Personal Branding in 6 Seconds

Over the past year, I have received great feedback on the concept of Developing POP! A Professional Online Presence.  Initially, I developed this ten-step framework to provide a simple starting point for using social media not only for personal communication purposes but also for professional communication purposes.

As I have continued to deliver this presentation, the strategic steps have remained the same, but several tactics have changed as technologies have evolved.  For example, when I first created the “POP” concept, Pinterest did not even exist … and it is now one of the largest social bookmarking sites in the world.

Last month, I had the privilege of delivering the “POP” presentation at Integrate 2012 – WVU’s annual integrated marketing communications conference.  If you would like to watch a video of the presentation, click here.  For an article on the topic that was published in the Public Relations Society of America Job Center, click here.

It was a great chance to hear from others what is, and is not, working when developing a professional brand.  One of the executives in attendance noted that a recruiter spends an average of 6 seconds scanning a resume.  Could you share your brand positioning statement in 6 seconds (or less)?  Perhaps mine should be “I teach people how to pursue and promote their professional brands!”

We live in an era of keywords.  So if you only had 6 seconds to describe yourself, what keywords would you include?  If you do not know where to begin, consider an “aspirational job search.”  Use a site like indeed.com, and search for your ideal job.  Then look at the words used in the position description and requirements.  Are you speaking the same language?  In effect, are you using the same words to describe your experiences?  And if you do not have such experiences, how can you gain them?

I look forward to your comments … and your brand positioning statement (in 6 seconds or less)!