Brand Thyself

BRAND THYSELF!
How to Use Social Media to Build a Strong Personal Brand & Rise Above the Competition
BY LINDSAY HICKS
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Insider
Guide
Brand Thyself!
How to Use Social Media to Build a Strong
Personal Brand & Rise Above the Competition
2011 edition
Brand Thyself!
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Brand Thyself!
2011 Edition
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All illustrations by mckibillo
Brand Thyself!
CHAPTER
1 2
1 Introduction
2 What Is a Personal
Brandand What
Can It Do for Your
Career?
3 Get Rid of Your

Digital Dirt
9 You Will Be
Googled
10 Yes, What You Do

on Social Networks
Matters
10 To Share or Not
to Share
4 Taking Control
11 Lock It Up
5 Drafting Your
11 Show It Off
Brand Manifesto
13 Connecting the
Dots on LinkedIn
Brand Thyself !
How to Use Social Media to Build a Strong

Personal Brand & Rise Above the Competition
3456
15 Get Linked
16 Tricking Out Your

LinkedIn Profile
18 Practice Good
LinkedIn Etiquette
18 Get With a Group

20 Apps to Enhance
Your Brand
23 Expand Your
Brand: Blogs,
Microblogs,
and Websites
24 Blog Your Way to

a Better Brand
26 Tweeting Your
Brand
28 You Dot Coms
33 Advertising
Your Assets
34 Bringing It All
Together
34 Branding
Case Study:
International
Aspirations
37 For Your
Reference
38 Online Resources
39 Blogs & Twitter
39 Books
39 Articles
35 The Elevator Pitch

35 That Reminds Me...
contents
Introduction
What Is a Personal
Brandand What Can
It Do for Your Career?................... 2
Get Rid of Your Digital Dirt......... 3
Taking Control............................. 4
Drafting Your
Brand Manifesto........................... 5
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Brand Thyself!
What is a Personal
BrandAnd What
Can it Do for Your
Career?
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
Youve been developing a personal brand

since the day you first stepped into a classroom. Those
bright white socks and new shoes. The backpack with
the cartoon-character theme you hand-picked. And
remember when the teacher asked you to stand up in
front of your peers to describe yourself in three words?
Even then, you carefully picked the adjectives that
described you best with hopes of leaving a good impression on your teacher and peers.
Your response now to the same question has likely
evolved into something more sophisticated than it was
back then (silly shouldnt make it into your cover letters), but the end goal remains the same: to broadcast
your strongest attributes and interests so that the people
around you have a clear idea of what you bring to the
table. Branding yourself requires that you identify the
unique value you can offer an organization and communicate a memorable and consistent message to all
current and prospective parties vested in your career.
There are countless career benefits to becoming
associated with certain interests and characteristics,
such as solid leadership skills, environmental activism, a
great sense of humor, or public speaking skills. A strong
personal brand makes you stand out from other job
applicants or colleagues with the same educational and
professional background. A successful personal brand
also leads to more unsolicited job offers, as recruiters looking for someone just like you hear about you
through word of mouth or read your blog. It can also
raise the confidence coworkers, clients, bosses, and
potential clients have in you. By knowing your passions
and strengths, youre more likely to find greater job satisfaction than someone who hasnt spent enough time
really thinking about who she is and what she can offer.
The point here: A strong personal brand is an
W E T F E E T I N S I D ER GUID E
essential tool when it comes to opening yourself up

to new opportunities and a more satisfying career. In
this Insider Guide, well help you define, build, and
strengthen your brand. Youll have to consider the
qualities and interests that make you who you areand
how others perceive you. Once those things are well
defined, well guide you through the process of promoting your brand. And because these days, the majority
of your networking, job hunting, and socializing takes
place via the Internet, well pay special attention to
shaping your online profile using tools such as LinkedIn
and Twitter.
I SPY
Many of the
hiring managers we
spoke with say they
Google applicants at
crucial stages of the
recruiting process,
such as when they
are deciding whom
to interview. The
information found
using a quick Google
searchthe photos,
the blog, the Twitter
feedhelps them
screen for cultural fit.
One insider told us
that although some
of her colleagues in
human resources
go through the
entire hiring process

and then Google
candidates just
before making an
offer, she opts to
do her Googlescreening before
interviewing even
begins. This insider
says screening candidates by looking
up their social media
profiles early in the
process decreases the
time it takes to weed
out bad candidates.
The lesson? Before
you even consider
applying for jobs,
clean up your act.
Watch the Pros

To understand the concept of personal branding, consider one of the strongest product brands out there:
Apple. In one of the most successful campaigns in
branding history, Apple personified itself as a hip,
attractive, worry-free young man. In the same ad campaign, the competitor is an old, out-of-touch stick-in-
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
Get Rid of Your

Digital Dirt
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
The Facebook community has more than

500 million members, LinkedIn surpassed the 85
million mark, and more than 140 million people had
joined Twitter. Its no secret that the social-media boom
has completely changed the way we connect with others.
There was a time when it was easier to separate
our professional and personal lives, but that time has
passed. This can be a good thing. Just as the Internet
has made it possible for you to damage your reputation
at the click of a mouse, its made it possible to build a
positive reputation by becoming engaged in topics that
interest you and posting comments, photos, and links
that represent who you are and how you think.
But not everybody thinks before they post. Seventy
percent of U.S.-based human-resources staffers said
they have rejected an applicant on the basis of the candidates Internet behavior, according to a 2010 survey
by Microsoft. The same report showed that although
60 percent of Web surfers admit to being concerned
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
Competition is fierce and everyone has to think

about him or herself in terms of personal branding,
says Lindsey Pollak, career expert.
Similar to the crowded marketplace for consumer

goods, thousands of qualified candidates that look
nearly identical to you on paper will submit their
resumes for the same job youre seeking. Many will have
attended good universities, earned degrees, and have
top-notch referencesjust like you. Its imperative to
set yourself apart. Competition is fierce and everyone has to think about him or herself in terms of personal branding, says Lindsey Pollak, career expert and
bestselling author of Getting from College to Career: 90
Things to Do Before You Join the Real World. Professionals
with successful brands infuse their unique personality
into every phone screening, interview, and face-to-face
interaction.
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
INSIDEr SCOOP
What it Means for Your Career
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
the-mud. By reinforcing consumers associations with

Apple as a sleek, modern, bold, and smart company
while playing up its competitors weaknesses, Apple was
able to secure a whole new segment of the computer
hardware market.
Most corporations employ brand management and
marketing teams that spend countless hours dreaming up ways to make their products more attractive to
their target group. No doubt, Apple has a crack team of
marketing types in a locked room brainstorming and
scribbling keywords on a dry-erase board. These are
a handful of words (the emotions and qualities) they
want their brand associated with. The only difference
with personal branding is that you are the product.
Personal branding is not about being all things
to all peopleits about being known for something,
says William Arruda, founder and president of Reach
Communications Consulting. Arruda has developed
quite a personal brand for himself, featured in news segments on CNN and Fox News as a personal-branding
guru. He discovered a passion for the topic after reading the Tom Peters article The Brand Called You (Fast
Company, August, 1997), and transformed himself
from a marketing and brand-management professional
to a personal branding expert. Arruda did so by infusing
his insight, enthusiasm, and energy into every conversation and piece of content about him. He developed
the strengths that made him uniqueenergy, personal
branding expertise, passion, a knack for public speakinginto a strong personal brand that landed him gigs
at top universities and Fortune 500 companies.
chaPter 1
INTRoDUCTIoN
Brand Thyself!
about how their online presence could impact their

professional or personal lives, only 15 percent say they
consider that when posting content.
> TIP
chaPter 5
aDvERTISING
YoUR aSSETS
chaPter 4
ExpaND YoUR BRaND
chaPter 3
GET lINkED
chaPter 2
YoU WIll
BE GooGlED
Before youre done with your

online cleanup, consider
whether you have any profiles
on MySpace, Friendster, or
other networks you might have
left behind.
Kitsy Blanc, recruiter for accounting firm PwC,

says even though Googling candidates isnt a part of
their candidate assessment process, she encourages job
seekers to be prudent about how they behave online.
Its important for candidates to remember that once
they start [a job], they are representing that particular
company or firm while theyre online. If a photo or
comment isnt appropriate for your Aunt Sally to see on
your Facebook page, its likely going to send the wrong
message about you to potential recruitersand is probably worth removing.
The quick solution is to Google yourself and get
rid of what many of our insiders refer to as digital
dirtany information, comments, or pics that paint
you as anything less than the consummate professional.
Also, there are some smart strategies you can pursue
to achieve social media cleanliness. More on this in
Chapter 2.
TAkInG ConTrol
chaPter 6
FoR YoUR
REFERENCE
removing Your digiTal dirt is only one step

in the process of taking control of your personal brand.
Building your brand is all about presenting your best
self at all times, especially online, while differentiating yourself from others. One way we do that is to let
people know what interests us outside of work. My
rule is that you dont want everything to be exclusively

professional, says Arruda. This concept of work/life
balance is really an impossible thing to create. We have
one thing called life and work is a part of life.
Begin by picking one core interest or skill and
complement it with a set of other skills or interests that
make you, well, you. Infuse that brand into everything
you do online and in communication. Think about it
this way: A sales manager is known among coworkers for his great sense of humor, superior management
skills, and positive attitude. Should the same people
know that he finds balance in his life by rising at 5
a.m. to paddle through waves before the weekly board
meeting starts? They should. And so should his clients,
business partners, and recruiters scouring LinkedIn
for potential candidates. The moment a person begins
telling people who he is, using the many online
vehicles available today, is the moment he opens
himself up to new opportunities.
So imagine what could happen if said sales manager
decides he wants people to know hes more than just a
successful sales manager. A recruiter at an international
surfing company searches keywords on LinkedIn and
stumbles upon the sales managers LinkedIn profile:
proven success supervising large teams spread throughout the country, check; increased sales 40 percent in one
quarter, check; member of several sales associations and
alumni organizations, check.
The sales manager is still only about as interesting as
the five other people the recruiter found on LinkedIn
yesterdaythat is until the recruiter comes across the
sales managers positive review of The Surfers Guide to
Costa Rica & SW Nicaragua via the Reading List by
Amazon app. At that moment, the recruiter senses a
connection greater than with any of the dozens of other
possible candidates. And he hasnt even gotten to his
Twitter feed yet.
Make two separate lists by answering the following

questions:
1. Who am I?
2. What motivates me?
Take some time to come up with the most honest
answers to these questions as you can. For instance,
answer the first question with nouns, such as creative
thinker, entrepreneur, and baseball fan. Narrowing each
description down to only a few words will help you gain
focus. And dont worry: Excluding something from the
list doesnt mean youre not interested in it. This is about
getting to the core of who you are. Once you have four
or five items on each list, start examining your skill set.
Focus On the Skills that Motivate You

Just because youve been told that youre a great writer
doesnt mean becoming a journalist will make you
happy. Many people pursue a certain career path because
they are confident with a particular skill. But that one
skillsuch as accounting or editingmight not add
value to your life. Arruda suggests making a list of all
the skills you possess. Then, next to each skill, identify
whether its a motivating skill (one that energizes you) or
a burnout skill (one that makes you bores you). Finally,
rearrange your list with the motivators on top and the
burnouts at the bottom.
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
Reach Out for feedback

Sure, hearing what other people really think about you
sounds like a scary experience. But being self-aware
is crucial to building your brand. For the most part,
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
Its not easy to tell you this, but the sooner you
realize it, the better: Your friends and followers dont
care that you washed your hair, ate a wrap for lunch,
or picked up some groceries after workand nobody
wants to hear you complain about your boss, about
your neighbor, or about the weather. In other words,
you can tweet your heart out all day long, but those 140
characters wont do a thing for your career if they dont
serve a larger purpose. Its time to stop wasting precious
space and start leveraging the resources out there today
to get what you want from your career.
Defining your brand isnt an easy process: It requires
some serious introspection and an understanding of
how others perceive you. Be true to yourself. Although
Find Words and Phrases that Define You
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
Drafting Your
Brand Manifesto
Look inside
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
self-motivated. This
is you attempting to
control the way you
want to be perceived
by others.
Career expert
Pollak urges young
professionals and
students to get over
the idea that a brand
is something they
should be embarrassed to work on or
promote: Its about
differentiating yourself. Its not cheesy.
Its not skeevy. None
of this is about
being fakejust
being the best version of yourself.
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
Many people feel

uncomfortable with
the idea of building
a personal brand
as part of the job
search, not realizing
theyve been doing
so for much of their
lives. If youve been
to an interview,
youve made at least
a small attempt to
assert your brand.
You wore your power
suit and trumpeted
specific qualities
and experiences
that show what can
be expected
of you: Youre highenergy, engaged in
the community, and
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
I m Good Enough, Im Smart Enough,

and Doggone It, People Like Me!
you can certainly evolve your brand to fit certain skills

and interests, you wont find success without being honest with yourself and others.
To make the process easier, weve assembled the
following game plan for developing a personal brand
manifesto.
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Brand Thyself!
people know they are good at something, but until

they get that direct acknowledgment from the outside,
they dont really know how good they are at it, says
Arruda. Knowing your weaknesses can be equally
important, particularly when they could interfere with
your success.
To understand the power of feedback, consider the
following scenario. You see yourself as a highly creative
person, a powerhouse at generating new ideas. You have
a graphic-arts background and youre a whiz at Adobe
Illustrator. But coworkers at the advertising firm where
you accepted an administrative job dont see you this
way. In this scenario, your weakness involves your ability to communicate your strengths. Yet without gathering feedback, youd have no way of knowing how others
perceive you.
The best way to get associates to provide honest feedback is to ask them to do so anonymously, using tools
such as 360 Reach or Rypple. These tools allow the people you trust to give anonymous opinions of what they
identify as your strengths and weaknesses. Once you
get a good sampling of opinionsfrom family, friends,
professors, current and former coworkersyou need to
turn these insights into action. Arruda, the creator of
360 Reach, provides some exercises for doing so.
Develop Brand Aspirations

Which of the personas within your feedback results do
you want to be known for? Do you want to be known
for being funny, organized, creative, or one of the other
dozen or so adjectives people used to describe you?
Remember that authenticity is still key.
Commit to a List of Actions

For each aspiration, Arruda recommends writing down
a list of corresponding actions. Maybe some people
identified you as a person with creative ideas, but others saw the words creative and ideas and didnt check the
box. Are those people your coworkers? Well, it might
be time to stop reserving your great business ideas for
conversations with friends at the bar. The specific action

point might be: Share at least one idea per week at the
weekly brainstorm meetings or Shoot the team an
email with some good ideas about how we can improve
our products/services.
Dont ignore the weaknesses suggested in others
feedback: Simply identify the most commonly noted
weaknesses that could hinder your success, and reverse
peoples perceptions by working on improving these
characteristics. If youre always late and people notice
that, start arriving early and making your arrival known
in subtle ways, such as sending an email or greeting
people in the hallway.
Digging Deeper: Exploring

Your Interests and Skills
Figuring out what kind of career or position to pursue
can be so confusing and exhausting that what you
might really want is for someone to just tell you what
to do. If youre feeling the frustration that comes with
not having a specific career goal, youre not alone:
Sooner or later, most students and professionals get to
a point where they feel unable to see the next step on
their career paths.
The creators of personality and career-aptitude
assessments such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
and LiveCareer knew this when they decided to develop
revenue-generating ways to guide people through a personalized assessment.
Although assessment tests dont just deliver a simple
answer, the results can give you a better idea of what
kind of working styles (independent, team player),
topics (food services, nature, business), characteristics
(organized, creative, technically-minded), and industries you should consider incorporating in your next
job and your career. These tests may shed light into
opportunities you might not have considered before.
For example, you might know that hiking and being
outdoors makes you happy, but have you considered a
career as a park ranger?
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
The Home Stretch
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
Now that youve gathered information based on selfexamination and feedback from others, its time to pull
the pieces together to form what we refer to as a brand
manifesto. The word manifesto might call to mind the
demands of the proletariat revolution or the ravings of
social deviants such as the Unabomber, but your manifesto need not be long-winded or fanatical. Rather, it
should be a concise statement of your brand, conveying who you are, your skills and/or interests, and your
brand aspirations. Your manifesto should trumpet
the unique value that you offer an organization. For
example, Im an advertising account manager with a
passion for sustainability and extensive experience with
green products. Or, Im an Italian-speaking travel
and food editor with a culinary degree and two years of
experience teaching English in Italy.
Once youve created your brand manifesto and
put it down on paper, the hardest work is behind you.
Building your personal brand is only a matter of restating your manifesto through different media. In other
words, nows the time for execution. From this point
forward, your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, as well
as your Twitter posts, should all be consistent with the
message youve conveyed in your manifesto. At first this
will require a conscious effort, but eventually it should
become second nature.
If youre concerned about being cornered or stifled
by your personal brand, take comfort in knowing that
brands can and do evolve. Should your passion for
mechanical engineering and cars fizzle over time and
eventually be replaced with a love for making organic
barbeque sauce and selling it on the Web, dont worry
you can simply repeat this process and evolve everything from your mission statement to your Tweets.
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
You Will Be
Googled
Yes, What You Do on

Social Networks Matters............. 10
To Share or Not to Share............. 10
Lock It Up................................... 11
Show It Off................................. 11
Connecting the Dots
on LinkedIn................................ 13
chaPter 1
INTRoDUCTIoN
Brand Thyself!
Yes, WHAT You

do on soCIAl
neTWorks
MATTers
chaPter 6
FoR YoUR
REFERENCE
chaPter 5
aDvERTISING
YoUR aSSETS
chaPter 4
ExpaND YoUR BRaND
chaPter 3
GET lINkED
chaPter 2
YoU WIll
BE GooGlED
reporTs oF a simple Facebook status update

spelling employment disaster have popped up on news
sites, HR blogs, and Twitter feeds all over the world.
The stories usually go something like this: An employee
uses her Facebook account to express her job dissatisfaction publicly. In the status update, she insults her
boss and denigrates her daily tasks. The catch? She
apparently didnt remember friending her boss on
Facebook. Oops.
We can all chuckle at the young womans navet,
but her behavior isnt as rare as you might think. Plenty
of professionals are slowly chipping away at their
good reputationswithout even realizing it. In this
new world of Internet interconnectedness, it takes
seconds for an incriminating photo to reach every
relative, coworker, friend, and former flame. And just
as quickly, your reputation in the eyes of important
tprofessional connections can be forever altered.
For further proof that what you say on social networks matters, take a look at the results of a 2009
CareerBuilder survey of hiring managers: 45 percent
of respondents said they use Facebook and Twitter to
screen applicantscompared to 22 percent the previous year. Thirty-five percent said theyve found content
on social networking sites that caused them not to hire
a candidate. The top causes recruiters named for being
turned off by a potential candidate are: posting of
provocative or inappropriate photographs or information; posting content about drinking or using drugs;
bad-mouthing a previous employer, coworkers, or
clients; and showing poor communication skills.
Insiders from a variety of industries offer varying opinions regarding the extent to which social media should be
used in the recruitment process, but most recruiters agree
10
that once they see something unsavory, its hard to take

that out of the overall impression they have of the candidate. So if youre applying for a position with an employer
where Facebook screening is an accepted process, one
comment, Like, or photo could prevent you from
getting the job.
To sHAre or
noT To sHAre
There are TWo main approaches to preventing your activity on social networks from damaging
your reputation: Either protect your Facebook page
like a teenage girl protects her diary, or put a carefully
managed, workplace-friendly version of yourself out
there for all to see. Whether you want to leverage certain
parts your social networks as career tools or use them
solely for communicating with friends and family will
determine how you proceed.
In the ongoing debate about Facebooks place
Show It Off
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
11
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
Managing your privacy settings can certainly

help protect your online image, but many believe people with the most powerful personal brands take advantage of Facebook as a medium for brand-building. In
this school of thought, the personality you project on
Facebook should reinforce your best qualities as a professional. Your Facebook self should still be authentic
and rooted in what makes you a unique individual, but
some editing and polishing are required.
Start by going as far back as possible to remove all
digital dirt. Take a look at your profile, including favorite quotes, comments made by your friends, and links
youve shared on friends walls, and decide whether each
piece of information is appropriate for your brand.
After youve removed provocative or controversial
material you or others have posted on your profile,
bolster the interests and characteristics that make you
different. Employers want to see you have passions or
hobbies outside of work. They want to see your personality shine through. They want to know that youd be a
great cubicle-mate. For these reasons, its okay to display that you have a good sense of humor and passions
outside of work, such as performance art, cooking, or
playing rugby.
Still, as you create a brand-strengthening profile,
keep in mind that digital dirt is anything that negatively
impacts others positive perceptions of you, such as
politically incorrect comments, profanity, and anything
indicating that you have a bad attitude. But it doesnt
stop there: Some of the passions and ideas held close
to your heart could be seen as distasteful or wrong to a
potential boss. For that reason, consider limiting public information about sensitive topics. Many of us also
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
in the professional world, some believe rigid privacy

settings are enough to maintain a firewall between
work and play. By changing your sharing settings to
make your profile visible only to friends, youre able to
continue posting links and photos and interacting with
others on your wall without potential bosses, coworkers, or recruiters seeing it. You also have the option to
customize these specifications to allow these types to
see your most basicand hopefully harmlessprofile
components, such as your bio, contact information, or
website.
To keep the potentially brand-damaging digital dirt
out of the public eye, go to Privacy Settings under
the Account drop-down and select Friends Only.
To customize this to fit your needs, choose Customize
Settings at the bottom of the table.
If you want to continue posting controversial links,
weekend recaps, or other risky content, you need to
recognize the hazards of relying solely on privacy settings. Youll also have to decide whether to accept friend
requests from colleagues. Its perfectly acceptable to
refuse a request from a boss or coworker if you plan to
keep your Facebook network limited to personal relationshipsjust stay consistent so you dont look like
youre playing favorites.
Another thing to watch out for is the Six Degrees
of Kevin Baconstyle connections that can be made on
Facebook. Consider a situation like this: Your boss is
eating lunch with a manager from a different department, praising your ability to handle a heavy workload
without complaint. The other manager laughs, noting
that he friended you on Facebook after a happy hour
and some of your recent status updates indicate youre
not quite as happy as your boss thinks. You may have
been working hard to build a reputation as a positive,
energetic team playerbut that reputation is weakened
the minute your supervisor gets wind of your public
bellyaching. The moral of the story: Comments you
make on friends walls or in groups can wind up making their way to people you never intended to see them.
Also, keep in mind that if you comment on the wall or
photo of a friend with a public profile, your activity will
be for all to see.
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Lock It Up
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chaPter 3
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chaPter 2
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chaPter 1
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Brand Thyself!
dont have the time to monitor every wall post, comment, or old picture posted throughout the course of
the day, so if youre going to make it public, be aware
that theres always a risk associated with it.
If youve decided to use your Facebook profile to
develop your personal brand, the following section will
help make your activity on social media work for you
rather than against you.
taMing the Beast: Managing

your FaceBook settings
More than 500 million people had joined Facebook
by the summer of 2010, so this is an area youre going
to want to focus some time and energy on. Start by
going to the Account drop-down menu found in the
top right corner of your profile and clicking Privacy
Settings. Here, you can manage who sees the content
of your profile and how much various people can see.
Click on the View Settings link under Connecting
on Facebook to control some of the most basic but
far-reaching aspects of your Facebook communication:
who can message you, see your friend list, connect with
you through employers and universities, search for you,
and see Facebook activity. Now go back to Privacy to
cumstomize your settings.
Some items that are often best limited to the eyes
of friends are Photos and videos Im tagged in,
Posts by me, and Wall posts by friends. Its also
a good idea to stay on top of the frequent changes
made to Facebook, so that you know when its time to
update your settings. Recent modifications to Facebook
privacy settings have made it possible for users to categorize Facebook friends into lists, so you can limit
what activity certain listsfriends, coworkers, and
familycan see.
chaPter 6
FoR YoUR
REFERENCE
remove incriminating Photos

That night of your college graduation was a total blast,
wasnt it? You went completely crazy and wound up
under a table with a Sharpie-drawn mustache. You
might consider it a long-forgotten incidentbut
12
unfortunately your college roommate has decided to

preserve it on his Facebook profile for the world to see.
Time to start reviewing your own photos, including the ones from albums made long ago. This doesnt
mean you should remove every photo of you with a
beer, but definitely all the ones in which youre holding a beer and are visibly drunk. Responsible professionals dont go out with their coworkers after the first
day of work and get tipsy, yet many people fail to show
the same restraint online.
Its also perfectly acceptable to ask a friend to
remove a photo of you if its something you consider
unflattering. Most likely theyll comply. But if this
person isnt your friend and wont remove the photo,
theres little you can do unless you hold the copyright
to the photo. At the very least, though, you can untag
yourself from the photo; Facebook prevents anyone
from retagging you in a photo that youve previously
untagged yourself from.
> TIP
If your Facebook profile
needs some work before youre
ready for a recruiter to see it,
go ahead and set everything
to Friends Only until its
more presentable.
review your Wall Posts,

status updates, and comments
Dont complain about work. Dont complain about
your boss. Dont complain about putting in overtime. Dont curse. And wipe out any of this kind of
behavior on Facebook going back several months.
Negative or juvenile comments are total turnoffs
for hiring managers. An expletive-laced rant about
wanting the week to end will have employers doubting that youd be a professional, likable, productive employeenobody wants to work with Debby
Downer for 40 hours a week.
As youve probably learned by now, the jokes you find

funny arent always considered funny by everyone.
Make sure there arent any pages suggested by you or a
friend that could give people who dont know you well a
false impression of your moral character.
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
Lying on your resume doesnt do anybody any

good, and your LinkedIn profile is basically a soupedup digital resume. Look at the sections for Current
and Past positions and make sure that everything in
those sections is accurate, including your responsibilities, accomplishments, title, and dates.
As mentioned in Chapter 1, you build a strong
personal brand by understanding your strengths and
making those strengths shine in all of your communication. Cross-reference your LinkedIn profile with your
Facebook profile and your resume to ensure consistency. Do the dates line up? Are the titles all the same? If
youd feel sheepish or just plain embarrassed if a former
boss saw your LinkedIn profile, revise it. Embellishing
the role you played at the organization could make a
former manager have second thoughts about providing
recommendations.
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
Connecting the
Dots on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a professional network on which you can

connect and reconnect with professional contacts. Its
not a website that should require much privacy-setting management. Still, you might not want some of
the actions you take on the site to be visible to all. For
example, LinkedIn makes it possible for its members
to see how many times their profile has been viewed in
the past several days. The Whos Viewed My Profile?
feature also shows the company, industry, location, and
sometimes even the headline and full name of the viewers.
To make it easier for members to see who has viewed
their profile, LinkedIns default setting is to show your
name, position, and location to all people whose profiles youve viewed. If youd like to search profiles without the people youre searching knowing, click on your
name at the upper right and drop down to Settings.
Click on Profile Views under Privacy Settings. Then
change the default to one of the other two options: total
anonymity or being displayed only as your title, company, and location. Although its not necessarily a bad
thing that recruiters and other connections see youre
interested in learning more about their backgrounds
and interests, LinkedIn options allow you to search
without feeling exposed.
During the process of building your brand, you can
adjust your profile settings so you have the freedom
to test new applications, change your photo, and edit
various fields without informing your entire network.
Under Profile Settings and then Member Feed
Visibility to make sure that every change you make
isnt announced in others feeds. Once your profile is
solid and up-to-date, change the setting so that your
network is notified when you add new applications, get
promoted, or change jobs.
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
Take a Quick Look at

Your Interests
Some Privacy-Setting Basics
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
This advice rings true for the currently employed,

says Kitsy Blanc, recruiter at accounting firm PwC. I
think that its really important for candidates to remember they are representing their particular company or
firm while theyre online. Weve all had less than stellar
days where weve worked, but they should just make
sure theyre aware of what theyre putting out there.
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
13
Get Linked
Tricking Out Your

LinkedIn Profile.......................... 16
Practice Good
LinkedIn Etiquette...................... 18
Get With a Group....................... 18
Apps to Enhance
Your Brand.................................. 20
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 3
GET LINKED
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Brand Thyself!
Tricking Out Your

LinkedIn Profile
The beauty of LinkedIn isnt simply in its ability to connect peopleits also in the countless tools it
provides for people to find the common ground necessary to build meaningful professional relationships.
LinkedIn is to career networking what Match.com is
to dating, says Melissa Kong, editor-in-chief at studentbranding.com. Dating sites allow members to talk
about their interests and paint a portrait of who they
are so that others can determine whether they might be
a good match before building a relationship. By using
a LinkedIn profile to describe yourself, youre saying,
This is what Im looking for in an employer, and this is
what you can expect from me.
Similar to a Match.com user who registers, fills in
a few details, doesnt post a photo, and only checks his
profile once every couple of months, a LinkedIn member will reap little benefit from the network if he simply
posts a short description of his experience, expecting
opportunities to roll in. Theres a difference between
using it and workin it, and just putting up a profile
isnt workin it, says Maureen Crawford Hentz, Osram
Sylvanias U.S. manager of talent acquisition, development, and compliance. By engaging in relevant groups,
sharing knowledge, and showing rather than telling
others who you are through various profile enhancements, finding and connecting with people who can
help advance your career is much easier.
Fill Er Up
To maximize your potential, complete your profile as
best as you can. That means filling in all details and
requesting recommendations. Even recommending current and former colleagues can increase your reach.
Every component of your profile provides another
opportunity to promote your brand. Lindsey Pollak,
author of Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do
Before You Join the Real World, says a less-than-complete
profile makes you look lazynot a quality you want
16
associated with your brand. Completing a LinkedIn

profilenot counting time spent adding other applications and tools offered by LinkedIn and its partners
should only take an hour or two.
By using a LinkedIn profile

to describe yourself, youre
saying, This is what Im
looking for in an employer,
and this is what you can
expect from me.
Your Summary: Not Just
Another Resume
Anyone who visits your profile can see you worked
two summer internships at a Big Four company while
attending Columbia University, and then spent three
years at boutique accounting firm. Rehashing all of this
in your summary wastes spaceand an opportunity to
add personality to your profile.
Though LinkedIn bios arent replacing resumes,
personal brand consultant William Arruda says they
are becoming more important than a resume. Unlike a
resume, which is a list of your experience and skills, the
summary offers the opportunity to express your passions, what motivates you, and your goals and dreams.
This should come easily if youve taken the steps to
develop your personal brand and the keywords that
best represent you as a person and professional. (See
Chapter 1.)
Just as the summary provides the opportunity to
enhance your personal brand, it can also hurt it if not
done well. Reach out to someone you can trust to edit
your summary so the thoughts youre communicating arent overshadowed by punctuation or grammar
mistakes. And again, authenticity is the key to a strong
Find Your Doppelganger
Control Your Domain

com right now.
Search for the same
name you used on
LinkedIn on a .com
domain, such as
JaneDoe.com or
JaneSDoe.com.
Nothing? Try a
variation of the
same name. Still
nothing? Come up
with something
catchy that defines
your brand, and
search for that. Consider using domains
such as .org or .info
as an alternative
(or buy all three
to prevent your
LinkedIn doppelganger from getting into
your space).
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
Regardless of
whether you decide
to produce a fullblown personal
website (see Chapter
4 for more on that),
at the very least you
should purchase a
personalized Web
domain immediately.
That way you can redirect your domain
which is concise
and looks slick on
business cards and in
email signatures
to your LinkedIn
page, and if the time
ever comes, youll
have secured that
domain to use for
your own website.
So, go to GoDaddy.
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
2. Start Writing
The simplest way to explain search-engine optimization
is this: The more times your name appears on legit sites,
the higher your name will show up in search results.
You dont necessarily need to get published on a major
website just to see your name rise in the results. Rather,
there are some easier steps anyone with any skill set can
take. Ask your company to mention you somewhere on
CHAPTER 3
GET LINKED
1. Change Your Name

Okay, so unless youre an actor or a writer, theres
probably no need to go through the trouble of actually changing your name. Itll just seem weird. Instead,
add an initial, middle name, or maiden name to your
LinkedIn profile name to set yourself apart. Remember,
though, youll have to stay consistent and use that name
on your business cards, Amazon book reviews, and in
other communication. Maureen Crawford Hentz, formerly Maureen Crawford, differentiated herself from a
greeting-card designer of the same name by combining
her husbands last name with her own.
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
The first step to getting a handle on the strength of your

personal brand online is to Google yourself. Sometimes,
the results are less than encouraging, especially if your
parents picked one of the most popular first names of
your generation to go along with your very common
last name. But even those of us whove never known
someone else with the same name might Google ourselves to find some high-school track star with your
name, or a business development manager working at
an IT company in Texas. Doppelgangers are harmless,
except when they dilute your brand by making it difficult to find you in an online search. Search your own
name on LinkedIn and Google to identify your doppelgangers, and then follow these two steps to differentiate
yourself from them:
its site, such as in a roster of the professional organization or committee of which youre a member. Not only
could that trigger higher search results, it could lend
you credibility when people Google you.
Another easy way to increase your presence online
is to start writing reviews of books relevant to your
field or interests on Amazon.com and posting smart,
relevant comments on other big sites. The comments
and reviews should be well thought-out, because they
will show up in search results, representing your brand.
Also, promote your brand by including a quick personal plug in every post, such as Ive been working in
the nonprofit sector for five years, specializing in community outreach. If youd like to learn more, read my
blog at myblog.com.
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
personal brand, so dont use this field to create a false

persona you think recruiters will like. Make it you.
17
keyWord loading
If the experience and summary fields of your profile
succinctly communicate your skills and interests, your
profile already includes some important keywords. Still,
adding keywords in the correct places on your profile is
an essential step to leveraging the power of LinkedIn,
helping to ensure the right recruiters find your profile.
Crawford Hentz suggests carefully selecting a maximum of 30 keywords that represent your brand. Save
these keywords into the Specialties field.
Think about the words or phrases recruiters might
use to find candidates. (Hint: people person isnt one
of them.) Select very specific words or phrases that
represent who you are, your skills, and desired positions. Choose some keywords that represent your field
or industry, perhaps even your desired industry or field
if youre looking for a change, and then reuse the same
keywords throughout your profile, including your
headline. Your list of keywords shouldnt exceed 10, and
the more focused you can be, the better. Try coming up
with three to five, and incorporate them in a smart way
so your sentences still flow well and make sense.
When selecting your keywords, Crawford Hentz suggests adding a list of ideal employers, because recruiters
often search their own companys name when researching whats being said about them or when looking for
candidates interested in working for the company.
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18
PrACTICe Good
lInkedIn eTIQueTTe
When iT comes to using LinkedIn, or any other

online network for that matter, dont forget your manners. Every member details the type of items he or
she would like to be contacted about in the Contact
Settings section. This section is typically found near
the bottom of the page, and sometimes includes a
short, personalized description of the members preferences, along with a bulleted list.
If a recruiter says she will not link with people she
doesnt know, message her instead of asking to connect. If a recruiter says to visit the companys career site
to apply for a job, go to the career site and apply for a
jobdont harass them on LinkedIn. Crawford Hentz,
recommends applying through the proper channel and
then following up with a brief message on LinkedIn that
serves as a short intro and heads-up that youve applied.
GeT WITH A GrouP
linkedin groups provide a valuable opportunity to get involved in specific topics related to
your brand. They also are a great way to find and collaborate with like-minded people. There are groups
for just about everything, including alumni, professional associations, nonprofits, and fraternities. You
can engage with the group by posting news or starting discussions. Groups are a great resource for inside
info on company culture or fresh job leads. And if
you dont join any groups, you appear disengaged.
If you are Googling candidates before you call
them, whatever online content you find about that
person will help them or hurt them, says one
human-resources insiders. If you have glowing recommendations and are out there on LinkedIn groups
offering up high-level advice, and then I have another
candidate that looks better on paper but I dont find
anything on that person, I would absolutely call you
simply because I know more.
5. Make it your priority to help others. As Robert

Townsend, the former CEO of Avis Rent A Car, said,
True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders. Although you
may have your own agenda when starting a group, the
most successful groups help advance their members.
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
4. Post related content on a regular basis. The more

often you add discussions, news, and jobs, the more
opportunities you provide for interaction. Posting
once a day and syncing your post with Facebook and
Twitter is a good way to stay in your networks radar.
Just dont go overboard: Posting more than once a day
may annoy your group members.
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
3. Leverage your network to gain members. Send out

invitations to existing LinkedIn connections to join
your group. Add your groups link to your email signature, your Facebook profile, blog, and business card.
CHAPTER 3
GET LINKED
LinkedIn groups provide a platform for people with

similar interests to congregate, network, and share
information. If youre the creator of a group, youre
immediately identified as a subject expert and can gain
tons of valuable LinkedIn connections.
2. Connect your group to your website or blog.

Theres some prime real estate on the right side of
the group page that lists the owner and website. Use
this space to link to your own site. Just remember:
Nobody likes shameless self promotion, so make sure
your site is relevantdont link to your Cocktails in
the City blog if your group is the Miami Medical
Device Sales group.
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
5 Tips for Creating a

LinkedIn Group
1. Name your group something clear, concise,

and easily searchable on LinkedIn and Google.
Lewis Howes, the founder of the Sports Executives
Association and the website Sports Networker, started
the Sports Industry Network on LinkedIn. Make
sure you type in compelling keywords that people
search for in Google on a regular basis, he says. My
group grows 100-plus members every week just because
of Google searching.
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Do some research before clicking Join Group.

You want to be able to get something valuable out of
each group, as well as contribute to each. Find profiles of professionals in your field whom you look up
to or people in the departments of companies youd
like to join and find out where theyre conversing.
Once youve joined a group, read up on the topics
members have been posting about. Then, to immerse
yourself in the community, comment on links posted
and direct members to interesting articles or your
own work.
Another way to strengthen your brand using
LinkedIn groups is to start a group of your own.
Pick your niche, the specific topic most interesting to
you as a professional, and click the Create a Group
tab. Youll need a logo and group name, so research
similar groups and develop a clear purpose for yours.
Brainstorm with some close contacts you can be sure
will join your group right off the batyou dont want
to look like no one showed up for your party.
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
19
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Brand Thyself!
Apps to Enhance
Your Brand
applications provide perhaps the best opportunity for
you to present a strong personal brand to the eyes of
your network. Consider the Get More Applications...
link, found under the More drop-down menu on
your main navigation, to be your personal branding
toolbox. While some apps serve a mostly utilitarian
purposelike Company Buzz, which allows you to
track mentions of your company, or TripIt, which
informs your network of your travel schedulea couple of the 15-plus apps were made to help you develop
and strengthen your brand.
By showing other members what you are reading,
have read, or would like to read, youre telling them a
little bit about who you are. It also demonstrates your
passion for learning and developing as a professional.
Reading List by Amazon is a great place to start because
it covers all the important bases: connecting with others on relevant topics, showing others your interests,
and learning from people you admire. Author Lindsey
Pollak suggests using the network to do your research:
Really become kind of a studier of what other people
are doing. If your personal hero in sustainability recommends a certain book as being an essential read,
check it out. You can watch fellow users lists, as well,
to get leads on buzz books and trends in your industry.
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 3
GET LINKED
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
Aside from your personal summary, LinkedIn
20
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
CHAPTER 3
GET LINKED
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
21
Expand Your Brand:

Blogs, Microblogs &
Websites
Blog Your Way

to a Better Brand......................... 24
Tweeting Your Brand................... 26
You Dot Com.............................. 28
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Brand Thyself!
Blog Your Way to

a Better Brand
These days theres a blog about almost everythingfrom national politics to local microbrews to
pictures of pets in embarrassing costumes. The popularity of blogs isnt surprising, given theyre easy to create, usually free, and a great way to tell the world what
youre thinking. But what people are starting to realize
is that a blog is becoming an essential tool for personal
branding.
Starting a professional blog shows employers youre
engaged in your field, eager to learn, and committed to
keeping up with industry trends. Its also a vehicle for
showcasing your personality and what sets you apart
from others. Todays job market is so competitive that
you have to do as much as possible to stand out, says
Alison Doyle, author of Internet Your Way to a New Job:
How to Really Find a Job Online. Your blog can convey
more to a hiring manager than a resume.
Before you start typing, read the following hints for
putting together a memorable blog and getting employers to notice you in the blogosphere.
Choose a Unique Topic

This is the biggest challenge youll face. Because youre
inviting employers to your blog, the topic should cover
your specific industry or skills in a way that stands out
from the crowd. Start with your passion and expertise,
but if thats too general, create a niche by catering to a
specific audience, says Dan Schawbel, author of Me
2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success.
For example, instead of blogging as a doctor, blog as
the top doctor in your town for young adults.
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
Best Blogging Services

Want to dabble in building your brand in the blogosphere, but not sure where to begin? Heres a review of
four free, popular blogging services. Read upand then
start writing!
24
W E T F E E T I N S ID ER GUID E
Blogger
www.blogger.com
Blogger is a brainchild of the folks over at Google, and
uses .blogspot in the URL. If iGoogle is your homepage, Blogger is a convenient blog option; you can add a
gadget to integrate your blog into your dashboard. Its
also very easy to add on Googles AdSense to put advertisements on your blog.
Blogger is a great basic blogging tool, but it falls
short in the design category. You have to pick one of
their 26 templates for your blog backgroundnot so
good if you want a personalized blog to match your
brand without getting professional design help.
WordPress
www.wordpress.com
There are two different WordPress blog options:
WordPress.org and WordPress.com. The .org site is a
bit more complicated because you need your own web
host. However, it allows for more flexibility in design
and format, which is why Martha Stewart, NASA, and
The New York Times all use WordPress.org as their blogging service.
On the other hand, WordPress.com has made it
pretty easy for the technically challenged to start a blog.
You can select from more than 75 predesigned themes
to beautify your blog. Because of its sophisticated promotion tools, tracking tools, and technical support for
when you hit a snag, WordPress is often ranked as the
best blogging servicewhich is probably why there are
more than 32 million WordPress publishers.
Tumblr
www.tumblr.com
Not into writing long-winded posts? Microblogging
site Tumblr is a great outlet for short and sweet
entries. Microblogging differs from traditional blogging
because the content is much more concisemaybe just
a sentence or a photo. Think Twitters big brother.
Tumblr boasts effortless sharing: Post text, photos,
quotes, links, music, and videos from your computer,
LiveJournal
WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE 25
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
For your brand to resonate, its crucial to be consistent.

When picking a blog URL or username, stick with
whats on your resume. If its still available, purchase the
Web domain of your nameor a close variation of it
and redirect it to your blog.
If youre going to create a blog, you need to be active

enough to show employers youre committed to keeping up-to-date on industry buzz. Set a goal for how frequently you will post; at least one post per day is a good
goal, and two per week should be considered an absolute
minimum. Your posts dont have to be extremely indepth; in fact, they can be as simple as a link to a recent
article and a few sentences about why its worth reading.
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
Express Yourself
Write Regularly
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
www.livejournal.com
LiveJournal puts an emphasis on community interaction: Every LiveJournal blog includes a Friends
page that displays recent posts by friends who are
also journaling online. LiveJournal encourages user
interaction through the comments sections as well as
Communities, which are group journals where multiple users can blog.
Because of its emphasis on community, LiveJournal
is the standout if you want to focus on using your blog
to build your network. However, the free version is less
personal and not as visually interesting: You have to pay
a small fee to upload photos and customize the look of
your blog.
Remember: A professional blog should feature only

content youd feel comfortable sharing with an
employer. You should include your own thoughts and
opinionsjust make sure theyre appropriate and relevant to the topic. Comment on an industry article you
found, review a book related to your expertise, or offer
tips based on a previous job or research. If you already
have a personal blog to keep your family and friends
back home up to date, keep it separate. And remember
that everything you do online, whether its a personal
blog or professional one, may be viewed by a potential
employer.
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
Keep the Content Professional
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
If its still available, purchase

the Web domain of your
nameor a close variation
of itand redirect it to your
blog.
Select a catchy or at least smart title for your blog.

And, dont forget the importance of a personal summary: Consider using a revised version of your LinkedIn
summary for your About Me page. If your brand is
truly consistent, the summary should only need an extra
sentence or two explaining why youre writing about a
certain topic or what readers can expect from the blog.
Avoid the default settings, and instead select a background design and layout that represents your brand.
It could incorporate a color scheme you like or a photo
that represents you or your stylejust keep it professional. You might want to consider getting in touch
with a friend or family member who works with web
design. Designing a nice blog layout doesnt take much
time for a good designer, and youll feel more confident
marketing your blog if it looks good.
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
phone, or email. Tumblr also wins points for design: It

has a large number of templates to choose from or you
can design your own. The downside of Tumblr is, it
lacks other blogging services editing tools, such as buttons to increase and decrease paragraph indents, and it
only has a small text box in which to write and format
your content.
Market Your Blog

Once you have a cache of entries, include your blog on
your resume and LinkedIn profile, and mention it in
interviews or follow-up conversations with employers.
On a resume, your blog should be listed with your personal information or under Relevant Experience. To
leverage the digital nature of your blog, include a hotlink to your LinkedIn profile, professional website, or
an online version of your resume.
Dont Isolate Yourself

More than seeing that you have a blog, I want to see
that youre legitimately engaged in your industry, says
Crawford Hentz. Its hard to stay engaged if youre just
writing a blog for your own gratification; instead, show
that you and your blog are part of a greater dialogue.
Search for other blogs (try technorati.com), post comments, and link to them from your blog. Read books
and post comments on Amazon.
Blog Fail
One of our insiders at
a Philadelphia nonprofit Googled a candidate while in the
process of narrowing
down a pool of hundreds of applicants.
When he searched
one particularly interesting candidate, he
found a personal blog
and started clicking through pages
of entries, eventually finding a post in
which she mentioned

smoking pot with
friends. While the
nonprofit doesnt
conduct official
background checks to
determine whether
applicants have used
drugs, the post was
so incredibly unprofessional that the
applicant was immediately taken out of
the running.
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Brand Thyself!
26
Tweeting
Your Brand
Before you toss Twitter aside as yet another

social media fad, consider this: The way you use Twitter
is totally up to you. When used effectively, Twitter can
be a very handy tool for gathering information and
building your personal brand. In just 140 characters or
less, you can demonstrate your wit or show youre aware
of the latest trends.
To get what you want out of the microblogging site,
find the people or organizations most interesting to
you. This could include employers youd like to work
for, bloggers you trust for advice, and professionals you
look up to in your field. Its wise to be selective about
whom you follow. Just because Janice from accounting follows your feed doesnt mean you have to subject
yourself to hourly tweets about her cats and husband.
You can always stop following someone too. So if
your Twitter account becomes clutteredif you sign in
and dont immediately find interesting, relevant posts
then start cleaning it up by dropping the guilty parties.
Finding Your Niche

Each tweet represents a small facet of your personal
brand. Decide what it is you want to get out of your
Twitter account and the knowledge you can provide to
others. Tweeting about your lunch isnt going to prove
your value; tweeting an article about the effects of capand-trade on the renewable energy industry will.
Follow the same rules as you would when setting up
a blog when it comes to being consistent and producing quality content. Use spell-check and take the time
to edit your work. Typos and grammar errors wont help
your brand. Unlike regular blogging, microblogging
requires you to post more frequently, but with fewer
words. Your tweets could link to interesting articles, columns, websites, and anything else that highlights who
you are as a professional. If youre content with your
current employer but want to get promoted, tweeting
about company news is one way to show your cowork-
Social Media Success Story
What and When to Post
27
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
Content is key when it comes to creating value for your

followers. Many tweets link to off-Twitter content, such
as articles or reports, or link within Twitter to others
observations, which is called retweeting. The secret
to success is keeping your feed fresh by striking a balance between the different kinds of posts. If you post
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
Think of Twitter as a game. The objective is to increase

your network of followers by feeding them consistently
interesting, relevant information, all the while increasing your own knowledge base. Successful Twitter members are rewarded with new contacts, job offers, respect
among colleagues, and a solid network of professionals
to tap into when the time comes. Youll see your followers multiply if you carefully choose the people or organizations you follow, engage with fellow members, and
post interesting content.
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
Follow and Be Followed
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
design business in
Dallas but tweeted
about her interest
in social media and
her plans to start a
masters program in
Emerging Media &
Communications at
University of Texas.
Eventually, the
recent grad reached
out to Orsburn
through LinkedIn,
beginning a relationship that led
to Montgomerys
job at Social Media
Delivered. LinkedIn
is the best thing that
could have happened
for people of my
generation coming
into the work force,
Montgomery says,
adding that she
uses social media
to recruit interns.
I absolutely look
at LinkedIn first
for cross-checking,
then I look at their
Facebook and then
Twitter. Thats
the thing about
Facebook, its such a
personal medium, if
Im going to crossreference.
In the process of setting up an account, youll have to

pick a username. Just like a blog, this username could
be your name or another smart, catchy phrase relevant
to your personal brand. The key word here is relevant.
You spent the time creating a professional email address
to replace metalhead666, so dont revert back to your
old ways at the first sight of the Username field.
Once youve decided on a username, youll have to
upload a photo or logo. This can definitely be more fun
than your LinkedIn profile picture, particularly if your
tone will be more casual or the topic more specific. The
Twitter profile image is yet another opportunity to let
your best self shine through, so choose wisely.
The final step before you begin tweeting is to pick
a theme for your page. Twitter offers several templates
easily customizable by color, and there are many other
sites on the Web that offer free templates. If you have
something in mind in terms of color or feel and cannot
find it in one of these places, try to enlist a designer for
a small fee.
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
When Amanda
Montgomery, a
2009 graduate
of University of
Alabama, started
using Twitter, she
took a more laid-back
approach to the
service, meaning she
barely used it at all.
But realizing shed be
entering one of the
bleakest job markets
this country has seen,
Montgomery started
using the microblogging site as an
information source
for finding job opportunities and career
advice. Eventually,
she became more
active, using it on a
daily basis to find
networking events
and participate in
local forums.
While expanding her network,
Montgomery
started following
LinkedInQueen,
Eve Mayer Orsburn,
the CEO of consulting firm Social
Media Delivered.
Montgomery
was working at a
boutique interior
Getting Started
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
ers just how dedicated you are. If youre looking for

something new, start following people or publications
you admire in the fields that interest you.
too many promotional tweets in a row, youll look selfish. If you are continually posting links to articles you
find interesting, youll come off as well read but lacking
original ideas.
The 140-character maximum forces concise thoughts
and encourages more posts, more often. When ready to
post, use TinyURL.com to shrink the link, or a site like
HootSuite.com, which allows you to shrink the link and
post in multiple places (Facebook, Twitter) at once. Try
to post at least six times per day. Youll probably discover
soon, if you havent already, that Twitters word limit
is more freeing than constricting: It allows you to post
thoughts throughout the day without spending much
time constructing them. Still, keep the teenage texts
the LOLs, the OMGsto a minimum.
> TIP
Keep the teenage textsthe LOLs, the
OMGsto a minimum when tweeting.
Leveraging it
The value of your Twitter activity is not only determined by the number of followers you have, but also
how you leverage those contactsthe relationships you
build. Share good info and youll be proving a service to
your network. In turn, following interesting members
will help you stay informed about the topics meaningful to you.
Once youve started posting steadily, seek new connections to follow so as to load up on more ammo with
which to tweet. You can simply browse the Followers
and Following lists of trusted connections to find good
contacts, or look for the authors of interesting re-tweets.
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Brand Thyself!
28
You Dot Com
Without a doubt, creative professionals should

have a personal website because any possible way
to demonstrate their talent, unique perspective, and
passion for their field is essential. But websites arent
just for web designers, photographers, and writers; a
personal site can boost the reputation and strengthen
the brand of anyone from a National Park Service
employee to a Big Four accountant.
Before LinkedIn came on the scene, websites were
the only way to showcase ones skills and work online.
And though LinkedIn is a great tool, a personal website
can be used to showcase your brand in a much more
customized way, requiring more consideration of colors,
fonts, images, and overall look and feel that best represent who you are. In addition to being a place to display
your portfolio, it can also serve as a platform for your
commentary on specific topics.
Getting Started
Unless youre in Web design or development, the
easiest way to create a site is to tap into your network to find someone looking to expand his or
her Web design portfolio. If you cant think of any
friends or relatives off-hand, do some digging and
ask around. Many extremely talented developers
havent even graduated from school yet, and are willing to do small projects for very little money, if not
for free.
If going it alone, you can use Adobe Dreamweaver
or work with free Website development software.
There are many options on the Web when it comes
to free software, so be sure to do your homework and
compare the alternatives using dependable resources.
GreenJobs
Learn about the
growing field of
sustainable jobs from
this environmentally
conscious feed.
CAREEREALISM
Creators of the
unique Twitter
Advice Project, which
lets visitors pose
questions and get
tweet-sized expert
advice.
ExperienceLive
Career advice specifically for college
SarahChambers
Add some attitude
and wit to your job
search with straightforward and often
humorous advice
from this HR professional.
TheJobsGuy
A former online
recruitment strategy
consultant tweets
often on interesting
career articles and
available jobs in hubs
such as L.A., Chicago,
North Carolina,
Dallas, and Florida.
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
DebraWheatman
This resume guru
offers short, sweet
advice for pumping
up your resume and
job search.
WetFeet_Career
A useful compilation
of career-related
news and advice from
us.
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CareerTV
Instead of just
writing about what
different employers
and careers are like,
CareerTV links you
to its video library
to see employees in
action.
LindseyPollak
Down-to-earth advice
geared toward recent
graduates and undergrads.
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
Now that you have an idea of what youd like the site
to accomplish, its time to decide what it will display.
Effective personal websites should contain a collection
of your thoughts, evidence of your professional skills
and experience, and some of the more important pieces
of your resume: contact information, background, and
URLs of your social media pages. Every visitor to the
website should be able to find out who you are, what
youre all about, and what it is that makes you unique.
The first step is to outline what type of content you
want to include and which sectionsor pageswill
be needed to organize it. For example, youll need an
About Me page to house your bio, a Contact page
for your contact info, and so on. Once youve settled
on the components of your site, make a preliminary
site map using Adobe or Microsoft software, or even a
pencil and paper. (See example on the next page.) This
map will act as a blueprint, showing where each piece
of content will live on the site. For example, if youre
in advertising, perhaps youll have a page critiquing
your favorite marketing campaigns. Ask yourself: Is this
deserving of homepage placement? Going through this
process will help you narrow the focus of your site and
ensure that its serving your personal brand.
students and young

professionals.
While youre
strengthening your
brand by writing
smart tweets and
expanding your
network, why not
also use Twitter to
get valuable career
advice? Check out
these sources of
some of our favorite
career tweets:
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
Content is King
Tweet Yourself to a New Job
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
The next step is to start a document that

details the purpose, color scheme, general feeling youd like the site to convey, and any other
descriptions of the finished product. This is an
essential step when someone other than you will
be making the site, because that person needs to
know what your expectations are. Without this
information, you could end up something very
different than what you envisioned. Creating
a product description is beneficial regardless,
because its a way to organize your thoughts and
plan effectively for your site.
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Brand Thyself!
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
Sample Sitemap
Youre not finished yet. Make sure every component on

your site is functioning as it should before going live,
because error messages and broken links wont do your
persomal brand any good. No matter the industry or
field, your future employers, current boss, coworkers,
and any other professional contacts want to know you
can be depended on for great results, and wont settle
for anything less than the best in whatever you do. You
dont want someone to say, Well, at least shes trying
or think the site looks amateurish.
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
Test, Test, Test
30
Its about quality versus quantity, says Arruda, the

personal branding guru. Lots of so-called experts say,
Just be up on the Web, create a video, it doesnt matter if the audios bad or your skin is shiny. Well, thats
going to work against you.
Its better to have only 10 Google results that paint
you in a positive light than several results pages presenting a smattering of good and not-so-good portrayals.
In other words, when it comes to any online brandstrengthening tool detailed in this chapter, remember
this: If youre going to do it, do it right.
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
31
Advertising
Your Assets
Bringing It All Together ............. 34

Branding Case Study:
International Aspirations ........... 34
The Elevator Pitch....................... 35
That Reminds Me....................... 35
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Brand Thyself!
Bringing It All
Together
Now that youve defined your personal brand

and leveraged the many online tools available, its time
to do a final check for consistency. Open your Twitter
page, blog, website, and Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, along with anywhere else you call home on the
Web. Although the language might differ slightly
depending on the platform, there should be a common
thread in your personal summaries, experience, and
interests. Yes, the dates and titles should be consistent,
but thats not all: Does every piece of information communicate the few words you want others to associate
you with? It should.
If you pull all of these pieces together, youll start
to realize the power of a strong personal brand, oozing with the qualities that define you as a professional.
Consistency across platforms will not only act as a welcome mat for new opportunities and build an inspiring reputation among colleagues, it can also be used to
evolve your particular brand into something new.
Cross-referencing
Another all-important step to creating a cohesive online
brand is to connect the dots for your audienceshow
them the many tools youve decided to use, making
sure nothing gets lost. Make sure the various URLs that
lead to your pages and profiles are visible on all of your
materials and use each tool in your repertoire to promote the others. Post Facebook status updates that drive
traffic to your blog and tweet about a book review you
posted on LinkedIn. Save time by using an aggregator,
such as HootSuite, to post to various platforms simultaneously.
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
Assemble Your
Marketing Materials
There are plenty of strategies to improve your placement
in search results, but some of the most effective ways
to market your brand are also the simplest. Add your
34
LinkedIn address and other URLs to your email signature and business card. You might also want to create
a personal business card so you can promote yourself,
rather than your employer, and feature your personal
mail, your skills, and your online branding tools.
When it comes to creating materials such as business cards, dont settle for Microsoft Word templates;
do some research first. Consider the vibe you want to
give off and what youd like to communicate with the
cardbeyond the text youll includeand look for
some examples online. A quick Google search for business card templates will bring you to several sites that
offer free templates, or templates that might inspire
you to create your own card using Photoshop. As with
a website or portfolio, the more creative your desired
career, the more focus you should put on the design of
your materials.
Your email signature is a bit more straightforward.
Steer away from graphics that will show up as attachments in recipients inboxes, and keep it simple. And,
keep it concise: If your email signature gets bogged
down with too much information, it could be offputting and make you look self-important. Include the
following: name, title, phone number, LinkedIn profile
URL, and a line with your blog and Twitter addresses.
Branding
Case Study:
International
Aspirations
Personal-branding guru William

Arruda tells the story of a woman who realized the
brand she created for herself wasnt aligned with her
career goals. While working as an attorney for a big
retail company, she harbored the desire to be involved
in the companys international business. Concerned
that she was seen strictly as an attorneyrather than
someone capable of running international operations
That Reminds Me...
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
Exuding confidence in your face-to-face

and online interaction is essential to building a strong
brand. During interactions, dont be afraid to mention
a relevant blog post or tweet, or a project you worked
on. It gives others something to remember you by and
an excuse for you to follow up and continue the dialogue.
Making relevant connections is also an easy way
to make the conversation more personal, which will
leave a stronger impression on others. Still, the balance
between the perception of humble self-promotion and
arrogance is a delicate one, so be self-aware and go with
the flow of personal exchange.
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
personal brand, you need to be able to spread your

brand message. Its time to master your elevator pitch.
Imagine you are on an elevator with the president of
your dream company. You have her undivided attention
for about the next 15 seconds, before she steps off at her
floor. Your pitch has to be short and convincing. The
key elements here are to convey past accomplishments
clearly, succinctly, and in a way that emphasizes the
unique reasons why you would be the perfect candidate
for the job.
The elevator pitch also serves as essential brandstrengthening tool in more casual encounters, such as a
networking event or random introduction to someone
in your field at a party. In this case, you should also take
only 15 seconds, but use them not to talk about why
you fit with a particular company, but about your professional goals, interests, experience, and the value you
bring to any organization.
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
Now that youve developed a strong, cohesive
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
The Elevator Pitch
To master an elevator pitch, write it down and

practice it over and over in front of a mirror or friend.
Your pitch should include information about who you
are, such as where you studied, where you work, your
area of expertise; major accomplishments, passions, and
unique skills; and where you envision your career path
leading you next and in the future.
An elevator pitch isnt a long list of personal victories
and shouldnt come off as a performance. While practicing your pitch, you should be able to reassemble the
parts of the pitch to fit the situation or conversation
so stop to listen to the other person. The more rehearsed
it seems, the less the person on the receiving end will
see it as genuine. And remember: Nonverbal communication has a huge impact on the way your message
is received, so pay special attention to body language.
Make eye contact. Stand up straight. Dont cross your
arms. Exude confidence, not arrogance. When leaving
the conversation, says Lizandra Vega, author of The
Image of Success, avoid using the cocky strut.
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
she decided to use 360 Reach to get feedback from

her coworkers. Not one respondent associated her with
anything international, which meant it was time for her
to bring her strengths and interests to the surface.
The attorney bought a set of international clocks
from Ikea, switched her subscription to an Italian newspaper from home to the office, and started to volunteer
for projects outside the legal department that were more
focused on overseas business. The decision to take these
seemingly simple steps to strengthen her brand paid off
when the attorney was evaluated for a senior international operations position.
There are a couple key elements to this particular job
seekers success: First, when she decided it was time to
change her personal brand, she dove into the new brand
fully. Second, she made sure her new brand was authentic by aligning her interests and personal brand; the new
brand she communicated in order to be taken seriously
for her dream job was authentic.
For Your Reference
Online Resources........................ 38
Blogs & Twitter.......................... 38
Books.......................................... 39
Articles........................................ 39
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Brand Thyself!
ONLINE RESOURCES
PWCs Personal Brand Week E-Book
http://tinyurl.com/yb5zs8e
An e-book created for PWCs Personal Brand Week
that covers the importance and basics of developing a
strong personal brand and is available to the general
public.
Personal Branding TV
www.personalbranding.tv
A site maintained by personal branding expert William
Arruda, with videos of other experts and HR professional discussing topics related to branding.
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
Rypple
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
www.reachcc.com/360reach
Recommended software for getting anonymous feedback from your peers, coworkers, ex-coworkers, and
family.
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
360 Reach
www.rypple.com
An alternative to 360 Reach thats especially useful in a
group or office setting, because it allows respondents to
answer and discuss questions you pose.
Meyers Briggs Personality Test

www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.html
A test used by many organizations, including employers and universities, to help respondents get a handle
on who they are and what kinds of careers best fit their
personalities.
Live Career
www.livecareer.com
A site offering a career interest test that matches you
with the careers and job qualities that would bring you
the most satisfaction based on your skills and interests.
38
BloggerLinkUp
www.bloggerlinkup.com
An online network of bloggers and experts that can be
used to gain recognition and build the network necessary to making your blog a success.
Brand-Yourself
www.brand-yourself.com
This site, founded by two recent grads, offers tools and
advice to help you strengthen your personal brand
using social media.
BLOGS & TWITTER

The Personal Branding Blog
www.thepersonalbrandingblog.com
Personal branding guru William Arrudas blog, with a
mix of inspiration and practical information.
Dan Schawbels Personal Branding Blog

www.personalbrandingblog.com
Schawbel is known as a guru on the topic, and hes
recruited a number of expert contributors for this very
active site.
Student Branding Blog

www.studentbranding.com
Career counselors and recent grads dish out personal
branding guidance for high school, undergrad, and grad
school students that helps prepare them for life after
school.
Twitter.com/lindseypollack
Author and consultant on career trends, especially for
recent graduates and millennials.
Twitter.com/reachbranding
Interviews and expert opinions from personal branding
guru William Arruda.
An especially active feed with links to events, articles

and media appearances.
Twitter.com/WetFeet_Career
A mix of career insight and humor, courtesy of the
WetFeet editorial team.
The Brand You 50: Or: Fifty Ways to

Transform Yourself from an Employee
into a Brand That Shouts Distinction,
Commitment, and Passion!
(Knopf, 1999)
Career Distinction
(Wiley, 2007)
Me 2.0
By Lena Nozizwe
The authors dream was to become an actress, but her
process could be used by anyone wanting to build a
strong personal brand and reach career goals.
(Fireside, 2001)
ARTICLES
A Brand Called You
This Fast Company article came out in 1997, when the
concept of a personal brand was new. Its still really
interesting for anyone trying to understand what it
means.
http://tinyurl.com/yu6nqw
Five Must-Have Apps for Your Personal

Brand, from Personal Branding Blog.
http://tinyurl.com/3zy932u
Establish Brand Image in Online Media

from The Wall Street Journal.
http://tinyurl.com/yhdu8e2
(Kaplan, 2009)
Savvy Gals Guide to Online Networking
(Or What Would Jane Austen Do?)
CHAPTER 6
FOR YOUR
REFERENCE
By Lindsey Pollack and Diane Danielson

A guide to the nuts, bolts and savvy secrets that businesswomen need in order to use technology to build
professional relationships. Especially useful to students
making the transition from college to career.
CHAPTER 5
Advertising
Your Assets
By Dan Schawbel
This book on personal branding delves into recent
branding trends for Millennials: social networking,
blogs, podcasts, wikis, and more.
Starring in Your Own Life: Reveal Your

Hidden Star Quality and Make Your
Life a Blockbuster Hit
CHAPTER 4
Expand Your Brand
By William Arruda and Kristen Dixson

In addition to showing the steps toward building credibility and visibility, this guide also offers case studies of
successful branding efforts by other professionals.
(Ten Speed Press, 2010)
CHAPTER 3
Get Linked
By Tom Peters
Almost like a motivational speech in book form, Peters
delivers practical advice in lists and short, dynamic bursts.
By Richard Bolles
A classic bestseller that helps readers figure out how to
change careers or reach their full potential.
CHAPTER 2
You Will
Be Googled
BOOKS
What Color is Your Parachute?
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Twitter.com/danschawbel
(Booklocker.com, 2007)
Notes
>> The WetFeet Story
WetFeet was founded in 1994 by Stanford MBAs Gary Alpert and Steve Pollock. While exploring their
next career moves, they needed products like the WetFeet Insider Guides to guide them through their
research and interviews. But these resources didnt exist yetso they started writing! Since then,
millions of job seekers have used the WetFeet Insider Guides and WetFeet.com to research their next
career move.
In 2007 WetFeet became part of Universum Communications, the global leader in employer branding.
Thanks to the integration of WetFeet into the Universum group, WetFeet products are now used by
job seekers all over the world. In addition to our Insider Guides and WetFeet.com, we produce WetFeet
magazine, which features career advice tailored to undergraduate students.
>> The WetFeet Name
The inspiration for our name comes from a popular business school case study about L.L. Bean, the
successful mail-order company. Leon Leonwood Bean got his start because he literally got his feet wet:
Every time he went hunting in the Maine woods, his shoes leaked. One day he set out to make a better
hunting shoe, doing such a good job that his friends lined up to buy pairs of the boots. And so L.L. Bean
was born.
The lesson we took from the Bean case? Well, it shows that getting your feet wet is the first step toward
achieving success. And thats what WetFeet is here for: To help you get your feet wet and take the right
steps toward ever-greater career goals, whatever they may be.
>> The job market is as crowded as the supermarket

shelves. With an overwhelming number of options for employers to
choose from, its easy to be overlooked. But a strong personal brand
can help you rise above the cookie-cutter competition. By consistently
emphasizing the value you offer an employer and what defines you
as a person and professionalyour unique strengths, skills, and
interestsyou can build a brand that resonates with recruiters. In this
Insider Guide, well help you discover, define, and promote your personal
brand. And since so much networking, job hunting, and socializing takes
place online, well pay special attention to using social media, such as
LinkedIn, Twitter, and blogs, to shape your brand.
TURN TO THIS WETFEET

INSIDER GUIDE TO EXPLORE
HOW TO DEFINE YOUR BRAND AND DRAFT
A BRAND MANIFESTO
HOW TO GET RID OF YOUR DIGITAL DIRT
WHAT YOU SHOULDAND SHOULDNTBE
TWEETING
HOW TO LURE RECRUITERS ON LINKEDIN
ISBN 978-1-58207-921-9
$ 21.95 U.S.
THE BASICS OF BUILDING A PERSONAL WEBSITE

WHAT MAKES A STRONG 15-SECOND
ELEVATOR PITCH
BOOKS, BLOGS, AND ONLINE RESOURCES
THAT WILL KEEP YOU UP-TO-DATE ON
PERSONAL BRANDING
WetFeet has earned a strong reputation among college

graduates and career professionals for its series of highly
credible, no-holds-barred Insider Guides. WetFeets investigative writers get behind the annual reports and corporate
PR to tell the real story of what its like to work at specific
companies and in different industries. www.WetFeet.com

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BRAND THYSELF!

>> The WetFeet Methodology

>> The WetFeet Guarantee

3 Get Rid of Your

10 Yes, What You Do

How to Use Social Media to Build a Strong

16 Tricking Out Your

18 Get With a Group

24 Blog Your Way to

28 You Dot Coms

35 The Elevator Pitch

Youve been developing a personal brand

essential tool when it comes to opening yourself up

entire hiring process

Watch the Pros

Get Rid of Your

WET F EET IN S IDER GUIDE

The Facebook community has more than

Competition is fierce and everyone has to think

Similar to the crowded marketplace for consumer

What it Means for Your Career

the-mud. By reinforcing consumers associations with

about how their online presence could impact their

Before youre done with your

Kitsy Blanc, recruiter for accounting firm PwC,

removing Your digiTal dirt is only one step

rule is that you dont want everything to be exclusively

Make two separate lists by answering the following

Focus On the Skills that Motivate You

Reach Out for feedback

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Find Words and Phrases that Define You

Many people feel

I m Good Enough, Im Smart Enough,

you can certainly evolve your brand to fit certain skills

people know they are good at something, but until

Develop Brand Aspirations

Commit to a List of Actions

conversations with friends at the bar. The specific action

Digging Deeper: Exploring

The Home Stretch

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Yes, What You Do on

Yes, WHAT You

reporTs oF a simple Facebook status update

that once they see something unsavory, its hard to take

In the ongoing debate about Facebooks place

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Managing your privacy settings can certainly

in the professional world, some believe rigid privacy

taMing the Beast: Managing

remove incriminating Photos

unfortunately your college roommate has decided to

review your Wall Posts,

As youve probably learned by now, the jokes you find

Lying on your resume doesnt do anybody any

LinkedIn is a professional network on which you can

Take a Quick Look at

Some Privacy-Setting Basics

This advice rings true for the currently employed,

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Tricking Out Your

Tricking Out Your

associated with your brand. Completing a LinkedIn

I m Good Enough, Im Smart Enough,

Control Your Domain

Social Media Success Story

Tweet Yourself to a New Job