Digital You: Real Personal Branding in the Virtual Age

It’s your agent. Often delivering the first impression to a prospect, your LinkedIn profile is you when you aren’t there.

realness: the integrity that stands behind your likability and guarantees its authenticity.

People with strong personal brands are explicit about who they are and who they’re not.

Let me set the record straight by describing three reasons why naysayers have muddled the truth about the personal branding revolution, which I can assure you is alive and well.

Research job listings. Find at least five job listings on LinkedIn, Indeed, and so on for the role you have, and five for the role you seek to have (remember, personal branding is both authentic and aspirational). Then look for the keywords these listings have in common.

Today’s youngest workers are more likely to have 15 or more jobs in their lifetime.

It’s your reference check. By allowing your community to applaud your accomplishments, LinkedIn provides validation for everything you say about yourself. Endorsements help confirm your strengths and skills. Recommendations allow you to put the spotlight on testimonials that are associated with your various roles.

Anchoring means that once we form a first impression, it becomes anchored in our thinking, making it hard for us to change our mind. Anchoring is the reason first impressions last.

It wasn’t until 2014 that the Internet was accessible in 80 percent of U.S. homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.