Do You Have A Reputation How will you use it

Do You Have A Reputation How will you use it Yes, you have a personal reputation. Whether you are about to graduate from college or a veteran to the workforce, you have one. The question is, how do you market your personal reputation in a way that resonates with future employers? Is Your Reputation the Chicken or the Egg So what comes first- What you write about yourself or what people actually think of you? The answer SHOULD be, what people think of you. All too often, we obsess over the skills weve acquired, and while skills are absolutely a part of your reputation for solving specific types of problems, how you go about solving those problems is really the differentiator. The job market is competitive. There are a ton of people with the exact same skills you have (and maybe more). But, no one approaches the problems quite like you. This is a really important component of your reputation. Your actions, behavior, attitude and personal characteristics are all parts of your reputation. They become intertwined. Flawsome Is Memorable What is flawsome? It is a hot trend in marketing right now. (Thank you to Mike Johansson for introducing this term to me!) According to Trendwatching: Consumers dont expect brands to be flawless. In fact, consumers will  embrace  brands that are FLAWSOME*: brands that are still brilliant despite having flaws; even being flawed (and being open about it) can be awesome. Brands that show some empathy, generosity, humility, flexibility, maturity, humor, and (dare we say it) some character and humanity. In short, flawsome is the combination of flawed and awesome! Humans are both! How can you use empathy, humility, humor, character and humanity to showcase you? Does it feel risky? What if someone doesnt like your imperfections or quirks? Like it or not, we all have them. Why hide them? Ask Everyone How They Perceive You Theres a saying that perception is reality. Well, are you OK with how people perceive you? You have friends, family, professors, colleagues, etc. They all know you and have seen both the good and the bad. Reach Personal Branding has a no-cost (15 day) assessment which can be emailed to your friends, family and colleagues, to help you get this feedback. It is called  360 °Reach Personal Brand Assessment  but if you prefer to assess yourself in a vacuum, you can use this tool by Reach instead. Perhaps the best solution is to use both! Use Your Personal Reputation Your unique or flawsome characteristics can and should be part of your LinkedIn headline and summary. They can also be incorporated into your pitch. Yes, they can even be part of your Twitter bio. As you can see, your personal reputation follows you everywhere! Identifying your personal reputation can be difficult and maybe even a little uncomfortable. Will communicating your strengths and imperfections make you more memorable?