Personal Brand (aka Your Brand Plan): marketing yourself may be the key to finding a job during hard times

By Lizzy Scully
This is the first of a three-part series...

Business owners write detailed brand strategies when developing their organizations. Without a unique brand identity that communicates the essence of the business, customers would have nothing to identify with. So shouldn’t most job seekers brand themselves as well?

“Definitely,” says Metro State alumni and Your Brand Plan owner David Sandusky. “People need to understand who they are, what they stand for, and what their voice and purpose are.”

Business plans fail because people don’t understand their brand first. It’s no different with individuals, Sandusky adds. “Your brand should reflect your core values and passion. That is what gets potential employers on board.”

The next step is marketing your brand, says Sandusky. And what is the most productive way to do that? “Establish a communications strategy using social media platforms,” he says. “It is required for your ability to be successful. The new definition of marketing and public relations is online. People who aren’t engaging their community and developing their network are going to find it difficult to do business.”

Sandusky recognizes social media platforms can be intimidating for Internet newbies. But, they are very easy to use. Just click on one of these (the most popular social media platforms) and sign on: Facebook, LinkedIn, or MySpace. Facebook is the most popular site with more than 350 million users, while LinkedIn is the most commonly used by professionals who are networking for jobs. If you’re still confused, send an email to the Office of Alumni Relations Social Engagement Manager, Lizzy Scully, at escully@mscd.edu. Or, visit the Office’s social media site, and click on any of the social media links.

“It’s new and scary,” says Sandusky, “but people’s lives turn around entirely when they realize what they are supposed to be doing.”

See next month’s Enewsletter for the second of this three-part social media series, “The rise of the citizen journalist: blogging 101.”