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How to Use Personal Branding for a Competitive Edge
by Cecile Peterkin
More Self Improvement Articles
Published on this site: August 14th, 2009 - See
more articles from this month
Before you can learn much about how to use personal branding for
a competitive edge, it's important to have an understanding of
what personal branding is. Fortunately, it's possible to take a
look at the way many successful people have used personal
branding to get a feel for what it is and how it can work for
you.
Personal branding is something that has been done by a number of
well known people. Some of the most well known among them are:
- Oprah Winfrey
Think what you will about Oprah's personality,
but from the time that she branded her show with her own name and
aired a number of her personal struggles in a public way to the
time that she launched her magazine, her book club and the talk
show careers of Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray, Oprah has remained true
to her personal brand.
- Donald Trump
Donald Trump isn't just a real estate mogul,
he's also a man who worked hard, made his way to the top and
then, time and time again, has found ways of staying there. Trump
hotels have a certain reputation; so do his investment strategies
that are available to almost everyone who watches his
infomercials and has an internet connection, and, of course, The
Apprentice also has a large audience simply because of all that
the man has done to establish his personal brand.
In addition to Oprah and 'The Donald', there are a variety of
others who have built their identities and empires on a
foundation of personal branding. From Madonna to Bill Gates, from
Rachael Ray (who established her brand by promising to teach
others to prepare meals in 30 minutes and helping everyone to
recognize that cooking is something that everyone can do) to
Richard Branson, personal branding has proven to be a successful
strategy - one that can also help you to get a competitive edge
during your job search.
The reason that personal branding is so valuable is that it
demands self-awareness; in order to have a brand, you need to be
sure that you are able to know who you are and what you believe
in. Likewise, personal branding means knowing what you value and
making a commitment to bring it into everything that you do. Most
importantly however, personal branding is about having the
courage to be yourself - and to let others know who you are - and
the confidence to believe that you can have a positive impact.
Personal branding is something that will give you a competitive
edge during your job search because it will help you to appear
confident and strong; it also is effective because prospective
employers will see that you are committed to achieving your best
and delivering consistent results. When you take advantage of
personal branding and have the strength to market yourself and
your values, you will find that you are able to have more than
just a job - you'll find that you are well on your way to
creating an exceptional career and reaching your goals.
Cecile Peterkin is a Certified Career Coach, Corporate Mentor,
Author and Speaker. In a world where the old definition of job
security no longer applies, managing your career, just like
managing your life, requires preparation and planning. Cecile's
Elite Career Success Guide gives you tips, advice and strategies
to achieve amazing results in your career. Find out more at
http://www.SecretstoCareerSuccess.com/.
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