Create a Personal Brand Resume – Top 5 Recommendations in Webnode

Why is your resume ineffective? Because it doesn’t match your brand! We will teach you how to create a resume that HR managers will not throw in the trash.

How to create a resume for your personal brand

A professional brand is your unique positioning as a specialist. It shows your value to the employer. A personal professional brand can be described as a collection of clearly structured benefits, from professional to personal.

Even if you don’t care about building a brand, you still have one; this is how your colleagues and boss describe you to others. If you work on your own reputation (including when writing a resume), you can become more successful in your career.

Why are classic resumes no longer effective?

Just think about how many times have you read (or written) such phrases:

“Responsible and ambitious specialist”

“I work great in a team”

“Organized and results-oriented”

“Non-conflict and stress-resistant”

We will answer that for you: Such phrases can be found on almost any resume. Admit it, you’ve probably used a couple from this list, too.

Now put yourself in the employer’s shoes. How many times a day does an HR manager have to read these platitudes? After all, everyone who uses them imagines him or herself as the only suitable specialist!

The problem is that many overused resume phrases don’t describe you as a specialist. They are meaningless. They are designed to cater to the tastes of a potential employer, but they don’t really tell him or her anything specific about you.

Your job is to build a personal brand and write a unique resume that demonstrates your strengths to the employer. We will tell you how to do that.

5 steps to create a unique resume based on your personal brand

Branding isn’t just for companies. If you are applying for the position of your dreams, you need to show individualism and creativity to stand out from other candidates.

We’ll tell you how to find personal, unique value and demonstrate it to potential employers. There are just 5 easy steps:

1. Establish yourself: Set a clear goal

Give the HR manager a “clue” – motivate them so that he or she does not throw away your resume, but continues to get acquainted with you through it.

Briefly explain how your skills are valuable to the company and how they differ from those of other candidates.

The employer must understand who you are and what your strengths are. Don’t assume every candidate will “sell” themselves through their resume. In fact, most resumes are cliché.

So, feel free to place your application at the beginning of your resume or as a separate paragraph in your career bio. It will set the tone for the entire document.

2. Don’t be afraid of visual experimentation

You have to be different to be visible. This means you have to give up the “good” idea of ​​downloading a free resume template and, instead, choose a unique solution.

Everything is individual, you must feel it yourself. You may have to give up all design delights and just write the document in classic black type on a white background. Perhaps a couple of colored areas will create the right mood and highlight your personal benefits.

Here are a few recommendations:

• Try adding a personal logo to the document. You can generate one in 3 minutes using the ZenBusiness service. You will succeed even if you are not a designer.
• Use no more than 3 colors or shades per document. Don’t turn your personal presentation into a rainbow.
• While experimenting, remember to keep the document readable.

3. Demonstrate your online presence

What you write or repost on your personal blog or on a social network page is part of your self-identification. The employer is definitely interested in this. It will say a lot more about you than the list of professional skills on your resume.

The content on your pages will demonstrate the kind of person you are and how you interact with other people.

Therefore, the resume should contain:

1) A link to your site

If you blog or administer a thematic site that matches your professional activity, be sure to share this.

This is especially important if you need to attach a portfolio to your resume. The site will become part of it.

2) A link to your LinkedIn profile.

Ideally, if you are registered on this social network, your profile will list professional skills and there will be evidence of previous projects on which you worked.

Confirmations will also help – references from your colleagues and previous employers registered on LinkedIn. To receive them, simply send out requests.

3) Links to Facebook and Twitter profiles.

It makes sense to list personal pages if you have a lot of subscribers and regularly post content related to your professional activity. Even if you are not, you can still leave links.

Some employers do background research, which makes it easier for them to check you as a candidate. Please make sure your page is free of offensive posts and comments.

4) Link to a video resume.

Currently, this is a rarity, so you have a chance to stand out. Naturally, the video has to be of high quality and must be hosted on a reliable server.

Show energy as you record your video and think about each phrase. Be careful with humor.

Should you include reviews on your resume? For sure! If you are looking into a product on the Internet, you are probably interested in the opinions of other buyers.

The situation is the same with an employer and candidates for an open position. However, when posting reviews, make sure:

• they are written by top executives;
• your previous employer is well known in the market;
• they take up the smallest part of your resume.

4. Talk about your previous experience and achievements

Dedicate most of your resume to your professional background. Tell us more about it and demonstrate how it can help you achieve your goals in your new role.

Avoid calling yourself “creative, ambitious, organized, outgoing, stress-resistant.” Anyone can write those things about themselves. However, how can you prove it?

Analyze your career and share points that highlight your creative thinking, leadership style, innovation, etc. Immediately note how these qualities have helped add value to your previous employers. You can use this scheme:

“Description of the situation” – “your specific decisions” – “measurable result obtained.”

If you have proof of professional achievements, be sure to mention it. This could be:

• the title of “best salesperson in the state”;
• national awards;
• grants;
• specific indicators of savings or employer profits from your initiatives.

5. Sum up everything

Take a look at your resume. Make sure that your achievements and reviews are in the most visible part; it’s where the HR manager usually begins his/her acquaintance with the documents.

Add your goal next to it (establishing a personal brand). Check the quality of the design and layout.

Examples of good personal brand resumes

There are many open source examples of what an effective modern resume should look like. One of them is on graphicriver.net. We see a simple design, a neutral color scheme, and a convenient division into thematic blocks.

There is a good example of a resume on enhancv.com that fully matches our recommendations.

At the beginning is information about specific professional achievements and awards. Notable subheadings provide easy orientation. The classic black and white design is easy to read.

What is an online portfolio?

Employers often ask applicants to attach examples of work (a portfolio) to the resume. In today’s world, online portfolios provide more advantages than printed ones.

Actually, most employers find it easier to send a portfolio link that is easy to open and view on any device. This significantly reduces response times and demonstrates that the candidate for the position thinks and acts in a modern way.

Depending on the content and specialization of the professional, the portfolio can be a layout document (for example, in .pdf format). However, a set of examples available on your own site is a much more modern option.

How to create and where to store such portfolios?

Here are some guidelines:

1. Choose a suitable constructor for website development. For example, there are platforms where a constructor, domain name and hosting are available as one service package.


2. Adhere to the correct structure. The site should contain brief information about you, examples of work with concise descriptions, contact information, and a list of available services.


3. Select the best works. Choose quality over quantity.


4. Make sure that the site works correctly on desktop devices, tablets and smartphones.


5. Choose a minimalist design. In most cases, this is a winning strategy.


6. Remember that search traffic is the most valuable thing. Add relevant keywords to the descriptions of your work, fill in the meta tags for each page. This will help promote your site in search engines.

Conclusion

Control the process of creating a personal brand. Focus on your professional achievements and goals. Maintain a positive reputation so that previous employers can respond positively to you. All this will enable you to create an effective resume.

Don’t forget to read the guide on how to create a business website.