The Ultimate Personal Branding Resource

I had a great conversation with Dan Schawbel who authored Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future (Kaplan Publishing). Dan was named by Inc Magazine as one of America’s Coolest 30 Under 30 Entrepreneurs. At 27, he is a sought after internet guru who helps businesses and individuals with creative branding solutions.

With 91,000 Twitter followers and a maxed out Facebook account of over 5,000 friends, Fast Company calls Dan a “personal branding force of nature.” He is the founder of the Personal Branding Blog®, which was the #1 job blog by Careerbuilder in 2008 & 2009, is an AdAge top marketing blog and is syndicated by Reuters, Forbes, Fox Business and other major networks. As a brand futurist, Dan was one of the first seven bloggers to have their own iPhone application.

His book is chock full of great advice for all ages but his target audience is the millennial generation to which he also belongs. The goal of the book is to help others succeed in the job search and stand out from the crowd. On his entrepreneurial quest, Dan shared “You must be the commander of your career.” His strategy is built upon four pillars he believes are essential for all job seekers.

Discover: Figure out who you are. Think long term as well as short term about the career you want, not just the job you have.

Create: Develop your personal branding toolkit and your personal marketing plan. This will include your resume, cover letter, portfolio, and personal website.  But also set up targeted accounts in Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to maximize your online presence.

Communicate: Make sure your voice is heard! Network online and offline, use social networks to comment intelligently on blogs and link back to your website. This is a daily commitment and an investment in your time but it will empower you to be competitive in the marketplace. Create your own buzz and control your own message.

Maintain: Figure out what the rules of engagement are in the workplace. Keep your sites updated and manage any negative or positive comments your posts receive online. Establish your own Board of Directors who have been there and done that to help you plan your 5, 10, and 15 year career goals.

With the internet as the global talent pool, everybody needs to be searchable. The old adage that you have to network before you need it was never truer, but according to Dan “You have to own your online presence before someone else does.” So it’s time to get out there and take control of your own brand to find and thrive in a job you will love. Check out Dan’s book for more terrific wisdom about making the most of your online presence to brand yourself and build your career future. Dan Schawbel is a millennial on a personal branding mission and his advice is spot on!