I’ve had two conversations lately with a couple of experts in the employment industry around the subject of Personal Branding and just how critical it is to do it well these days. I first heard about it a few years ago, and even if you’ve heard of it, it’s well worth re-visiting. The hunt for a job these days is a sales and marketing campaign for You Inc. What does that mean?

Branding is how you differentiate your product or service from everyone else’s. Personal branding is the same. Think of Oprah for example. What do you think of when you think of her? Inspirational, successful, the high road of media, philanthropic? You immediately have a very strong image of what she stands for because she has a very distinctive personal brand.

Knowing your own brand is more important today than it ever has been. The rules have changed and the days of simply showing up, doing your job, and assuming you’ll always have that job if you want it are rapidly disappearing. The job environment is very competitive. Companies are laying off as they are constantly forced to re-evaluate their strategies and re-configure themselves to adapt to competitive pressures. Many older workers want, or need, to work far beyond the traditional retirement age.
In this climate, being passive about your job and looking to your employer to guide you is not nearly enough according to those ‘in the know’. Those who fare best are those who are proactive and think of themselves as their own business even if they are someone else’s employee.

It’s about You, Inc.

These folks understand what their core competencies are. They know the trends in their industry and they are aware of the factors driving the changes in it that could affect their ‘business’. They are looking ahead to see what adjustments they need to make to adapt. They think beyond a job description to understand the role they can best play in an organization.

Here are some helpful questions for getting a handle on your personal brand.

What are the things I do better than anyone else?

What makes me stand out when compared with others?

What are my greatest accomplishments and what do they say about me?

What parts of my work history have I enjoyed the most?

What products or services do I ‘sell’ currently?

What are the changes in my company/my industry that could affect me/my job?

What new ‘products and services’ do I need to add to my repertoire to adapt to those changes?

What is the next level of skill sets I need to develop to deliver those products and services?

When you’ve answered these questions, you will be well on your way to identifying and, more importantly, being able to communicate your ‘brand’ to others. If you’re just getting started, the first few questions will help you pinpoint what your brand is now. The last few questions will help you identify strategies to develop your brand as you grow professionally.

A word about brand and your social networking activities...personal brand is not something you pick up and put down when it comes to Face Book, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter. Prospective employers and professional colleagues are as likely as friends these days to research you on those sites. You may want to think again before sending out a series of tweets during and after the wild night on Sixth Street. You never know who may be listening.

But with some thoughtful and intentional work, you can create a personal brand that will set you apart from the crowd, and leave you well-positioned to find your next dream job.

Allison Allen is Founder of WomenBloom, an intimate web community inspiring and supporting women to make the most of midlife.