9 Thoughts On Branding Yourself With A Personal Website For Your Job Search

David Kearsley outlines his thoughts on using his new website to accomplish his personal branding goal of finding a job.

This a guest post by David Kearsley. If you’d also like to guest post here on JobMob, follow these guest post guidelines.

After some diligent reading, contemplating, and taking action, I have launched my website at davidkearsley.com.

The highlights of my website and the foundation of my creation thoughts related to the job search process are noted in 9 points, with sub-bullets for a bit more clarity:

1. My personal brand

• Defining, communicating, sharing who I am as a person/professional and “open-hand” to connect.
• Targets my brand message in a holistic way, but with the focus on my career search campaign.
• Visual confirmation in my name, initials and tag line logo on website, with web address and tagline integrated in my email signature going forward.

2. It's not all about me

• Provide balanced approach …. “what's in it for them?” (the site visitors)
• Sincere offer/invitation to help visitor
• My offer to help enables…
  1. A connection with visitors to help them as I can with my professional skills or God-given abilities that are part of who I am.
  2. The connection allows me to showcase and share more of who I am, what I do, etc. They get to experience and get to know me.
  3. I get to know them on a more personal level.
  4. I win, they win.

My approach on extending help is based on the following:

• As humans, anyone that helps you – regardless how big or small – ultimately gets credit.
• Credit is acknowledgment that someone offered to, tried to, or even did help.
• That's personal- the bond I want to extend, earn, and create.
• People will remember me, think about me, refer me, have useful suggestions for me, etc. Some more than others, but I become memorable by helping them.

3. But it is about me

It is about my quest for the right next step in my career.

4. The website is only one venue

The website is not the pinnacle of my job search campaign, just one element.

• Personalized email to introduce the website
  – made easy with MS Word editor within Outlook with several fields to be more personalized (beyond Dear “John”) with things like how/who connected us, their business name, shared interests, etc. I even have a PS (post-script) field in the intro email to be even more personal (i.e.; trust integration of XYZ acquisition is going as planned, how is Cindy enjoying college, are you planning ski vacation out west this winter, etc.)

• Website is current and relevant
  – practically speaking, anyone can go online and check out my site. They can learn, explore, etc. with no intrusion or frankly awareness by me. The connection is voluntary.

• The site has great user friendly features for me to modify, add to and change in time. All done for less than $350, hosting included.

5. Sharing and exposure for others

My “Of Interest” page creates an opportunity to let people in my network share what they are fired up about and doing. For example, the current one has had 83 hits in the first three days. My friend thinks that is great – so do I.

6. Invitation to connect is voluntary

Free will at it finest. Go to the site and sign up for the newsletter, call me, email me, etc. The visitor self-selects in and out. No pressure or obligation.

7. Some things are intentionally included

LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook. My blog will be active soon.

• I want to be open, accessible and transparent
• Expresses my desire to connect with people.

8. Some things are intentionally missing

• Specific, direct statement on my personal values (the what, why, who I am). Granted, reader can glean what it is, but is not overt.
• Personal Branding or Personal Vision Statement. Inherent to context of site, but not a direct statement.
• Resume, Networking Profile, Bio, Executive Suite…. connecting with people gives me the chance to provide the right documents or information.

9. To be unique, but tastefully so.

• Not wacky or weird – just a creative, thoughtful, professional method of differentiating myself.

About the Author

David Kearsley, Founder at Ovation Products Group, Inc., is a senior-level business professional with a career background in consumer products – common items you'd buy at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's or Costco. His website is at http://davidkearsley.com.

This article was part of the 3rd Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest.

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