145 Shares If you’re reading this, then you probably have an online personal brand. Your brand consists of all the communities you participate in, and just about any piece of content that holds your name, face, or both. A new study by Pew Internet & American Life Project shows that 46% of online adults have created their own profile on a social networking site, which is an increase of 20% from 2006. The internet is the global talent pool. If you don’t have a presence online, it will affect your job search, your career,... More »
As much as you think blogging and social networking are mainstream, corporate America has not caught up quite yet. Many companies are fearful that they are losing control of their brand — and they are. Companies are trying to put together social media guidelines as quickly as possible, so that employees know what they can and cannot say online, concerning their brand. You’ve probably seen a blog with a disclaimer and blown it off like it didn’t exist and I don’t blame you. Everything you say and do, whether online of offline,... More »
After reading that headline, you may think I’m insane or tell yourself that working for free is out of the question. There have been millions of layoffs since the end of 2007 up until now and for college graduates, the competition might make you comatose. The NACE reports that 41% of students haven’t even started the job search and 27% of graduates are going to graduate school because of the bad economy. Of course, going to graduate school is going to put you in more debt and you’re betting on the economy... More »
31 Shares The global economy is plummeting and people are starting to lose hope, faith in our government practices and in their ability to be successful during these challenging times. With millions of job losses and the media poisoning our minds with information that may be only half accurate, we need to start taking the time to invest in three main areas: our financial education, our personal brands and building strong relationships that will last through the recession. It’s really easy to lose hope now, but you must remain calm, cool and collected or... More »
In light of my new book, Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success (Kaplan), coming out internationally today, I want to share the main process used in the book that will help you build a powerful brand. Personal branding helps you stay very productive because you can focus on projects you enjoy and have a sense of purpose and passion behind them. It’s really hard to be productive, without truly loving what you’re doing, because motivation is so critical to achieving maximum results. There are many other benefits for... More »
15 Shares The economy isn’t getting better anytime soon and tons of people are losing their jobs every second. The number of unemployed persons increased by 851,000 to 12.5 million in February, and the unemployment rate rose to 8.1 percent. When you get laid off, you have far more choices than you could possibly imagine. The problem that most people have is that they freak out and quickly apply to as many jobs as possible, while spamming their network, praying to (insert person you worship here) and becoming extremely stressed out in the process. ... More »
Most people don’t take the time to discover their own personal brand. I believe the reason for this is because of the very many influences we have on our lives, from our parents, to our teachers to our managers and even our friends. I have many friends who are instructed to become lawyers, doctors and accountants by their parent who is already in that field and wants to mold their child in their shape. When you choose someone else’s career path, it can have a negative impact on your work and life. ... More »
22 Shares Social media is becoming completely integrated in our lives. It has altered the way we communicate as human beings and changed the way we do business. It has flattened corporate hierarchies and tightened our relationships. Of course, traditional ways of networking and messaging still hold true, such as text messaging, email, phone calls and in-person “meetups” (tweetups in the social media world). The greatest part about this technological alteration is that you get to choose which social networks you want to participate in, how much time you spend per week engaging with... More »
In my last post, I gave you an introduction to your Google results and forced all of you to Google your name. If you have a common name, you should use your middle name or brand yourself relative to a topic ; if you have a unique name, you are in a position to own your results page quite easily. Many of you will get random results when you search on your name, with people who share your name and are in various bands or arts. Others will find “spam” sites that... More »
People you know or have never met yet are googl’ing you. Let’s face it, you’re even google’ing yourself! At the end of 2007, the Pew Internet Research Team found that 47% of people search for information about themselves online (Self-Googling), which was more than double 5 years ago. It’s a pretty safe bet that percentage has climbed to over 50 or 60% by this year. Some people might can it ego-surfing, but it’s actually a good practice to see what results come up for your name. Your teachers, friends, family, boyfriends and... More »
Personal branding has been very hyped up lately, and for good reason. Many people who feel marginalized by the idea of branding themselves now understand that it is inescapable. We all exist as brands, whether we like it or not. That means you Mr. Postman and you Mr. Lawyer! The first step to branding success is to accept that you’re a brand. Like corporate and product brands, you’re able to use the same marketing strategies to build your brand, get recognized and leverage it to either sell products, get a job or... More »
