“Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it.” ~David Star Jordan

I remember a story that a friend of mine told me about one of the products they covered at their advertising agency. This particular product was part of a well known brand, let’s call it Brand A. Anyway, my friend told me how retail products battle for shelf space. Not knowing anything about advertising (or shelf space for that matter), I asked him what he meant. Basically, every product battles for space on the shelf. There are so many brands for a particular product (and so many products), that most manufacturers of new products have to battle just to get space on the shelf at the supermarket or major retailer. Even if they get space, the don’t want the bottom shelf, they want the shelf that is at eye level. Eye level products are the ones that sell the best (or maybe they sell the best because they are at eye level). So, you may ask, what does this have to do with job search? Everything. Just like products competing for shelf space at the store, you are competing with other job seekers for a limited number of roles. Your “shelf space” is getting your resume to the right people who can ensure you are considered for the right job opportunities.

• Build Your Personal Brand, Get Hired – This article, from Recruiter.com, provides information on helping you build your personal brand for job search without making it your full time job. The article provides four steps to help you build your personal brand. Tips on “getting your name out there”, including building your web presence (see the next point below). While you are on the site, take a look at the job seekers tab at the top of the page as well as the links to Jobs and Find a Recruiter.

• Protecting Your Image – Too much information is not a good thing, and protecting your Internet presence is as important as building your personal Brand. Questionable pictures and social network information that may lead others to think you live a less than “straight and narrow” lifestyle can hurt your chances of finding a job. You know the old saying (slightly modified for current times) “if it would embarrass your mother to see it on the Internet, don’t do it”. You should regularly check your profile on the Internet. You can do this in several ways:

• Google yourself - Run a Google search on yourself (regularly)
• Check your Name – use services such as Spokeo.com, Zabasearch.com and 123people.com
• Understanding Social Networking Site Privacy Settings – Make sure your privacy settings on your social network sites are set to protect your privacy (take a look at this article).

• Brand-driven vs. Bland-driven Resumes – The difference could cost you the job! – This article is a guest post by Jessica Hernandez posted on my site and is worth a look. Specifically, the article is focused on helping you build a brand driven resume. This is an important part of building your overall personal brand.

Good luck in your search.

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