Some people miss a key point about personal branding – they think of it as spin, as untruthful, as a big ego-trip. But personal branding is not large or oversized, it's just who you are -- but "who you are" identified and leveraged.
A strong personal brand is not "in your face." It's a force that attracts and repels exactly because of its strength. And that's exactly what it should do. It attracts the people and opportunities that appreciate and need it and it repels those that don't.
Candidates and companies are so used to seeing hires in terms of “what can you do to make money for my company” that they often don’t consciously realize that the “who you are” and the “how you do what you do” are just as important for optimum hiring.
Yet, a Korn Ferry survey from a year or so ago discovered that once a candidate was on the short list, the things that got the candidate the job were chemistry and fit.
Branding proves chemistry and fit.
It's simple really -- at its core, hiring is all about money and fit. Accomplishments and skills demo the money and the brand demos the fit. You need both for a great hire that works for the candidate and the company.
Branding works really well in interviews because it helps with a natural selection process -- meaning that a company/job where your accomplishments and brand fit will allow you to be yourself -- in fact that's why you’ll be hired. And a company that's not looking for your kind of brand won't hire you
While that might lead to short term disappointment it also leads to more effective and satisfying hires. There's great potential in a hire where the personal and corporate brand mesh. Being who you are in the interview means you can be who you are on the job.
Your authenticity resonates and gives you great credibility and potential to succeed. And if you manage your brand, have a powerful value proposition, and keep visible in the marketplace, your brand helps you build a strong reputation – which leads to more visibility – which leads to you becoming the “hunted not the hunter.” Companies and recruiters will know who you are and come to you. And who wouldn’t love a process that delivers that kind of power? Well, that’s what well-managed personal branding does.
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