Build Yourself As A Brand - The Ultimate Way To Crack Your Interview

We’re glad that you want to build yourself as a brand. One that everybody knows and loves. According to management expert and author Tom Peters, "We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer of a brand called You." Pay great attention to this quote below: "The foundation of personal branding rests on truthfulness."   So now that you are starting to build your brand, keep this quote in mind at each step. Building Brand Me is a 4-step process:

1. Discover: Introducing you to Brand ‘Me’
2. Create: Build your digital image
3. Communicate: Build connections and stay top-of-mind
4. Maintain: Keep in touch

Let's understand how you can master each step. But first, go grab a pen and a sheet of paper. Or open an Excel sheet/ Word document on your device. STEP 1- Discover: Introducing you to brand ‘Me’ WHO ARE YOU? Do you know who you really are?   One of simplest ways to define your traits is by taking Personality tests. Personality trait tests are great exercises to understanding yourself. The questions will require you to dig deep into your memory for answers. And no, those tests you’ve taken on Facebook don’t give you the right information. So, here we found a test that relies on one of the most common and preferred ways psychologists use to measure personality. These 5 sides are called the "Big Five": extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience. Here’s another test that is shorter and equally eye-opening. Disclaimer: Curated Content! These tests are available for free here and here. Now that you know your traits, it's time to list them down on your sheet of paper. Done? Let's move on...   WHAT’S YOUR USP? Take your time with this one. What is the “one thing” that you’re known by? Could be two. Write them down too!   WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR USP TO BE? You may be known as "smart" or "instinctive" or something else by friends. But what are the qualities you WANT to be known for? “Before you can establish or develop your expertise, you have to decide what you want to be known for.” Jayson DeMers, Founder and CEO, AudienceBloom, sums up the value of finding your exclusive traits in the above quote. Find that unique element you wish to be known for. (Sorry to disappoint but it’s not earth, fire, wind, water, or heart) Write down that element on your sheet as well!   FIX A DATE WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND Take this list of traits and go to that one person who you always talk to before and after any important event in your life. And talk to him/her at length about the results. Edit the list to feature 3-4 traits that you think are the MOST powerful. Double check what you wrote down. Rethink, erase, write again until you’re sure of these traits. Done? Write these edited traits down on your sheet of paper! Now, look at the sheet that contains your personality traits, your USP, your personality goals and your friend's opinions on your traits. This is YOU. Pin it on your soft board or stick it on a wall that you see daily. And no matter what you do, be sure to reflect these traits to be easily identifiable and remembered. Timeline: Start today! Definitely a few months before applying for a job. If you know your placement interviews will happen 6 months later, prep started yesterday! And if you are on the lookout for a new job, ditto. Most of us know ourselves. For example- you know you are a foodie. Or a traveller. Or you know you love to read. Or dance. You should still follow the 4 Step process of building Brand Me. Why? How do you communicate your best qualities to the interviewer? That is the purpose of this exercise. And the best part? It is not set in stone! You can change after all! Key Takeaways:

• You are the biggest proponent of your BRAND ME.
• Your brand me should reflect your true qualities.
• Building brand me can be done in 4 steps: DISCOVER, CREATE, COMMUNICATE and MAINTAIN.
• Whilst discovering yourself, the 1st thing to do is understand who you are.
• You can use personality tests to find your dominant traits.
• Whilst discovering yourself, the next thing to do is defining your USP.
• Once you know your current USP, you need to think on what you want to be known for in the future.
• Whilst discovering yourself, you can also involve that one person (a best friend?) who gives you honest opinions about yourself.
• All these different traits and qualities are what makes you- YOU!

  About: Did the above chapter help you put things into perspective? This chapter is a part of The Ultimate Interview Guide Masterclass by Konversations.com. Are you stuck somewhere between graduate school and a job hunt? Or are you thinking of switching to a different, better job? Because if you are, you have a LOT of competition. So how will YOU stand out? The Ultimate Interview Guide is your answer. Get proactive and control how recruiters see you. Ensure that you bag your dream job. Check out a free sample of this masterclass here. Or unlock the masterclass here.