Suddenly, someone barely known is on everyone’s short list of people to meet.

That’s the gloss.

Yet, while it seems magical, and that it happens only to younger people, anyone can do this.

What’s the secret?

Hard work, focus, and understanding how to create a “personal brand.”

What Is a “Personal Brand”?

No worries if you don’t know the meaning of “personal brand.” This term is not part of the typical vocabulary.

Simply,

Your “personal brand” is your reputation.

Or, in Jeff Bezos’ famous words —

“It’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

The term, personal brand, gets bandied about a lot in marketing circles and is understood almost intuitively by many millennials.

The term is frequently misunderstood as self-promotion and chest pounding. Wrong!

Genuine personal branding is not telling people how terrific you are, but showing them through your expertise and generosity.

Personal branding is sharing your ideas and offering to help, putting your best foot forward in a particular area, and demonstrating humanity while doing so.

Why a Personal Brand Is Required Today

Once upon a time you did not need a personal brand. If you’re like most people, you grew up believing your resume was your calling card.

Your resume documented your credentials, experience, and accomplishments. Heck, what more did you need?

Today, your resume and accomplishments are not enough if you want to continue to work.

If a company is deciding between someone with a magnificent resume and someone else with equally good credentials plus a recognizable brand, they are likely to hire the person with brand recognition. That employee will add luster to the company.

And your personal brand will distinguish you.

If you plan to start your own company, there is no better ticket to building your business than establishing your brand. Your personal brand will differentiate you from everyone else in your space. And add cachet.

You Already Have a Personal Brand

Despite these advantages, some people shy away from the term believing that branding yourself is somehow cheating or fake. In fact, I have had people tell me authoritatively, “I do not believe in personal branding.”

There’s just one problem —

You cannot avoid having a personal brand — even if you do not want one.

After all, everyone has a reputation.

What the concept of a personal brand does is to change the terms of engagement. No longer are you letting others define you. Now, you are setting the rules.

Done right, a personal brand is a powerful concept that can change the course of your career. Your personal brand will do the following:

• Provide name recognition.
• Differentiate you.
• Make people want to engage with you.
• Showcase your expertise and personality.
• Ease you getting another job or starting a business.
• Package your years of experience into a message people can relate to.

Just like a product has key elements associated with it — such as coolness, beautiful design, and ease of use for the iPhone — so too do people associate you with certain traits.

Whether you like it or not, you are labeled. It’s a shortcut for people to understand you.

Finding and Defining Your Personal Brand

Here’s a quick exercise to discover how are you perceived by others.

• Ask a few friends or colleagues to describe you with a few phrases.
• See if other people’s assessments match your own.

If those descriptions don’t match your own view, what can you do so so your self-perception matches that of others? [Hat tip to Dorie Clark, speaker, consultant, professor, and author of Reinventing You, among other books, for suggesting this exercise. ]

So now that you know what a personal brand is, how do you get one?

  1. Ask yourself these questions…  

• What are you passionate about?
• If you could do just one thing, what would it be?
• What gives you meaning and purpose? How can you do more of that?
• What are the few qualities you would like people to say about you?
• How do people misperceive you?
• What are you doing now that is getting in the way of what you want to do? Can you eliminate that activity or behavior?
• What skills do you have? What skills do you need to acquire?
• How are you different from other people in your area of expertise? How can you make yourself better?
• Are your skills suitable for another industry?

Your answers should help point you in the direction you need to go.

  2. Create your elevator pitch.  

An elevator pitch is a few sentence which describe yourself. This can be aspirational at this point.

Use it to help you state your mission. Make it engaging and connect where you have been to where you want to be.

Let me show you what I mean.

For example:

Let’s say you’re a lawyer who now wants to work with non-profits. You might say,

“I am passionate about helping non-profit companies use the law to advance their mission.

In my years working with corporations, I learned how to help large companies grow their businesses through legal channels.

Now, I want to apply my expertise helping corporations succeed to helping non-profits and give back some of my hard-earned skills.”

People often err by mucking up elevator pitches with credentials focusing on say their 30 years of experience and their career trajectory from manager to senior vice present. Instead, talk with passion and enthusiasm about what you want to do. Paint a story that makes people care.

Once you get your elevator pitch down, use it on your social media profiles. It’s an effective way to describe what you’re about. For your profiles, remember to use key words people are likely to search under.

The Bottom Line on Creating a Personal Brand:

These are first steps to take to begin to create a personal brand. In future columns, I will show other steps to take along with featuring people who have successfully created a brand. I hope you will join me in this personal brand journey and look forward to your creating robust personal brands.

More About Job Search:

• Beating the “Too Old” Bias: Being Visibly Up-to-Date
• Beating the “Too Old” Bias, Learning New Skills
• Goal Setting for Success
• Job Search Advantages of Being Over 50

About the author…

Wendy Marx is a personal branding and reinvention expert for seniors. For many years, she ran a PR and marketing firm where she turned virtual unknowns into industry icons through personal branding. Wendy is the author of Thriving at 50 Plus about finding more meaning and purpose in your life at 50 plus through rebranding and reinvention. Connect with Wendy on Linkedin and Twitter. Reach her at wendy@thrivingat50plus.com, and visit ThrivingAt50plus.com.

The post How to Create a Personal Brand appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Besides being physically more vulnerable to the disease, we have been taunted by virulent hashtags like #Boomermover and #grandmakiller.

Beyond those injustices, it is easy to feel irrelevant at 50+, especially now when so many of us are locked in our homes and digital communication predominates.

Born before computers ruled, we are digital come-latelys. Add to that the fact that some of our skills have become antiquated and the old ways of working no longer make sense.

As Fed Chair Jerome Powell said recently on “60 Minutes,” “There’s a real risk that if people are out of work for long periods of time, that their skills atrophy a little bit. They lose contact with the workforce. This is something that shows up in the data — that longer and deeper recessions tend to leave behind damage to people’s careers.”

What Should a Boomer Do? 5 Steps to Better Boomer Branding

Before we throw up our hands in frustration, let us look at the coronavirus pandemic from another perspective.

With our long job histories and accumulated knowledge, the pandemic actually gives Boomers a chance to shore up our personal brands by blazing a virtual trail. Here are some ways to do just that:

  1. Crack Social Media  

Social media usage and screen time has soared during the pandemic. Here are some ways to take advantage of that:

• Update your social profiles that may be so old they are moldy. Ensure your profiles are consistent. You do not want to look schizophrenic calling attention to your speaking skills on one profile while calling yourself a nose-to-the-grindstone introvert on another. That’s an extreme example, but you get the idea.And do not forget to use keywords on your profiles to get noticed.
• Create key messaging for your profiles and make yourself engaging. Do not publish a boring list of accomplishments as you would on a resume. Instead, make what you do stand out and come alive. Tell an engaging story that makes people care.Want some inspiration? Check out this profile — it will make you smile and want to know more.
• Create and share content.
  
  Now is the time to experiment. Have you wanted to try video or streaming? Baby Boomers are doing phenomenally well with live-streaming. Check out this post, which had over a thousand views on Twitter. Not a Twitter expert? No worries. Can you create a quick video snippet on your phone and share it on LinkedIn? I am a videophobe but did one unpacking my new book. You can check it out here.

  In sharing or creating content, think about your brand. Don’t just share for share’s sake but feature content that enhances your brand.

  2. Reconnect and Warm Up Old Contacts  

The pandemic offers an opportunity to network.

“With so many people working at home, the pandemic offers an unprecedented opportunity to reach people,” Jacob Share, a career expert and founder of the job search blog JobMob, told me. “After all, people working from home are typically more accessible and likely to respond.”

Do not immediately ask someone for help. That is a turnoff. Instead, Share advises that you engage with the person on social media or give them a virtual gift — an article, for instance, that you thought they might find of value. Warm up the relationship first before asking for anything.

  3. Develop New Contacts  

LinkedIn is a Baby Boomer mecca of opportunities. It is an excellent way to meet new people, add value, and even share your thought leadership.

Social media today makes networking easier. But do not take the lazy person’s approach. Daniel Alfon, in a guest post on JobMob, cautions against using default LinkedIn responses. If you’re like me, you ignore people who simply say happy birthday or congratulations (unless of course they are people you want to talk with).

Instead, Alfon suggests sending a personal note or even picking up the phone and congratulating someone; anything to distinguish your response and make it meaningful. You might also think about sending an old-fashioned letter.

  4. Get Smarter  

With everything online now, it’s a snap to acquire knowledge and skills. Unfortunately, a lot of Boomers have been laggards in the skills department.

A recent Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies survey reported that only 36% of Boomers reported keeping their skills up to date. That does not have to be you.

Want to learn how to program, write engaging copy, get more traffic to your website, perfect your social media? The list goes on and on. Before taking a course willy-nilly, however, Share suggests checking with some of the contacts you warmed up and asking them what skills would be valuable to acquire.

And remember, you do not want to learn a skill and not be able to practice it. Simply learning a skill without practice is like reading a cook book and claiming you are a cook. One way to practice is to volunteer. Share suggests asking your network if they know of any charitable organizations that might need your services.

  5. Stay Active and Visible  

Do not expect this to be a once and done process. You need to commit for the long term.

Today, being visible and reachable is a key element many recruiters seek when they are looking for qualified job candidates. If you update your LinkedIn profile, and then ignore it for a few weeks (or months), you will be ignored, too.

Continue sharing content on LinkedIn. Build your social media followers. Interact with others in a positive and professional way (of course), to keep you and your expertise visible and clarify to recruiters that you will notice and respond if they reach out to you.

The Bottom Line

While it is easy during these stressful times to forget about your personal brand, don’t. This is an ideal time to burnish it so you will be in good stead when life returns to a semblance of normal. And you will be top of mind now, when it is so easy to be lost if you’re working at home and socially-distancing.

More About Boomer/Fifty Plus Job Search

• Personal Brand: Today’s Success Requirement
• Beating the “Too Old” Bias: Being Visibly Up-to-Date
• Beating the “Too Old” Bias, Learning New Skills
• Goal Setting for Success
• Job Search Advantages of Being Over 50

About the author…

Wendy Marx is a personal branding and reinvention expert for baby boomers. For many years, she ran a PR and marketing firm where she turned virtual unknowns into industry icons through personal branding. Wendy is the author of Thriving at 50 Plus about finding more meaning and purpose in your life at 50 plus through rebranding and reinvention. Connect with Wendy on Linkedin and Twitter. Reach her at wendy@thrivingat50plus.com, and visit ThrivingAt50plus.com.

The post How Boomers Can Shore Up Their Personal Brand During the Pandemic appeared first on Job-Hunt.

Not too shabby for a marketing term about promoting yourself and building a reputation.

Yet, wisdom about this popular phrase is not plentiful.

Much of the guidance is cliche-ridden and generic. And not geared for Baby Boomers.

Boomers and Branding (or Not)

Actually, most Boomers are not rip-roaring fans of personal branding, and it is unlikely they are actively searching for information about it.

In fact, discretion, not attention-getting, has been a Boomer motto. For Boomers like myself, credentials, talent, and resumes speak for themselves.

Who needs to promote themselves? Are accomplishments not enough?

However, thinking that way is a big mistake today — unless you want to take last place in the career race.

Thanks to the Internet, you now have an easy platform to create a personal brand. And if you are not active online, you are likely to be viewed as non-existent. Or, at least, out-of-date and unimportant. The millions searching for the term know that.

In today’s global marketplace, you are literally competing with the world. You need a personal brand to distinguish yourself if you want to stand out. Otherwise you will be lost among the masses. Unknown and forgotten.

The Worst Boomer Branding Mistakes

If you are leery about personal branding, it is understandable. This column will help you get your personal branding legs. And to do it so it feels comfortable. Let’s begin by ensuring you’re not veering off course.

To help you stay on track, here are 5 personal branding mistakes it is easy for Boomers to make. And what to do instead.

  1.Pretending to be younger than you are.  

I know I have been guilty of this. After all who would not want to do photographic Botox, instantly appearing 20 years younger? No doubt you have done a double take of some people’s LinkedIn’s photo — snapped so many years ago the person is almost unrecognizable.

You damage your brand when you pretend to be someone you are not. People want authenticity and to connect with someone real. After all, who wants to connect with a fake person?

Instead:

Focus on showcasing your strengths. What are your skills? Your passions? What makes you get up in the morning? What can you share based on a lifetime of accumulated smarts?

Get people excited about your interests. This will rebound to your credit more than any pretense will.

  2. Underselling yourself.  

Typically, Boomers are not natural self-promoters unlike Millennials. We think our credentials will sell themselves.

Yet, most people do not care about what school a 50+ person attended or that you grew revenues at a company 25 percent. The facts of your career, while important to you, do not get others salivating, especially if they are not aware of them.

Instead:

Show off your personality while focusing on the other person’s needs. As in any relationship, it has to cut both ways.

Demonstrate how you can help people and express passion, not chest thumping.

Build relationships by tying your passions, dreams and expertise to how you benefit others.

For example, if you’re a marketer, talk about your passion for turning an unknown product into a name everyone knows and wants. Share your love of devising campaigns that turn a static business into a money maker.

  3. Dismissing content.  

Content is the currency of online behavior. It is what differentiates you and showcases your personality and knowledge. Without content, you are like someone who does not exist. Unrecognizable and forgotten.

Instead:

If you are not a natural writer, record a podcast or create a video — whatever will put you on the map. You can also curate content, adding your spin and personality to other people’s content.

Of course there is no point in creating content unless it is compelling and not self promotional. People want to know how you can help them and not hear how great you are.

Where do you post your content? Think your website, LinkedIn, and Medium. Post links to your content on social media. And remember: Do not be a once-and-done content creator. Post consistently.

  4. Flying solo.  

You may think that you know yourself best and don’t need to discover what others think about you. But if you talk only to yourself, you will get a distorted view of how you are perceived by others. It is hard to see outside yourself.

Instead:

Seek input from others. Do not feel that no one will care. People like to help. This could be friends, family, colleagues, or a firm that specializes in personal branding.

Have questions that require more than simple yes or no answers. Ask people:

• What are my strongest qualities?
• Where could I improve?
• What is not clear about what I do?
• What qualities should I emphasize more?

  5. Overselling yourself  

Now that I cautioned you not to be underselling yourself, remember it is equally important not to run commercials for yourself. People do not want to hear how smart and accomplished you are. That type of boasting is a turn off at any age.

Instead:

Others want to know how you can help them and add value to their lives. Be helpful, gracious, and engaging.

Focus on your audience’s needs. Let others praise you. Do not praise yourself.

The Bottom Line

If you are a newbie to personal branding, or hesitant about doing it, remember that it is not a boasting contest. Personal branding is about making yourself engaging, likable, and helpful. Let people know who you are, how you can benefit them, and why they should care. Who would not want to hear that?

More About Boomer/Fifty Plus Job Search

• Personal Brand: Today’s Success Requirement
• Beating the “Too Old” Bias: Being Visibly Up-to-Date
• Beating the “Too Old” Bias, Learning New Skills
• Goal Setting for Success
• Job Search Advantages of Being Over 50

About the author…

Wendy Marx is a personal branding and reinvention expert for baby boomers. For many years, she ran a PR and marketing firm where she turned virtual unknowns into industry icons through personal branding. Wendy is the author of Thriving at 50 Plus about finding more meaning and purpose in your life at 50 plus through rebranding and reinvention. Connect with Wendy on Linkedin and Twitter. Reach her at wendy@thrivingat50plus.com, and visit ThrivingAt50plus.com.

The post Overcome the 5 Worst Boomer Personal Branding Mistakes appeared first on Job-Hunt.