Is your ?elevator pitch? more of a blank stare and a few mumbled words? Or when people ask ?Tell me about yourself,? do you launch into a long retelling of your complete autobiography??
When people ask you about yourself, they really want to know two things: ?Why should I care about you?? and ?What can you do for me or my company?? The best way to answer these questions is to craft an effective personal branding statement.?
The goal is to convey the type of professional or person you are, what motivates you and why those things are important. To meet this aim, your personal branding statement should include the following elements:?
1.?Start with your name.
Introduce yourself, then quickly get to the next step.?
2.?Identify your main focus or current profession.
In a concise, focused sentence, identify what you actually do. Don’t mention your job title, the company you work for or how long you have been there. Speak in the present tense and talk about who you are today.?
3.?Transition to your passion.
Think about what you love about your role, then show it by starting with ?What I love to do is…? Including this element in your personal branding statement shows you care about what you do and are highly motivated. Hiring managers love these traits because they show you can do the job and would be a good personality fit.?
4.?Talk about who you help.
Mention who benefits from your talents and services. This helps convey your value and shows a company why they need you.?
5.?Tailor your message.
Know your audience, and tailor your message to them. Think about how your work can benefit a CEO, a plant manager, clients or others in different ways. Identify the concerns and issues of your audience, then talk about how you can help them specifically.?
6.?Identify a goal.
Be specific about how you are helpful. Distill your achievements down to one single important thing, like helping your company save money.?
7.?Convey emotion.
Showing a bit of emotion with a smile shows that you can fit into a company’s culture and truly love what you do. Let your personality shine to stand out from the crowd.?
Each of these elements helps demonstrate your professional qualities, enthusiasm and interest. Use your effective personal branding statement to invite more meaningful dialogue while interviewing and networking, build connections and show others what makes you valuable and unique.?
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