Career Management. Carolyn Boyes

       3.1 Brand yourself

      How do you want to define what value you bring to an employer? Think about your USP – your Unique Selling Point. This is marketing jargon used to describe the features of a product that make it valuable and different from other products on the market. What is distinctive and valuable about you?

      Think about some of the top brands in the world. They all have something special we associate them with. What comes into your mind when you hear the names Ferrari, Shell, HSBC, Qantas Airlines, for example? It might be reliability, efficiency, value for money, glamour or excitement perhaps. Large companies spend a fortune making sure they sell consistent messages about what values they represent, and that’s one

      case study Joe was working for several years in a large financial company managing a small team and specializing in documentation. He wanted to progress but found there was little demand for documentation specialists. He then decided to redefine his job title on his CV. Instead of calling himself a documentation specialist, he gave himself a broader label (changing his brand) – a professional manager. Soon he found that agents were putting him forward for jobs that he hadn’t been considered for before. He eventually found a new role in the retail sector.

      of the reasons they are so successful. These messages are their brand, and the message which stands out most is the unique selling point. What’s yours?

      • You are unique. It doesn’t matter what kind of career you have, you bring meaning and passion to a job based on your unique combination of interests, values, experience, ambitions and vision.

      • You are a brand. Your brand is the elements of yourself that you choose to promote openly. So, for example, maybe you are very structured and organized with a background working in charities and business, and at the same time you are creative and innovative.