Remember to Brand Yourself before leaving the house

There is still a large piece of the population that needs to learn how to market themselves.

As North America continues to move towards a services oriented economy instead of a goods manufacturer, this skill will be needed more than ever.

There will continue to be more people who offer a similar service, so being able to clearly articulate your value attributes will be the key in moving forward.

Not only selling the value proposition of your company, but selling and marketing your skill set is vital.

You are your own Brand, and communicating value in a professional manner is how to differentiate yourself from others who believe that they can replace you in the line.

*****Focus on what your strengths are and what you bring to an employer and/or customer and why those are important attributes.

It is not just knowing the skill, but being able to communicate how you are planning to use that skill is what separates a great candidate from just an average candidate.*****

The one segment of the population that is already starting to learn this, are the current university students and recent university graduates.

It is even more of a competitive space than for other age groups.

The good students will articulate why they deserve to be accepted into schools based on a combination of their marks, what they have learned from their life experience, and what they have learned from their volunteer work versus other students.

Recent graduates who clearly communicate the advantages of their co-op employment experience or summer work experience combined with their learning's from their extracurricular activities will usually secure their first jobs over all the other applicants for those same positions.

Farewell,

Mike