1st Friday

Friday, March 7; 6 pm

It's the Old Town School's night of music, dance, and community! Bring your instrument, dancing shoes, a date, or a few friends. Come with any level experience to join a jam or a sample class, or spend the evening watching some of our awesomely talented ensemble classes perform. 

A personal brand is your distinct talents and what you represent. It's what people say about you when you're not around, and how you're positioned in the marketplace "Personal branding is the process of unearthing your unique talents and communicating them, through various mediums, to the right audience," says Dan Schawbel, founder of Millennial Branding and author of Promote Yourself: The New Rules For Career Success. "Everyone has a personal brand, from celebrities to authors to entrepreneurs to employees to students. We all live in a brand driven world so if you don't have a strong position, you will go unnoticed."

Mike Fenlon, PwC's U.S. and global talent leader, adds: "Each interaction you have with others enables you to make a mark on those around you.  When you're consistent in delivering those experiences, you build a strong personal brand that's authentic, differentiated, and memorable. In short, it's your reputation."

As it turns out, a strong personal brand can help you in the job search process.

"The best way to get a job is to build a strong, appealing brand that attracts new opportunities," Schawbel says.

 "You have to think of yourself as a company and it's much easier to close inbound leads (recruiters e-mailing you) then cold calling (you e-mailing recruiters)."

Nearly all job seekers are plastering job boards with resumes and praying they receive responses, he says. "The smart job seekers will create compelling online presence, and optimize it, so that recruiters will not only find you but want to interview you."

Perhaps the biggest benefit to personal branding as a job seeker is self-awareness of your unique skills and talents, and recognition of what you're passionate about and what differentiates you from others, Fenlon says. "This can provide a huge advantage when trying to stand out in a competitive job market and find a job that's a good fit for you. Going through the personal branding process takes some up front time and thoughtful reflection, but it's a worthwhile investment since it can help you focus on where you want to go in the long run."

As a job seeker, it's especially important that you are able to connect intellectually and emotionally to the people you interview with, Schawbel explains. "By aggressively preparing for the interview, using your personality, being professional, dressing the part, showing positive body language and following up immediately after the interview, you set yourself up as a top candidate." Just being qualified for a position isn't enough these days. You have to be perceived as the right candidate and through branding yourself, you are able to better align who you are to the position and the company you're interviewing with.

Fenlon agrees. He says a job interview may be the first-and most lasting-impression a potential employer has of you and how well you may fit into their organization.  "You can best represent your brand by being yourself, and being clear on what that means."

Here are a few ways in which you can best showcase your personal brand during the interview process:

• Before the interview, research the company, Fenlon says. Who are they?  What types of services do they provide?  Who are their clients? Then, prepare for every possible question and know your resume. "Seek out opportunities to practice your interviewing skills with others through mock interviews." Next, prepare questions to ask the interviewer. Remember that interviewing is a two-way street-and your questions might say something about who you are and your personal brand.

• Come to the interview with a personal branding toolkit, which should include a business card, cover letter, resume, references document, and, if you're in a creative field, a portfolio of work, Schawbel says. "Each part of your toolkit should have a link to either your website or LinkedIn profile. By doing this, you are viewed as someone who has come prepared, are thoughtful and understand how to sell yourself."

• Show positive body language. Sit up straight, smile, have a firm handshake and use eye contact during the interview, Schawbel says. "This way you'll be taken more seriously and it shows respect for the people who is interviewing you. It also displays your interest for the position, which is important because there are so many people vying for the job that if you don't come off as interested enough, you'll be passed over."  Fenlon agrees. "First impressions matter," he says. "Your interview starts when you walk in the door.  Don't let little things like attire or body language sink your ship before you even open your mouth."

•  Don't be afraid to ask questions. Most job seekers believe that they are the only ones being interviewed, which is the wrong way to look at it, Schawbel explains. "You need to interview them by asking questions related to the job and the work environment. Find out what they like about their job, what a typical day is like and more about where the group or organization is going long-term. Also, asking questions shows you're thoughtful and interested in the position."

• Tell stories. "Storytelling works," Fenlon says. "Don't regurgitate facts that are on your resume. Use the power of personal stories to convey the essence of who you are and what's important to you. It's easier to be enthusiastic when you're telling a story versus just restating facts."

• Display your unique personality. "Don't hold back who you are during the job interview because that's how you can connect with the hiring manager," Schawbel says. You might have mutual interest outside of work, too, so don't shy away from talking about them. You want to use everything to your advantage and you'll feel much better about yourself and the job if there's a natural connection between both yourself and the interviewer.

• Talk about your unique skills and talents that separate you from all of the other candidates, Schawbel adds. "If you're an expert at a certain skill, play that up as much as possible during the interview. While job seekers brand themselves as generalists, companies want to hire specialists. By pushing your top skill, as it applies to the job, you can stand out."

• End with a bang, Fenlon suggests. "Make sure you're authentic and memorable. Step up to stand out!"

• Follow up. "After the interview, personalize a thank you that makes you stand out and makes a human connection, build your virtual network by sustaining connections via LinkedIn, and make good notes on what you felt went well and what you could improve on while you're in the moment," Fenlon says.

"Approach your interview differently than others by defining who you are and what you're the best at, and communicating that to the people who are interviewing you," Schawbel adds. "If you walk into the interview like you always did, you will walk out with the same results. Do something different, take a risk and be yourself."

Personal branding is an iterative process that will continue to evolve throughout your career. "Who you are and what makes you unique today will change tomorrow, based on your experiences and skills and passions you develop along the way," Fenlon says. It's important to always think about how you represent yourself in each interaction.

"Personal branding is also empowering, it's about embracing what makes you unique and makes us diverse," he concludes.