3 Great Ways To Brand Yourself As A Job Seeker

3 Great Ways To Brand Yourself As A Job Seeker

The days of just searching for jobs online, sending in your CV and cover letter, then sitting back waiting for a call from the employer is long gone. Having a personal brand as a candidate is the new way to go.

Nowadays, with a job search process like this, you will most likely not find a job. With the current unemployment rate in Kenya, it is becoming more difficult to find jobs. This means that there is a large number of people sending in applications every day.

How do you stand out from the crowd? Apart from having a well-written CV and Cover Letter, you need to brand yourself in order to penetrate the job market.

So how do you go about it?

Ways to brand yourself as a job seeker

1. One way to brand yourself as a job seeker is to have a Blog

You may think that blogs are a new thing, but in reality, they have been around since the late 90s. However, it has become more popular in recent years.

A blog is a good way to show off your talents which is partly what employers are looking for. Your papers might be good, but employers also want to see your portfolio. What have you done and how can the skills you learnt to be of benefit to them.

The blog doesn’t even have to be related to your industry, it can be based on something you are passionate about. Although it will be beneficial if it was.

For example, if you are into photography, your blog can be a photo blog where you showcase the pictures you take. If you are a chef, you can have a blog where you give people recipes and cooking tips.

No matter what it is starting a blog will show that you truly are passionate and is a way to brand yourself as a candidate.

2. Use Google + to your advantage

Although, not as popular as Facebook and Twitter, this social media platform is the best place to build a professional portfolio.

Unlike the other social media platforms where tagging is a norm, with Google + it is not possible and as such your profile will not have any inappropriate photos. This more often than not leads to disqualification of candidates.

Also, Google + has an amazing portfolio section where you can showcase all your achievements. You can post photos of your work, give links to your blog or articles you have written and your work history.

You can also use it to link potential employers to your other profiles such as LinkedIn which is a powerful job search tool or any other site.

3. Have an Active LinkedIn Profile

Just as mentioned above, LinkedIn is a great job search tool and it is also a good way to brand yourself as a job seeker.

Having a LinkedIn profile is very important because this is the place to network and find jobs.

Now, for LinkedIn to work for you, you need to have an active professional profile. By this I mean it is important to avoid some LinkedIn profile mistakes that very many people make.

So many recruiters start looking for candidates to fill open positions on the site so it is important that you stand out.

Your profile should clearly show what you have to offer the organisation as well as your qualifications.

With an increase in the number of graduates and people looking for jobs, one has to be unique and stand out to the recruiter otherwise; you risk being lost in the crowd. Therefore it is important to brand yourself in order to ensure the potential employer notices you and your skills.

Michelle is a Digital Marketer at Career Point Kenya. Email; michelle@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke 

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