Personal branding expert Dan Schawbel of the Personal Branding Blog and Personal Branding Magazine has generously provided a guest article.
Why develop a personal brand? NETWORKING!
If anyone contemplates why they should develop and maintain a personal brand, they should look to the word "networking." I say this because, networking is the key that unlocks the doors to our careers. Without leveraging our networks, their networks and so forth, progressing in our careers is quite challenging. I would even go further to say that, that without others, our chances of leading a successful professional career are slim.
Over the past 5 years, the recruiting process has expanded, due to competition and the law of supply and demand. Instead of going on a single interview and knowing if you get the job the next day, we are put through long and strenuous recruiting cycles, such that we are meeting with between 3 and 7 people before we even get an answer. Oh and wait, it takes months to even get an answer from the "big guns." One of my friends in college made a single call to his uncle, who is currently an executive at my company and received a job the next day, with a single interview. The interview was only there as an organizational process and he had the job before he walked in. Wouldn't you want the same bridge?
With personal branding, you can form bridges quite easily. As long as your dedicated, passionate and true to your brand (authenticity), you can connect with those who share your interests and have a network of their own. By using social media has a communicate device for your brand, you can extend your reach into other social groups and better your overall life. By embracing your brand and tying it to a network, you are now able to be seen as an expert or enthusiast, and reap benefits based on that influence.
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