EAE News
"We all have our own personal brand even if we don't know how to show it"
27 de November de 2018
Pilar Llácer gave a Management Conference on personal branding at the JOBMadrid'18 event held at the Matadero Complex.
EAE's Executive Career Advisor, Pilar Llácer shared her knowledge and insight on employability in a digital setting at a Management Conference on personal branding. The attendees at the presentation were keen to hear the advice given by the expert, who emphasized the importance of making an impact in the online world and that we have to "Google ourselves constantly".
In this new environment constantly in motion, we need to know the people with whom we are going to have an interview. Moreover, it is essential that we have a good personal brand that is "consistent and which has been carefully constructed over time".
Social media contain a great amount of information in this respect. Pilar explained that "you have to know who your rival is and how you are going to approach them. In addition, you need to be able to reach them with a powerful profile and personal brand", adding that "you cannot afford to ignore your personal branding as much in the online world as you can in the online world, and a level of consistency has to be displayed between these two worlds". She also explained that "we all have our own brand but we may not be sure how to display it. We need to have a clear idea about what we want from our personal brand, although it is not only used for looking for work", she added. Nowadays, employees have become ambassadors of the companies they work for.
Constructing a personal brand is a kind of storytelling that consists of recounting a person's story. "We all have something impactful and that is what we have to focus on". Pilar emphasized the importance of constructing this story because nowadays "your knowledge and competences are not what matter. What really matters is what sets you apart from the rest with respect to how you do things". To achieve this, we have to "make an impact with our personal brand".
In order to develop this personal brand, Pilar recommends setting a challenge and a strategy. To do this, it is essential that we have a firm command of the appropriate tools and the use of social networks such as LinkedIn, which she described as "the quintessential professional network", followed by Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, which is "the leading recruitment channel in Latin America" and Instagram.
To differentiate yourself when constructing a personal brand, the EAE lecturer recommends "taking time to think about the story that you want to tell and what sets you apart. Active listening is also important for creating differential content. Personal storytelling takes on a significant role in an environment in which it is essential to be able to segment and break away from stereotypes.
Although there are still some companies that continue to recruit in the traditional way, Pilar advocates a new approach to our personal branding strategy, in which consistency and influence are key factors. Reviewing the channels that you are and are not on, and including a set of features on your LinkedIn profile were two of the list of tips and effective recruitment practices. Focusing in the professional network, Pilar recommends adding professional photographs, having a public URL, adding the sectors of the companies you have worked for, updating regularly and paying particular attention to your experience and attitudes. Moreover, she emphasized the importance of segmenting when contacting potential recruiters and incorporating an inspirational and motivational speech.
To build your personal brand in 10 steps, Pilar Llácer highlighted aspects including name, objective, target audience, message, image, keywords, timing, branding and spreading the word.