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Dan Schawbel is using Brazen Careerist to share ideas. Join now to become a member and start networking with Dan Schawbel and other professionals just like you. Learn more.
Dan,
I completely agree! I am passionate about helping job seekers and entrepreneurs to first understand then to leverage their personal brand. Personal branding is the mirror that reflects your core strengths, beliefs and values. I am of the mind that like it or not YOU are a brand and how you market it is what determines your success. Well written post with great advice Dan!
Karen
You need to be very careful here.
When most people see Tiger Woods, they more likely are thinking "best golfer in the world" before they think about Nike. Maybe it was just the fact that you were in a marketing class that your response was different.
The point I am making here though is that before your "brand" can mean anything you must have strong enough accomplishments behind it to warrant any claims you make about yourself.
Self impression does not in a vacuum equal perception. That is mistaken arrogance. What you have accomplished combined with how you communicate it is the key in my mind.
You can post on your Facebook that you are "the best programmer in the world," and "you should hire me", but if you have nothing to back that up with, the claim appears to be narcissistic and hollow more than anything else.
Steve, hold on just a minute there. I never said that self-impression automatically equals perception. I said that it is the ideal goal or outcome you should desire.
I never said you didn't have to be authentic in how you communicate your value. Please read my entire post @Personal Branding Blog.
I agree with you, but you misunderstood what I was trying to convey.
Dan,
I've touched on this before as most gen-y bloggers take Facebook, linkedin, twitter for granted. Most high school seniors and college students haven't a clue that these mediums exist and employers, business partners and networking opportunities outside of drinking companions exist.
It's interesting to see even as Facebook, blogging and other social media tools grab BusinessWeek and Times covers and sites like Brazen Careerist launch to empower our brand, Gen-Y as a whole is still behind. Not as behind as the boomers or ever x'ers, but you get the point.
Thanks Greg. Corporations may be even more behind than colleges.
Dan,
Great blog -- it's something that I preach every day as an Employment Specialist. I wish I could have crashed your presentation up the street in Dartmouth (I'm with the Mass Dept of Employment & Training in Fall River). One of the most important things I have constantly emphasized is personal branding and how it is so vital to finding a job. The "self-impression = perception" point is dead-on. So many people have difficulty expressing their value proposition and cannot understand why employers don't just "see" that they are right for a position. Great work, and I can tell you from experience this is not just for twentysomethings, but for EVERYONE!
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