We've seen time and again that, when looking for a career, who you are online is just as important as who you are offline. Sometimes we admittedly focus on the negative side of that. Watch what you post to Facebook, Twitter, etc. Today, I'd like to focus on how you can increase your chances of getting a job through your online presence. This is called your Personal Brand (duh.)

There are a number of experts who advocate the importance of you personal brand - from Dan Schawbel to Seth Godin - and they are excellent resources to use to further your career. Today's Wall Street Journal has a very useful piece from Alexandra Levit on how to build your personal brand.  According to Alexandra there are two important functions of your personal brand: to prove you are capable of a job and how the community in you field perceives you. She gives an excellent example

A veteran of the recruitment research field, 41-year-old Jim Stroud developed an early interest in social media. Hoping to launch a new career in the field, Mr. Stroud built an online brand as "The Searchologist."

"A searchologist is … someone who is proficient in searching the Internet" for people who aren't actively seeking new jobs, he explains. His presence in search engines and networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as a podcast series and blog, led Mr. Stroud to his job as social-media development manager for EnglishCafe, an English learning community for global professionals.

Anita Bruzzese, on her blog On The Job, advises job hunters to use stories to emphasize and express their personal brand. Using personal storues, according to Anita, is an excellent way to enhance your image with prospective employers (or even current employers you only get access to on rare occasions). A compelling anecdote will pull the listener in, and make you memorable and stand out.

Finally, at the Personal Branding Blog, Katie Konrath warns about the stigma assumptions and stereotypes can have on your personal brand. Says Katie, "We need to be aware of the automatic assumptions that people make about us based on  stereotypes. Why?  So we can negate them when they work against us." Stereotypes persist in many career fields, so it is important that you recognize where these could exist and do your best to snuff them out before you get improperly labeled.

We hope you found these personal branding tips useful, for some general career info, lets hit The Links ...

Brazen Careerist Elisa M Ortiz Reveals: The secret to job hunting success: Preparation. "Go back through the job description where you’ve already highlighted and numbered the key skills the employer wants. Think carefully about how you can help the organization achieve its goals. Then, write - yes, physically pull out a piece of paper and write - out your answers to all the obvious questions as well as clear examples of how you’ve accomplished a particular task well."

Career Hub Reports: Referrals are the number 1 source of external hires. "Nearly 40% of all positions filled within companies result from internal transfers or promotions. Interestingly, job boards (excluding company sites) produce only 12.3% of external hires and seem to have reached their peak." This is very interesting news which highlights the need for making and cultivating connections in your career field. One way to do that? You guessed it, Your Personal Brand.

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