In a highly competitive job market, recruiters often find themselves flooded with applications from hundreds of candidates. As a job seeker, how do you stand out amongst other candidates who are just as determined as you are to get noticed by recruiters and employers?

The answer: personal branding. Similar to how products and services particularly brand themselves, having a personal brand provides you with leverage to:

• establish your professional DNA
• give you an edge over your competitors
• help attract recruiters to your profile
• make you more memorable to the company’s hiring managers
• expand your network and connect with high-level practitioners
• increase your chances of getting interviewed and land the job you want

Your personal brand should be apparent in your resume, in your social media, in your website or in other platforms where recruiters and employers can check your credentials and your accomplishments. In fact, 90% of all recruiters conduct their research on applicants through online methods. Just like marketing campaigns, personal branding should be rooted on effective strategies for more optimum results. Here are ways on how you can effectively build and promote your personal brand.

1. Answer these questions:

You can start developing your personal brand by asking yourself these core questions:

• Who are you and what makes you different from others in your field?
• What unique service are you offering?
• Who is your target audience?
• What are your achievements and what are the results?

Add a dash of your personality to your answers and this will become the basis for creating a short description that gives an overview of your personal brand. For example:

“I’ve turned my passion for cooking comfort food into a fulfilling business of creating bang-for-buck, flavourful homecooked meals-to-go. I was recently awarded as one of the top entrepreneurs for my contribution to promote local businesses in our city. I am open to exploring new opportunities in the food and beverage industry to apply and expand my culinary skills.”

2. Build a consistent omnichannel presence

As businesses turn to digital platforms and social media to capture their audience, the same holds true for job hunters. LinkedIn remains the most popular choice for talent sourcing and recruitment, with 690 million members across 200 countries and used by nearly 95% of recruiters.

While it’s highly recommended to maintain a LinkedIn profile and in various job posting sites, explore using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote your personal brand. Graphic artists, for example, can use creative network sites to display their portfolio and showcase their artistic talent. Keep your content aligned across all channels to build a strong connection with your intended audience.

3. Blend your personality with your professional side

As a job seeker, it’s important to project a professional image to make a favourable impression on recruiters and employers. But you also don’t want your profile to look too polished and lacking in personality that it won’t get noticed. While it’s a good idea to inject your distinct persona, use your best judgment on what is appropriate to feature on your personal brand. The goal is to have a good balance of showcasing your uniqueness with your professional credentials.

4. Show and tell

Every successful project in your career enhances your personal brand, so don’t hesitate to mention it on all of your platforms. Your personal brand will continue to evolve as you update your resume and profile with your work achievements. This will catch the attention of recruiters and employers as they track your professional growth and match their job role requirements to your expanding skillset and recent accomplishments. It can be as simple as sharing a post on LinkedIn about making a big sale or increasing conversions by 20%.

5. Post regularly and responsibly

What if you don’t have any recent achievement to post about? You can always re-post a noteworthy status update that’s meaningful to you. Share an interesting online article that you’ve read. You can even talk about bingeing a TV series that you’ve recently watched or upload a photo of a get-together with your friends. These are facets of your personal brand that reflect your interests and what you value in your life. Just make sure it’s not offensive or distasteful that could turn off recruiters and employers from hiring you.

6. Expand your network

Forming connections is essential if you want to promote your personal brand. Be more proactive by following industry leaders or inspiring personalities. Join groups on LinkedIn or Facebook that are relevant to your work and your personal interests. Practise due diligence by researching about the group and what they stand for. Follow the group rules, be polite with fellow members, engage in discussions, and share your opinions and experiences as you welcome other insights. There’s always the possibility that someone might reach out to tap your skills for a potential project.

Industry-leading recruitment agency in Vietnam

The Talent Consultants is a headhunter company in Vietnam that attracts and recruits high-quality talent for a wide range of job roles in the multinational business sector. As the leading talent search agency in Ho Chi Minh City, we provide access to a rich pool of highly skilled workers from the Southeast Asian region so that employers and hiring managers can have more options in selecting the best candidate to join their organisation.

For job seekers, we welcome you to search for new opportunities in our job vacancies page. You can also learn more about our recruitment process and submit your resume directly here. Want more job-hunting tips? Browse through our free online resources that will add to your advantage in your job applications.

For more details on how we can support your career journey, give us a call on +84 28 7309 7991 or book a free consultation with us here.