Defining your brand for the interview can be tricky. When you sit down, you know who you are and what you can offer, yet how do you know that is the “right” brand to present in the interview? Or maybe, you’ve heard about all this branding talk, but don’t even know what it means. Well, let’s discuss…
When people think about branding and interviewing, they think of the attributes they’ve been told repeatedly they are best at. That is definitely the right way to begin thinking about branding. Becoming self-aware is one of the first steps to having a good interview and through that, you begin to define your personal brand.
However, what is wrong with that logic? The positive here in branding is that you know who you are and what you can do. But, what if that is not what the company is looking for?
Here is a simple example. Let’s say you tell the company you are the best painter around and that everything you paint, you paint in blue. Now, what if the company is looking for the best painter ever, but they want that painter to do everything in red? Of course, a very simple analogy, however, you get the point. Just because you are the best at something and you know it, doesn’t mean the company is going to buy it.
At the end of the day, you are selling something in which you want the company to buy. Help them in wanting to buy it! DEFINE YOUR BRAND!
Your brand is defined through various mediums and materials such as social media, your resume, your references, cover letter and through your own actions. It’s important to note that your branding must be consistent and clear through all of these which is why you must define your branding before you start your job search journey. You must be sure that each medium is representing you in the way you want it too. In addition to that, it must clearly show the prospective employer here is how and why I can solve your problem.
Here Is The Secret
Every company has a problem. That problem is represented through open jobs and companies solve these problems with hiring people. From this then, we can come to the conclusion that you are the solution. Are you defining yourself as a solution or are you stuck in defining yourself only as “what you are good at?” In order to land the job in the interview, you must represent your brand as a solution. Here is what I can do and here is why this is your best solution.
It’s important that you create a target company list and stay with it. Your brand can be tweaked for each company you apply too, but overall, you must have a brand that a company needs and is willing to buy. Do your research and know what the company is looking for. Be sure that you can solve their problem and be able to clearly explain how.
Good luck!
