MentorWorks Education, Finance & Career Access Blog 
Discover Your Path to Success


Job Seekers: How to Brand Yourself & Why Personal Branding is Important

by | Jul 8, 2020

There is a lot about the 2020 job search that is simply out of anyone’s control. Regardless of how stressful this situation may feel, do your best to create opportunity for yourself. Use this time to better understand the employer recruitment process and set yourself up for success.

Recruiters are looking for top talent (that could be you!), in fact, their own job performance is measured on the strength and quality of the candidates they hire. With that in mind, think about all of the application materials you’ve created and any professional branding you’ve done online. Does the content you’ve created present you and your job candidacy in the best possible way?

Did you know? According to one survey of U.S. Employers, Talent Recruitment Data…

  • 98% of recruiters do background research about candidates online (i.e. review your social media interactions).
  • 79% have rejected a candidate based on their social media content
  • 43% use Google to research job applicants

Recruiters want to find you! By crafting your professional brand in a manner that clearly articulates your employee value, you’re essentially self-identifying as someone they should advance in the application process. There are a ton of excellent posts and articles out there with tips to craft your professional brand – but you need to take the time to infuse these ideas and concepts into your own professional presence.

If you don’t take time to understand HOW the recruitment process works or WHAT employers are looking for in future employees – you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Always think about your audience and message appropriately. Take your professional branding efforts seriously. In a job search there is not a lot you have control over, so take advantage of this opportunity to OWN YOUR NARRATIVE and increase your professional visibility!

To get more strategies and direction for landing the best job for you, think about signing up for the free version of the MentorWorks Talent Accelerator Platform (TAP). The six (6) lesson career-enhancement framework is specifically built with job-seekers of all levels in mind. Whether you are a student right out of college, or a seasoned professional looking to make a career change, the TAP platform was made to jump-start your career development and job search.