How to Brand Yourself and Win the Interview

This presentation was given by Victoria Gates, an internal recruiter for Aerotek. She offered up a lot of useful information for creating a personal brand and tailoring online profiles to be appropriate substitutes for a traditional resume.

The first piece of advice she gave was to build a personal brand. In order to be successful at this you need to answer the following questions:

        1. What is your mission statement?
                  This should be clear and concise, but also descriptive. Stay away from generalized  
                  phrases.
        2. How will you market yourself?
        3. Where are you going to market your brand?

The next topic that Victoria focused on was creating an online presence. Today 77% of employers use social media to recruit candidates and most of them prefer to find their candidates on multiple sites. Make sure you include your contact information on online profiles. Additionally, 60% of recruiters rate their highest potential clients from social media. Finally, 73% of 18-34 year olds found their most recent job through a social network. Since social media is such an important aspect of a job search it is important to have a strong LinkedIn profile. Your profile should be relevant and contain information that is not listed on your resume. Additionally, you should brand yourself to become an all-star profile so that your name will show up at the top of searches conducted in your field.

Here is how to become an all-star:

    -You need a professional photo
    -Create a headline that isn't too general. You want to be who you are!
    -Include the industry and location you are looking to work in
    -Have a strong profile summary
    -Include a minimum of 3 jobs and experiences (it's ok to use conferences, internships, research)
    -Education
    -Be endorsed in 5+ skills
    -Have 50+ connections that are meaningful and professional
    -Your experience should demonstrate your expertise in your field

Overall, if you follow these tip, do your homework on potential jobs, and maintain a strong social media profile you will be a top candidate for any potential jobs.