Creating (And Selling) Your Personal Brand - CareerEnlightenment.com

Instead of my social profile showing pictures of me chugging beers with friends, they now consist of professional images and positive statuses and updates. My profiles on job search engines were full of my top accomplishments, and I also worked to get my writing credited on well-known sites, providing authoritative references to my professional capabilities at the top of the search engine results.Networking With Decision-MakersOnce I was able to create a well-developed online presence that portrayed me in the professional manner in which I was aiming for, I knew the next step was exposure.I began networking with people in the writing industry. Because my time is a limited resource, I did not want to waste it making connections that would prove of little use â€" instead I aimed only for connecting with decision-makers in organizations that I would enjoy working for.Just like product marketing, selling your personal brand means targeting your marketing efforts. You’ll end up with a l ot better results by focusing your time on reaching out to people who will be the ones making hiring decisions.Of course, instead of always having to contact the important decision makers in your industry you can allure them into contacting you.Take myself for example.What I did to get noticed was to join a few writing related groups on LinkedIn where freelance writers and business owners share their opinions and tips. I started participating on various discussions and I was also sharing my work so they could see my latest samples.Since there were so many business owners participating on these groups and discussions one of my strategies was to always supply helpful tips regarding their content, sites and blogs. Then out of the blue a big companys HR manager who found me via one of these LinkedIn groups sent me a message for a position in their digital marketing department and to make a long story short it turned into my current job.One way or another, LinkedIn has helped me in getti ng the opportunity Ive always wanted. If youd like to attract top employers to your LinkedIn profile, check out Joshuas LinkedIn Writing Service.It just takes time, consistent action and expanding your contact base and soon the results will come to you.