What is personal branding anyway?

Everyone has something that makes them unique. Whether you’re exceptional at assessing the competitive landscape, assembling technical teams, or managing and motivating sales people, you do something better than the majority of your competition. 

I’ve written hundreds of resumes and every single one of my clients has a standout attribute. That’s your personal brand! Your resume just needs to reflect that. When my clients receive resumes I’ve written for them, the comment I hear most often is that it really tells the right story. That’s the greatest compliment I can get and truly reflects the concept of personal branding.

In a competitive job market it’s not enough to just jot down disparate skills, experience, and accomplishments and throw in some bullets and bolding. Your resume needs to paint a distinct picture of you as a candidate from start to finish. The profile section and headline set the stage, identifying some soft skills and work/life characteristics such as your ability to manage stakeholder expectations or clearly see long term project vision. Follow that up with a brief skills section and dive right into your experience.

Once you’re done with your resume, take a day off from reading it, and when you return read it objectively. Does this sound like you? Will the hiring manager have a clear picture of both your experience and your general work style?

Not sure how to brand yourself or where to start? A professional resume writer can help you make sure your resume is targeted and focused.