An inside look at personal branding
Imagine yourself having your resume and CV ready to send out for your dream graduate marketing job, you are thinking you are all set and it’s only a matter of time to be contacted. You need to read on.
A new normal has emerged in the post-pandemic era, where hiring trends are shifting dramatically. Among the other trends like remote hiring and flexible work arrangements, in demand skill sets are one of the six trends in hiring that graduates need to prepare for in 2021 and beyond (4 Corner Resources 2020). For aspiring marketers, digital skills are still in short supply across both permanent or contingent hiring (McKinsey 2020). If you know what the in-demand skill sets are in your industry, now you need to think of how to showcase them in the best way possible.
According to Australian Government Labour Market Portal, a survey backed in 2019 indicates that 14% of recruitment take place on social media while 12% of them happens when candidates approached a job seeker. As the digital trend occurred rapidly post-pandemic, it’s needless to say how your digital presence can play a crucial role in your job searching process.
An alternative way to look at it is to ask yourself this question: how can you as a job candidate reposition yourself to stand out from the crowd? More importantly, what could be a new approach for international students to adopt when applying for marketing jobs in Australia? Personal branding can be your secret weapon to increase your credibility and enhance your competitiveness!
(Source: the Writer)
What’s Personal Branding?
There are two schools of thoughts on personal branding:
It’s how you promote/market yourself as a brand by including a unique combination of skills, experience, and personality that you want your prospective employers to see (Digital Marketing.Org 2019)
It’s not another tool for self-promotion, rather it’s what defines who you are, what you stand for and persuades others to listen to you. An authentic personal brand empowers you to understand yourself, makes you unique and lets you stand out from the rest (Forbes 2021)
Regardless of how it can be defined, EVERYONE needs a unique story to stand out. Whether you’re a marketing professional, a fresh graduate, a job seeker or an employee planning to move on, a good personal branding such as having your digital portfolio leaves an impression long after your interviews, networking events or coffee chats.
Below are some great examples of personal branding:
(Sources: Influencer Marketing Hub 2021)
Why is personal branding important for a marketer?
You will be noticed by a larger audience
Build confidence on your own
Persuade others with your digital footprint over the time (consistency is the key)
Showcase your personality & value
You become more relatable & memorable
Enhance your marketing career opportunities
Some golden questions to ask before creating your own digital portfolio:
How to answer the “tell me about yourself” question?
How do you want to communicate your experience?
Have you attended any digital marketing/brand management courses?
Have you done any marketing internships?
What qualities do you want to showcase to the recruiters?
How to portrait the skills you’ve gained through past projects?
Food for thought:
Hopefully by the end of this blog, we are able to persuade you to at least think about changing your approach in your job search. Without overwhelming you with the tips, templates and guidelines on how to create one, which you can search online easily, a more provoking question however is whether you have the experiences and skills that are in demand or attractive to prospective employers? Do you have the content you need to craft your digital portfolio?
If you need help on this, reach us at contactus.markcubator@alphaimm.com for marketing trainee opportunities. Follow us on our social media to keep track of our latest project development.