Executives, yes this means you, too. Understanding and communicating your brand will help you in all stages of your job search, as well as in managing your career going forward. Do you have a rock solid brand message that clearly and concisely is achieving the results you desire? If not, it’s no longer a “nice to have, but a must have.” Don’t waste valuable time during the first quarter of the year when some of the best opportunities exist in the job market.



1. What do you have to offer? If you don’t know your strengths, skills and talents, and how to showcase them, how do you expect others to get to know these things about you? Sometimes we are too close to see the whole picture. Career brand strategists can help you extract what you don’t see and know how to leverage and become known for those talents in a compelling way.



2. Be your authentic self. Confidence comes from within as we all know. When you are honest with yourself and present yourself to others in an authentic way, you will be showing your courage and confidence about who you are and what you can accomplish. This can do more for you in an interview than you might think. People notice the confidence that shows in your face and body language, without you saying a word.



3. Unique value. What’s unique about you that sets you apart from your competition? The question many hiring managers ask at some point in the interview is, “All things being equal (education, years of experience, etc.), why should I hire you over the other top candidates?.” Consider the answer to that question as something that should be included in your personal brand statement.



4. Adopt the right mindset. Be aware of how people do business today and what’s most important for hiring managers to know about you. Even as few as five to 10 years ago, personal branding was different from today. Social media has had a huge impact on how executives’ online presence affects their personal brand. Candidates are being Google searched, so LinkedIn profile, Facebook page, and Tweets are vital tools for communicating your personal brand in a consistent manner. Watch out for any digital dirt that could exist and ruin your reputation / brand and have a plan to manage it.



5. Focus. With messages becoming shorter and shorter (tweets 140 characters), executives need to be able to laser in on their achievements, milestones, and skills in a sound bite. A recent study indicated that the first 75-80 characters are what people really read. A strong brand would include the most significant part of the message up front.