Keeping Your Executive Brand in Order

It’s not easy to come up with ways to remain relevant as an executive who is in between jobs. It's critically important for executives to work on (and update) their brands, especially when they're between jobs.

While it’s not exactly easy to build and nurture your brand, it’s easy as pie to ruin it. With just a few misguided errors, the brand you’ve worked so hard to build could easily crumble, that is, unless you remember to do the following…

Always Plan Your Next Move

Instead of jumping on an exciting venture – with your name attached – that sounds too good to be true, take time to look over the situation, make sure it’s right for you and determine whether it should be your next move. It's important for every executive to pay attention to where his name appears, especially when building a brand.

Showcase Your Resume

Your resume may come in the form of a CV, resume profile or LinkedIn page. However, you want to show it off to the world, make sure that you do so to allow people to see what it is that makes you such a great voice in your industry.

Don’t Be Afraid to Be Yourself

Sometimes, as people begin to build their executive brand – especially on the Internet – they tend to fold under the pressure of others who have opinions of how they should think. Don't let this happen. If you appear indecisive or wishy-washy, employers in particular won’t see you as a steady force and someone who will be able to made solid, unfaltering decisions when the time comes.

Remember to Bring in Reinforcements When Necessary

Sometimes building your brand requires that you enlist others to help you get your name out there. You might have a friendly relationship with a reporter at the local paper. If your friend says he could help you anytime, see if you could have a profile or article written about you to get your name out there. Or if you have a friend who is a board member for a local charity, you may be able to organize an event where you will be the keynote speaker. Getting your name in front of others isn’t always easy, but it’s simpler when bringing in reinforcements.

Share What You Know

Probably one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself and others when building your brand is to offer advice to others. If you're looking for a way to do this, try starting a blog. You don’t have to pay a thing to get one started and can draw an audience that will come for your advice as often as you give it – a great way to show credibility.

There’s nothing greater than being able to build your brand to help you in your job search. Building your brand will also teach you about yourself, and you'll enter job interview with much more confidence and stand a better chance of landing the job of your dreams.