Would you rather eat a worm than create a personal career brand? In reality, developing a personal career brand  doesn’t have to be torture because you are already living it.

The fact is, you don’t create a personal brand:  You discover it. Simply said, think of your personal brand as the essence of whom you are and the unique attributes only you can bring to the table.  The key to a powerful brand is understanding your authentic self- the values, passions, personality preferences, knowledge and strengths that you’ve developed over a lifetime.

There is no lack of articles encouraging us, even urging, us to formulate the “perfect brand” if we really want to find a job, sell more widgets or attract more business.

Having a strong brand is an essential element of any career campaign. Just listen to what a couple of the Icons of Success have to say:

• “Branding demands commitment; commitment to continual re-invention; striking chords with people to stir their emotions; and commitment to imagination. It is easy to be cynical about such things, much harder to be successful.” – Sir Richard Branson, CEO Virgin Airlines
• “All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” – Tom Peters in “Fast Company” magazine

To develop your personal brand, try this easy process. Journal or simply list the experiences, places, people, traditions and beliefs that have been or are major influences in your life.  Once you feel you have this list, narrow it down to twenty words that you believe truly summarize you.

Review your list carefully…these words are the building blocks of your brand. Now cut the list in half again, keeping only those words that most represent the value that you and only you can offer.  You now have the essential elements of your brand and the basis of the value proposition that you offer an employer.  It was there all along.

This truth is, you don’t create your brand . . . you live your brand.

“Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken”. – Oscar Wilde, Author and Playwright

Visit my website and blog, to download a free copy of “Five Secrets to Job Search Success” and receive juicy career tips and free offers.  Click here to schedule a complimentary consultation.

A Certified Career Management Coach, her mission is to inspire experienced professionals to realize their unique passions and qualifications, and provide them with strength, resources, and strategies to achieve their job search or career transition.

She has a background in recruiting and directing university career centers spanning over 20 years. As with many of her clients, however, she came to a point where the career she had worked so hard to build wasn’t working for her anymore. It was one of those “aha” moments! Dumont realized that her true passion was using my expertise to help others. That’s why she started coaching… to assist others in living their true passion!

Learn more about Dumont on her website, Career Windows Online, or contact her directly via email or phone: (216) 321-1268. Dumont lives in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

Dumont Gerken Owen, Ph. D. Certified Career Management Coach

Dumont puts the Zoom in Boomer Careers!

Her mission is to inspire experienced professionals to realize their unique passions and qualifications, and provide them with strength, resources, and strategies to achieve their job search or career transition.