walk confidently towards it.

Show people what you are!

It's easy to tell people on a resume or by a title what you are or what you can do. That doesn't mean that you are good at it. There's a lot of that going on these days. I'm sure right at this moment someone woke up and said, "I'm going to be an Internet expert". They went and changed their résumé and LinkedIn profile to have a bunch of buzz words.

Don't be that person! If you want to be a part of something take the time to research it and practice it. The only way to be good at something is to actually do it and make mistakes. Let your work speak for itself. It takes time to build a reputation of being one of the best at something. If you are embellishing the truth you are not only hurting yourself but what people actually think about a certain industry.

Resume details build an image

Really try to put some effort into a resume. You don't know what the background of the person is who will be interviewing you. Depending on the position you are interviewing for try to put in some helpful details. Allow the person to be able to get a mental picture of your abilities before they have a chance to talk with you.

Are you different enough?

What makes you different? When you are branding yourself there has to be something that makes people remember you over anyone else. If you are doing and saying the same things as those in your circle your brand won't gain any traction. You will become just another spoke in a wheel. If you want to be more than a spoke you need to stand out.

It's easier to market something that is different than all of the rest. On your resume try something bold . It's amazing how many resumes have that crummy intro paragraph. I looked at my resume from five years ago and it really sucked. Drop that intro text and get straight to the point detailing out what you can do for the potential employer.

Start showing people what you can do now. We live in a time where there are a lot of people claiming they have certain skills and don't. It's amazing how people embellish the truth and can land a job but are unable to keep it because of their lack of skills. The only way to combat this issue is for you to have a portfolio to showcase your work.  Don't assume that everyone out there is playing by the same rules because they aren't. Make sure to tie your portfolio to your LinkedIn account for exposure.

LinkedIn Endorsements

I can see the value in endorsements now. Before I couldn't understand what benefit they were on your LinkedIn page. Now I get it, I've got a few coworkers who have endorsed me for some skills. I work in a fairly large company so it helps me gauge how people are seeing my personal brand by what they endorse me for.

Long Time Posting

I guess I'm not doing a good job on keeping up with this blog.  I can't believe it has been such a long time.  Even though I haven't been writing on this blog I have been practicing what I started out talking about on this blog.  I've been using LinkedIn to build my personal branding. Showing people what I can do when it comes to building social media for the company that I work for.

Figure out what you want people to associate your personal brand with.  Once you figure that out be the best at it so you are remembered for the brand.

Build yourself and be prepared

You have to be able to write if you are going to promote your own brand online.  Don't sit around and wait for your personal career to try and define your success.  I made the mistake of waiting for 11 years to get the respect that I believe that I deserved inside the company.  I've learned a lot within the company but I could have done a lot more to help myself outside of the company but I didn't.  You are truly the only person that can build the career that you want.  No one else cares what you want they only care about what they want.

Communicate your thoughts professionally and put yourself in a light that focuses on your strengths.
Do you have a hidden talent that you love?  If so work on it in your spare time non-stop.  You may be able to build something from it and you may not be able to.  You'll never know until you try but you truly have nothing to lose.

Lately I've been doing some work on LinkedIn because it's a way to truly network.  I was surprised to get an email from someone in HR for a job through it.  I wasn't even actively looking but I was glad to know that someone was paying attention to the skills that I have.  Participate in some of the groups and express yourself.  Listen and understand what the groups are talking about.  Don't make the mistake of trying to control the group go in with the attitude of trying to be someone who gives to the group.  If you give to the group people will take notice and you'll never know what connections you'll make in return.  People are always looking for someone who can help them get to the next level.  This could be in the form of a new job, business partner or an expert consultant and you could be that person.

The corporate world is definitely changing a lot.  Companies are moving the jobs over seas without a doubt.  As a professional you have to figure out a way to adapt.  You make think that it doesn't affect you but it actually does.  How can you use your skills to combat this so in the future you are somewhat secure?  You may have to prepare yourself to be an online professional who words online and has to travel to different countries?  If so, are you ready to make that happen?