​The terms “branding yourself” has already become a part of many people’s vocabulary, while others are still wondering about its definition. While “branding” (which is defined as “to make an indelible mark or impression on somebody or something”) is a valuable strategy, you may be more comfortable with the idea of simply positioning yourself to be successful in your job search and career.
 
Many jobseekers don’t realize they have already positioned themselves — they just haven’t articulated it yet. Maybe you’re known as “the sales manager that makes quota, no matter what’s going on in the economy,” or “the engineer that can speak in language the customer understands.” That’s your positioning.
 
To cultivate the job positioning that will help you reach your career goals, you must understand and be able to communicate what makes you exceptional and compelling.
 
You must find a way to stand out in a crowded job search. If you’re not known for something, you won’t be known for anything. One size does not fit all.

​Knowing your skills and professional qualifications — and being able to articulate them — will also help you navigate applicant tracking systems (ATS).
 
Position yourself effectively to attract connections, opportunities, and job offers.

To identify how to position yourself, it helps to examine a couple of key issues:

• What is the Company’s Need? What specific problem are they trying to solve with this job? Are they trying to make money? Save money? Save time? Keep existing customers? Acquire new customers?
• What are your Core Abilities? What special abilities do you possess that separate you from other candidates for this position?
• What are your Values? What is your belief system (behavior and ethics) that is inherent to you? Does this set you apart?
• What is your Connection to the Company’s Need? Do you possess something special that solves your target employer’s problem?

 
Be aware of the kind of work you are willing to do, and the kind of work you don’t want to do. Make a list of the things you like to do, and what you don’t like to do.
 
Look to your work history for clues to your job positioning. What in your work history did you do to make things better? Look for instances where you showed leadership and accomplishments.
 
Check out your existing online profile. What comes up when you Google yourself? What is your social media presence? What are you known for online?
 
Begin with the end in mind: What job do you want? Then figure out what qualities and attributes set you apart from your competition.
 
Additional resources to help you identify what makes you stand out:

• Performance evaluations
• Customer appreciation letters
• Look through your emails to see what great things people have said about you and your work
• LinkedIn Recommendations
• Letters of commendation from colleagues and supervisors
• Ask people you know (and people you work with) for feedback. How do others see you?

​Researching your desired job can also help you identify your unique job positioning. Looking at job postings can help, but you should also consider going further in-depth. These sites can help:

O*NET Online (https://www.onetonline.org/)
This website was created for the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration by the National Center for O*NET Development. The O*NET program is “the nation’s primary source of occupational information,” according to the site. It contains information on hundreds of occupations and is available to jobseekers at no cost.
 
Every occupation requires unique knowledge, skills, and abilities. These occupational characteristics are outlined on the site. The occupational descriptions, which include descriptions of day-to-day work, along with qualifications and interests of the typical worker, allow jobseekers to identify unique job positioning opportunities for themselves in their job search.

You can also access the O*NET Resource Center, a free tool (available for immediate download) to assess your occupational interests.  The tool offers personalized career suggestions based on your interests and level of work experience.
 
Access the tool here: https://www.onetcenter.org/IP.html

​When you identify a profession, you can assess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for success in the role. These can often provide guidance for job positioning. The “Personality” and “Technology” sections also give insight into your personal positioning.
 
The “On the Job, You Would” information includes common job functions. Look to see if these are areas where you excel — this can be a point of differentiation.
 
Also check out the “Also Called” information under the occupation for related job titles you can use in your job positioning tagline.

America’s Career InfoNet (​https://www.careerinfonet.org/)
This website is affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop program. The website includes occupation and industry information, salary data, career videos, education resources, self-assessment tools, and career exploration assistance.

Occupational Outlook Handbook​ (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/)
The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) provides information on what workers do, working conditions, what qualifications are required for success in the position, pay, job outlook, similar occupations, and sources of additional information for research for more than 300 occupational profiles.
 
To find an occupation, browse the occupational group of interest on the left-hand side of the website, or use the “A-Z Index” (if you know the specific occupation). You can also enter a job title into the “Search Handbook” box at the top of the site. You can also search for occupations by pay range, education level, training, projected number of new jobs, and projected job growth rate — using the “Occupation Finder” or occupation selector drop-down menus on the home page. If you can’t find an occupation you are interested in, look in the alphabetical index, using similar occupational titles to search for an occupation.

Glassdoor (https://www.glassdoor.com/)
You can also research your prospective employer to identify how to effectively position yourself to work at that specific company. Glassdoor is an excellent way to assess what is important to the employer and how you might fit in.

Here are things you should do:

• Do make sure your positioning reflects your personality.
• Do incorporate in keywords (nouns, industry-specific terminology, and skills) into your personal positioning.
• Do be authentic. Make sure your personal positioning reflects your personal values, qualifications, and attributes.

 
Here are some things you should not do:

• Don’t go on and on. Don’t tell your whole life story. Get to the point quickly.
• Don’t be too general. One of the biggest mistakes with your personal position is not being specific enough. The more specific you are, the more effective your personal positioning will be.
• Don’t be boring. You need to get the reader’s attention! Be interesting.

Recruiters and hiring managers need help knowing what kind of position you’re focused on. It’s harder to find a job when you don’t know what kind of job you want. Conversely, it is easier to find a job if you know what kind of job you want.
 
There are fewer opportunities for average performers to be found in the hiring process, but there are tremendous opportunities for stars. Positioning helps you identify where you can be a star performer and then make the case (through your work and your career communication documents) to support this claim.
 
The next step is to align your job search with your positioning. Make sure your résumé and interview preparation supports this and makes your case.

Many jobseekers develop their job positioning when they are looking for a new job. But job positioning can help you be more effective — and visible — in your current job.
 
In your current job, get attention for the work you’re already doing:

• Offer to do a presentation showing your (or your group’s) accomplishments for the quarter.
• Contact your company’s Communications Department to see if they are interested in doing an article for the company newsletter on a recent project.
• Make sure you are keeping an “Accomplishments Journal” documenting your current career successes.

 
Develop your own communications plan in your current position. Increase your personal visibility by speaking, writing, and participating in social media. Once you’ve identified your job positioning, see how you can incorporate it into your everyday work life. This will make you worth more to your current employer (remember, superstars stand out!) and make you more attractive as a job candidate when it is time for you to look for a new position.

A new year is a great time to assess where you’re at professionally. Is it time for you to make a job change? Or a career change? This 21-day challenge is designed to help!
 
During this challenge, you’ll take 30 days of consistent action in five different areas:
​
1. Where Are You Now?
2. Where Are You Going?
3. What Sets You Apart?
4. What’s Your Plan?
5. Let’s Do This!
 
Take action each day in one of these areas (see the list below for ideas). This challenge will reward effort, not results. But results will come when you take consistent action, day after day, in meeting your goal!
 
For best results, enlist an accountability partner to help you complete the challenge. Ideally, it will be someone who is looking to make a job or career change too, so you can keep each other accountable and on track. For best results, check in with each other daily.
 
You can choose to use either the Challenge Calendar or the Challenge Planner to plan and track each day’s activities. Write down the activity you will do and put a big red “X” on each day you complete a challenge activity. At the end of the month, you want as many spaces marked off as possible on your Calendar or Planner.
 
There are three ways to conduct the challenge:

• Do one action item each day for 21 days straight
• Take action for five days each week (no weekends) for four weeks (plus one day)
• Take actions for three days each week for seven weeks (for example, Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday)

 
It’s up to you!
 
At the end of each week during the challenge, reward yourself for good performance. Enjoy a special outing or anything else that will encourage you to keep going!
 
Here are suggested actions within each of the areas.

• Find the most recent version of your résumé and/or cover letter and locate the most recent copy of your job description.
• Google yourself. What comes up when you put your name in Google? Evaluate your social media presence.
• Brainstorm a list of everything you need to add to your résumé: recent work experience and accomplishments, education, training, certifications or licenses, etc.
• Identify and review your most recent performance evaluation or annual review. What were you commended for?
• Pull together information for your Professional Portfolio — a copy of your college or university transcript and certificates/diplomas, work samples, copies of awards or honors, testimonials about your work from supervisors and/or customers, etc.
• Review your social media profiles. Do they position you in the best light as a jobseeker? If not, scrub negative information. Delete any profiles you’re no longer using.
• Take some time to consider whether you want to pursue a new job or a new career. Create a “pro/con” list for each.
• Discover what you do best by taking a skills assessment, like the Clifton StrengthsFinder or DISC profile.

• Why do you want to make a change? Take 15 minutes and sit down and make a list of the things you do and do not like about your current job/career.
• Instead of asking yourself, “What do I want to be when I grow up,” sit down and take a few minutes to ask yourself the question, “What problem(s) do I want to solve?”
• Brainstorm what are the 10 most likely job titles for the position you want.
• Research and identify three job postings for the type of position you’d like (even if these aren’t actually job postings you actually end up applying for).
• Spend some time thinking about your dream job. Make a list of the types of things you’d be doing each day if you were working your dream job.
• Think about what you would want your next job to do for you that your current job doesn’t. In other words, make a list of what will be different about your next job.
• Assess whether you have the skills, experience, and/or qualifications necessary for the job or career you want to pursue.
• Don’t just look for a job — look for a calling. Spend 15 minutes answering these three questions: What are you meant to do? How can you use your skills, education, and experience for maximum benefit? What kinds of problems could you solve for a company?
• Take a personality assessment (like the ​Holland Self-Directed Search, the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) to figure out what type of work you’re best suited for.

• What value would you bring to your next employer? Can you help the company make money? Save money or save time? Make work easier, or solve a specific problem? Expand their business and attract or retain customers? Identify what you can do in each of these areas.
• Outline five accomplishments using the C-A-R strategy. (What was the Challenge? What Actions did you take? What Results did you achieve?)
• Make a list of new skills and education you’ve achieved. Have you attended any conferences? Achieved a certification?
• Also consider non-traditional education/training. Assemble a list of online courses, boot camps, and tutorials you’ve completed that are relevant to your job/career target.
• Write up a list of the honors and/or awards you’ve received.
• Prepare yourself to answer the question, “Tell me about yourself.”
• Write down your biggest professional accomplishment of the past year.
• Be prepared to answer questions about gaps in your employment, skills you don’t have that are necessary for the job/career you want, and why you left a job. Take some time to think through how you’d answer questions about these issues.

• Take a few minutes to organize your job search. Create a weekly list of activities you’ll engage in.
• Identify the skills, training, and/or education you need for success in your next job or career. Research how to obtain one of these.
• Take a skills test or skills interest inventory to assess your strengths and skills.
• Research your target job salary.
• Reach out to someone who works for the company you want to work for, or in the industry you want to work for. Ask them if they will meet you for lunch or dinner.
• Think about how you got your last job. Spend a few minutes identifying how you got your most recent job. (For example, were you networking at a professional association meeting?) Is that something you can try again?
• Identify the tools you will need for your job search. Make a list of things you need, or need to update, like your résumé and LinkedIn profile.
• Find an accountability partner. Who can you work with to support you during your job search? Maybe it’s enlisting your spouse, or a friend. Or maybe it’s hiring a career coach. Line that person up.
• Make a list of 10 companies you’d like to work for, whether or not they are actively advertising relevant openings right now.
• Brainstorm a list of people to reach out to that can provide ideas, information, and leads for your job search. If you have a Christmas card list, start there.

• Research one of the companies that you’re interested in. Look at their website. Do a Google search on them. Look at what current and former employees have to say about them on sites like Glassdoor.
• Go through your network and contact anyone you know (or a friend-of-a-friend) who works for each of the companies you your target company list.
• Reach out to one person in your network and let them know you are looking for a new opportunity.
• Identify a hiring manager at one of your target companies, and see if you can find someone in your network who knows him or her and can make an introduction to that person.
• Join a professional association and examine how you can get more involved.
• Update your résumé. Reach out to enlist the help of a professional résumé writer if needed.
• Create (or update) your LinkedIn profile. Make sure your résumé and LinkedIn profile are in alignment in terms of focus and content.
• VERY IMPORTANT: DO NOT COPY AND PASTE YOUR RESUME ONTO LINKEDIN.
• Brainstorm a list of 25 keywords that you should include on your résumé to help it get through the applicant tracking system (ATS) software.
• Research recruiters who work in your target industry and send 3-5 of them a LinkedIn connection request.
• Apply for an advertised opening for a job you’re interested in.

• At the end of the 21 days, review your progress. Do you have any leads on unadvertised openings? Any interviews or job offers yet? If not, don’t worry. The majority of this 21-day challenge is focused on preparing yourself for the job search, not conducting the job search.
• Even if you’re not yet in your new job, celebrate your completion of the 21-day challenge! By sticking with the challenge, you’ve set yourself up for success in the new year.