By: Bryan Thiel
These days, describing your personal brand can be difficult.
Not only do you have to worry about what you’re saying about yourself and whether or not you’ve remembered to say everything there is to say, but you have to be aware of the voice you’re using, how you phrase everything, and whether or not you come across as sincere.
In my field, things have gotten even tougher. Before I started in television, it was ok if you could only do one thing well; you would get really good at that one thing, and they would find a spot for you if they really liked you. These days the industry is defined, for lack of a better term, by multi-tools or swiss army knives.
It no longer pays to be good at just one thing. You can be good at one thing (you can be GREAT at one thing), but you also have to be able to fill a variety of other roles. If your personal brand is just “Bryan Thiel, video editor” you’ll find work, but there’s a good chance someone with more talents will come along and snatch up your job if you aren’t able to display the wealth of abilities you posses.
That’s where your social media descriptions can come in handy. Keep it quick, keep it snappy, and in 140 characters or less people can get an idea of your personal brand while they scroll through your media.
After all, doesn’t this:
Bryan Thiel: Scoail Media Marketer/Analyst, #TSN Video Editor, Freelance Play-by-Play Anchor, and aspiring home chef
Sound better (and a littler more personal) than this:
Bryan Thiel: Video Editor @ TSN
Or this:
Bryan Thiel: Freelance play-by-play anchor
While all of that looks good, you can’t just let yourself be defined by your accomplishments. We live in a world where people hire the professional and the person, so somehow you have to not only show your qualifications, but also that you’re a sometimes sarcastic, daring person who is constantly looking to improve, but may also have a soft side.
Maybe some of your tweets can convey that. Maybe a picture or two of your rescue dog or your crazy cat help get the message across about who you are away from work.
Either way, always remember that it’s the qualifications that get you hired, but people aren’t ignoring the quality of person these days.
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 