I write extensively for employers on the subject of "employer branding." And I occasionally have postings on my site on the corollary subject of "personal branding."
When writing for employers, I often focus on a much-overlooked aspect of their employer brand. Call it "user experience." I believe that the sum total of experiences that all employees, ex-employees and anyone who interviews with a company have (and talk about) add up to a much bigger aspect of their employer brand (a.k.a. reputation) than the image they try to cultivate.
Again, there is an important corollary to this -- what is the "user experience" that employers have when they interact with you as a job seeker? Let's start by putting aside your ACTUAL experience and qualifications and just focus on the impressions you make. That is so important, I want to restate it. You may be the perfect fit for their open position. You have all the right qualifications. From a marketing perspective, none of this matters. It's all about employers' perceptions of you, which are based largely on their user experience when they interact with you.
It starts with your resume, which may influence their perceptions far more than your actual qualifications. After all, it's often their first glimpse of your qualifications. But it goes way beyond your resume. It also includes things how how you dress for interviews and whether you show if for interviews punctually. But these are the basics. There's still much more.
It's the sum total of all the impressions an employer gathers about you. Here are some less obvious examples:
- When they call you to follow up on a resume or application, who answers the phone? Is it a rude roommate or a family member who leaves them wondering if the message will get relayed?
- Do you respond promptly when they've called you?
- When you follow up after an interview -- let's say a thank you card -- is it prompt? Is it articulate and grammatically perfect? Does it add extra value? (Perhaps you include an article you've clipped, discussing something that came up in your interview -- very good!)
- If they Google you, what do they find?
- If they know anyone who knows you, what do these people have to say?
- What impressions do you make on other employees at their company -- the receptionist, for example?
These are just a few examples. The point is, the personal brand that you project entails the full range of their user experience with you. And that goes way beyond a good resume, a nice suit and a successful interview.
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