How To Build A Strong Personal Brand And Attract Headhunters

We live in an era where a well-designed personal brand is a round-the-clock, on-demand elevator, business card, and pitch rolled into one. However, the average person doesn’t have a personal brand because they associate it with celebrities, politicians, and the like.

In this blog, you’ll get proven tips on how to build a strong personal brand to attract headhunters.

4 Actionable Tips To Build A Strong Employee Brand

1. Identify your unique selling point

Create a precise value proposition to communicate what you can offer your field. To find your USP, catalog your credentials, then outline your relationship within various organizations to gauge your social capital. 

Next, analyze your cultural capital - expertise acquired through hobbies, upbringing, etc. - that helps you navigate different environments. Jeff Bezos often says,

“Your brand is the amalgamation of beliefs, expectations, and attitudes that people hold about you.”

Finally, ask yourself if your self-assessment aligns with your desired brand identity. For instance, if your value proposition captures the image of a strong leader who is warm, empathetic, and productive, use words like “results-driven” and “compassionate” in your USP.

2. Develop a strong online presence

The first thing headhunters do when they consider you for a particular job is to Google your name. According to a recent study, 33% of recruiters consider an online presence crucial when scouting for job candidates, and another 35% won’t consider hiring a candidate if they can’t find them online. 

What recruiters dig about you will influence their actions. Therefore, building an online presence across all digital platforms - blog, social media, website, and media engagement - is indispensable.

Try to customize your content accordingly for each site. For example, you can create a Pinterest board highlighting the skills outlined in your resume.

3. Network

This is vital to forging a powerful personal brand because you meet professionals and influencers from your industry. A LinkedIn study found that 82% of professionals in the US said networking is essential to finding a new job. But, despite the many benefits of networking, only 25% of professionals do any networking. 

Don’t be part of this statistic; make time to join professional organizations and attend industry events. By engaging yourself in these communities, you build relationships that may later help you jumpstart or advance your career. 

4. Create an authentic brand story 

Your brand shouldn’t just be a mishmash of descriptors floating in people’s minds. It should be predicated upon the impactful stories you have shared with your audience. When considering how to build a strong personal brand, remember these three things:

• Be authentic when telling your brand story to develop a deep emotional connection with your audience.
• Keep your story short and palatable to avoid boring people; cap your story to 1000 words.
• Highlight how your audience will benefit from your narrative.

Conclusion

Creating a personal brand is a never-ending journey of self-discovery, adapting, and growing. Doing this can help establish trust and differentiate yourself from other job seekers. Follow this advice to attract headhunters and set your career on a steady path of growth. Good luck!