Personal Branding with Dan Schawbel

Last Monday evening, I attended an area networking event where I had the good fortune to hear Dan Schawbel as the keynote speaker and his expertise on personal branding. What is this “personal branding” you ask? Well, it’s something any job seeker, or success seeker for that matter, should be aware of. It mostly applies to folks well attuned to the social media world, but can be used for almost any field. As he put it, it is the way in which you market yourself to others. It greatly increases your chances of standing out in a crowd and bringing in new opportunities, whatever those may be.

For those who are job searching: personal branding, when done correctly, will keep you consistent and creative, help you stand out and hopefully the hiring managers will already have heard your name around from your blog or twitter. These seem to be the keys! Network yourself and keep yourself consistent so people get to know you!

As I said earlier, it applies very strongly to those in the blogosphere who will most likely be on twitter and other social media sites. If you have a blog, keep the design and the content consistent. Put links everywhere so people can find you no matter which site they are on. AND most importantly, decide which avenue your strengths belong to and play up to them. If you’re a writer, start a blog, if you are a photographer, snap away and post them on flicker. Get people to know you!

Dan Schawbel’s website contains a ton of great resources and he even has a book out on the subject. All this and he’s in his twenties! Good for this twenty something that’s showing everyone that you can become anyone you want, and personal branding can definitely help you along the way. Check him out!

New IT / Network Management business based in Boston, MA

Hi All,

My brother-in-law, Nick Sanderson is building his own IT consulting business based in Boston, but operating remotely as well. Here is his website. Check him out!

www.sandersonnetworks.com

You can also follow the business on twitter at SandersNetwork

Have a great day everyone!!!

The value of Twitter

How many of you use Twitter? What do you primarily use it for? How often do you "tweet"?

I have been on twitter for a few months now, and I'm finding it an interesting way to connect with those you never would normally connect with. It's also a great way to hook up with some people who currently work at companies you are interested in working for. I'm still trying to figure out what my best use of twitter is, however. It's a great place to post thoughts, news articles etc and get feedback and or comments. I also find it amazing how quickly some people get back to you, it's practically like instant messenger.

Yet, how often is to often? I mean, with the speed that people respond, I sometimes wonder if anyone does anything else all day. To be truthful, it started to make me a bit crazy, thinking I had to check it every 2 seconds! I have to work as well! Hmm, I'm sure with time I'll settle into my own twitter routine. Perhaps I'll use it to my advantage and post some career questions and see which experts respond. All in all, it's a great way to become a social media maven! Not to mention a great way to promote your blog!