Personal branding is the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands*. And it’s here to stay.
Like the (in)famous selfie, the topic of personal branding is shrouded in controversy. While critics are quick to ring the commodification alarm bells, they are most probably not the ones fighting on the job-hunting side of the barricade. For a recent graduate, personal branding affords the possibility to stand out in the noise of job applicants and to showcase measurable pieces of work for potential employers.
The new CareerProfessor series of blog posts is dedicated for personal branding in finding employment! Our first stop is the value of writing guest blog posts – articles that are published on someone else’s website or blog. Here are 5 reasons why to do it:
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Exposure
– by writing on a platform other than yours, you tap into a new attention pool. New readers, new contacts and, after multiple posts, recognition on having authority on the topic!
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Experience
– even if a guest blog post does not lead to impressed recruiters knocking on your door, content creation is a great way to practice your writing/editing skills and to test out what works and what doesn’t for different audiences.
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Portfolio
– your dream job requires a portfolio of your previous works but you neither have one nor have you ever been employed? The advantage of writing guest blog posts over your own blog is it proves that others considered your writing and ideas worth publishing. Compile all the publications into a portfolio!
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X-factor
– your dream job does not require a portfolio but there are thousands of applicants for the same position? You have a better chance of standing out if you provide links to your published posts to show that you take initiative and are knowledgeable about the topic (if it’s related).
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Golden goose
– if you put your heart and soul into a steady flow of good quality content, (guest) blogging might turn into a paid occupation in itself!
Unlike a selfie, personal branding is not about your face being seen but rather about what you represent – your work, skills, style, opinions, interests, etc – and guest blogging is a great way to convey it to mass audiences. If you want to get started, look no further and write for CareerProfessor!
Veronika Norvaisaite,
CareerProfessor team
*Definition by Lair, Daniel J.; Sullivan, Katie; Cheney, George (2005). “Marketization and the Recasting of the Professional Self“. Management Communication Quarterly 18 (3): 307–343.
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