Seven Steps To Branding Yourself As An Expert

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

When you purchase laundry detergent, have you ever stood in the aisle of the store, looked at the list of ingredients and said to yourself, “Hmm. The interrelationship between the chemicals in this one will make my wash much cleaner than the ones in this one”?

Of course not. You buy detergent because it’s cheaper, you have a coupon, you’ve seen a commercial or your parents use a particular type of detergent, rather than basing your decision on the efficacy of a particular brand.

Thus, you have made the case for why branding is such an important criterion when people make decisions and why you need to invest in building your career brand now, before you consider your next career change. After all, the person who gets ahead isn’t always the smartest or hardest working — although those are great qualities to have.

Now, I certainly don’t expect you to purchase ads to create the impression of yourself as an expert, but I do believe that you can make an investment in your career by creating real estate in people’s minds and being seen as a subject matter expert. Follow these seven steps:

1. Start a blog. Recruiters love to find thought leaders for their clients.