Getting a job in current market is a difficult ask. Like any business where, supply and demand ratio describes the value for money of any product or service. Same goes with human resource. The key to land on a job easily is to go brand yourself
In recent times mobile phones have become the personal or professional need of every individual. There is a huge supply of different variety of mobile phones in the market. Huge supply of phones should set the value of each device on lower side but there are certain companies who are selling their devices at premium prices. Why and how so?
Branding! yes it is right!
Let us dig into this topic further.
“Go Brand Yourself”
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Go Brand Yourself
By branding I mean that you need to package yourself in a way so that you can bright, shine and distinguish among many other potential candidates for a certain job.
First consider the traditional decision making model before going into details of how to do that
A professional manager evaluating any potential and rightful candidate for a certain job, apply traditional decision making model.
The manager outlines the goal and outcome, then gather the data related to her query (in this case it is reśume and or personal experience). Then, she brainstorms to develop alternatives and lists down pros and cons of each alternative candidate. At the end she is able to pick a right candidate for her organization.
Should a piece of paper called reśume set your fate?
Sometimes, decision making becomes overwhelming, and decision makers rely on cognitive shortcuts, in other words “Gut-Feel”
It becomes obvious that why personal branding is so important to be picked up before everyone else.
Now the question is
5 steps with 5 Q's to "Go Brand Yourself"
Ask the first question to yourself
- Who am I?
Okay! I give you a hint about what do you need to write down about yourself
Foremost outlook is very important. Attractive packaging is the mainstay of brand identity for many companies in the world. Likewise your attire can speak much earlier and even louder than you open your mouth. Research, before you decide a business attire for you to be established as brand identity.
Write down
- Who you are?
- Who you want to become?
- What do you want to be perceived?
- How to reach there?
For an example, I write about myself here that what I have found out so far!
Definitions taken from Oxford Dictionary
Analysis is the process of separating something into its constituent elements. It is also helpful in developing pros and cons for any problem in finding right solution. You can better understand your strengths and weaknesses in order to make yourself what to be perceived by others.
You can be innovative by introducing new ideas based on original and creative thinking. It does not mean to invent the wheel again, you can simply define new ways of doing the same thing in different and efficient manner.
Although the word aggression itself is a negative by definition. However, if you are determined to achieve your right goals by doing right things at the right time in a right way while using all your forces, you can achieve the success to become what to be perceived by others.
Second Step
The second step is identifying and writing down all of your strengths.
Self criticism is the right approach in gathering data from your life. Keep writing even if it is all negative at first and then keep exploring your personality, life and soul till you find something good.
Consult your friends and write down about what they perceive or know about yourself. No worries if it is all negative. Continue consulting and jotting.
Once you have identified your weaknesses and strengths, now it is the time to work out weaknesses first and set your goals to minimise their numbers. Think about it rather sleep on it, that how can you eliminate or convert them into your strengths.
Some examples ...
Insight means the capacity to gain an accurate and deep understanding of someone or something. Strategy means a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim. Together it helps you to achieve a capacity of in-depth understanding of yourself. Long-term practice makes you a reliable and engaging story teller.
Definitions as taken from Oxford Dictionary
Critical thinking is the analysis of available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to form a judgement, as described by Edward M. Glaser in “Defining Critical Thinking”.
The subject is complex; several different definitions exist, which generally include the rational, skeptical, and unbiased analysis or evaluation of factual evidence. Critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking
- Clarke, John (2019). Critical Dialogues: Thinking Together in Turbulent Times. Bristol: Policy Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-4473-5097-2.
Creativity is a process whereby something new or valuable is formed. It can be intangible like any idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, a drama story or even a joke. It can also be a physical object like any invention e.g., a bulb, telephone, microscope etc., a printed material of art work or even a painting or something like that.
A skill for a great leap
Fast learning skill can be very important if you want to excel in your personal or professional life. 90% learning in a human’s life is outside of the school, and self-driven.
You can modify your life in better way if you keep learning. Your performance will always be ahead of others if you compete with your own last performance.
Be like an athlete who keeps beating his or her own record from the last performance. That way your focus shall remain on your own speed rather noticing others approaching to finish-line. Keep learning from your own mistakes but at a fast pace because time is really short.
Learn a skill before you become captain
We are born in a family and live in a society, hence bound in a social network.
Good team players contribute towards maximum collective wins and awarded as player of the match. Collective strengths over-shadows collective weaknesses of a team and achieve more goals than others who play as individual in a match. Team players are quickly recognised, appreciated and rewarded.
Team work skill should be developed as soon as you realise yourself to excel in your personal or professional life. You shall be chosen as a leader the moment you are recognised best team player. Now it is the time to captain your side.
GO rise and shine with your team members, Congratulations.
Plan your moments
You are born and shall die some day. That is the clock or real time of your life. If you cannot manage it well, you will achieve much less than you desire. The time is ticking and will end one day, and you will get certain years of age in your life.
It is the time to plan ahead every moment in your life. Moments contribute into hours, hours into days, days into months and ultimately into years. No matter how many years you are left with in your life ahead, now is the right time to sit and plan it in a professional way.
Every individual is a born unique
Believe you me that your life-canvas is blank if you still have not painted it the way it should be. Now when you have identified your strengths, it is the time to find something unique in you.
The fact is that every individual living on earth has something unique. One human race but different to each other in many ways. We have to find out that particular uniqueness. Pick up pen, brush or colours to paint your life-canvas to make it colourful or black and white whatever you want to achieve the objective of being different.
Think Differently to Brand Yourself
Don’t be shy or defensive for your answer. Look at the example below and choose one animal from the picture. Don’t bother about what other will think of you. Your answer must have a valid reason. And that reason makes you unique.
If you have picked Zebra, great it is a beautiful animal indeed. You can put a ticket on it and earn from it. On the contrary if you decision is Donkey, you have made another wonderful decision.
Donkey is a symbol of Hard Work · Fortitude · Dedication · Faith · Responsibility · Offering Service · Intelligence · Versatility. By the way, the donkey is a common symbol of the Democratic Party of the United States, originating in the 1830s.
Set aim before you fire
Moving without any clear target in mind is like moving in circular motion, reaching at the same point again and again. Professional targeting means that you need to decide the specific and accurate industry to work in and excel based on your skills and strengths.
Please note that traditional decision making model and analytical skills can help you in finding the right segment for you.
Clearly define your roles and goals that you are targeting
Think, Hire your employer for the work you love the most.
Cook Book of Brand yourself
Now formulate your competitive positioning statement based on five steps as mentioned above
- Uncover your brand identity
- Identify your strengths
- Find out your uniqueness
- Define the target market and segment
Write your own positioning statement while considering mine as an example
I am Tanveer Sadiq, the creative marketer. I help companies to grow with the help of my analytical, innovative and aggressive approach. As a result, my clients enjoy marketing programs that are on target, on time and on purpose
We have all the ingredients on the paper. Let’s cook the recipe on low flame.
Last but not the least - Go Brand Yourself
Brag about it. Advertise or publicise whichever possible action you have. Put on social media and keep telling others.
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”