1. Know who you are. Define your brand. Think about your skills, personality, expertise, passion and goals. What are the 3-5 things you want the world to know about you?
2. Build your brand online. Get online and start promoting your brand. Start a blog, create a website, participate in conversations, answer questions, find networking contacts, share your work, tell your story, etc.
3. Use LinkedIn. It’s like a resume in action and then some. Complete your profile 100% for maximum impact. Start finding relevant contacts by starting with current and former colleagues and classmates and continue to build your bank of quality connections.
4. Tweet to establish expertise. Content is king. And you can become royalty by providing insightful and informational tweets as well as sharing great content you find and retweeting other great tweets. Follow experts and strive to become one yourself.
5. Use about.me as your brand hub. Consolidate your social presence on one main splash page. Sites like about.me, flavors.me or vizifiy.com provide an awesome branding opportunity. These sites are simple, yet allow for creativity and your personal stamp.
6. Be consistent.  Take a look at all your  job search materials, websites, email, social profiles, etc. Do they have a similar look and feel? Use similar photos, usernames, wording, tone, and messaging to help with consistency.
7. Don’t forget old school networking. Networking is still the top way to land a job. Keep up the social networking online, but don’t forget about networking calls, live events and in-person meetings.
8. Monitor your brand. Strange things happen online; make sure you have a good handle on what is being said about you and how you appear in search results. Make a plan for keeping an eye on your brand.
9. Use Google. Google is a resource you can’t ignore. Google yourself. Analyze what you see and then work to improve results as needed. Set Google Alerts for your name. Investigate the Google Dashboard for additional tools to use to improve and monitor brand you.
10. Live your brand. Figure out how to put yourself out there. Set short- and long-term goals. Create a schedule for daily, weekly, monthly and yearly tasks to make sure your brand stays relevant. Make sure people know who you are and what you’re all about.

Promoting your brand is work. It will take some time for your brand to gain traction, (there are very few overnight success stories) and that’s fine. Every step you take toward building your brand helps create a solid foundation for your future. So, be patient, diligent and committed to your brand. You are worth it!

This Career Coach blog post is part of the series: Your Job Search Checklist from A to Z. If you are interested in checking out the webinar on the same topic, click here. Otherwise, keep watching the Career Coach blog for 26 job search alphabet posts.

When it comes to your job search; it’s all about personal branding. Basically, how do you share with the world who you are and what you’re all about. Your personal brand is what a networking contact or potential employer will respond to and evaluate. If you need to brush up on personal branding, check out this previous Career Coach post – You Are a Brand.

So how will about.me help my job search? I think it is a great place to start building your personal brand. It is a place where you can consolidate your social media presence and add a creative, yet professional dimension to your brand. When you use about.me you are basically creating your own home page on the web. It is a convenient place to send recruiters, networking contacts, employers and more.

The world of work is changing and recruiters and hiring managers routinely search the internet for candidates before they even put out an ad. Why not have your background, specialties and contact information all in one place, making it easier for recruiters to find and contact you. About.me is one way they can find you, plus it looks pretty cool.

This Career Coach blog post is part of the series: Your Job Search Checklist from A to Z. If you are interested in checking out the webinar, click here. Otherwise, keep watching the Career Coach blog for 26 job search alphabet posts.

1. Listen and watch the replay of our webinar, “Your Job Search Checklist from A to Z.” Click here for the playback.
2. Watch the Career Coach blog over the next few weeks for a breakdown of that checklist. We’ll start with A for About.me and make it all the way to Z for Zany interview questions.

It may be time to learn some new ABCs. Start learning the Job Search Alphabet today!

1. Send one catch-up email every day. It only takes a few minutes to send an email update to someone on your networking list. This keeps your name in front of people and demonstrates that you value their relationship. To make it easy, you could even have a template ready that you simply swap out the name and a few customized discussion points.
2. Meet a networking contact for lunch. You have to eat anyway. Why not turn lunch into a quick discussion with someone who may be able to help your career? Take a few minutes to tell them what you’re up to and what your goals are and then enjoy your food.
3. Ask for business cards. Any time you meet someone who has sparked your interest; ask for his or her business card. Tell the person you would like to learn more about what they do or possibly contact them in the future. It only takes a second to ask, but can make a big impact.

Not everyone loves networking, but it can’t be ignored if you are looking for a job. So, hopefully the  idea of doing one networking-focused item per day seems reasonable. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

Here are a few tips to think about when preparing your answer:

• Be confident, not obnoxious – Find the right blend of confidence and believability.
• Prepare your list of strengths ahead of time – Don’t walk into an interview without any idea of how you would answer this question. Practice this question before the actual interview. Make a list of your strengths and think of examples of how you exhibited those strengths in real situations.
• Share strengths that match employer needs – You may have a long list of strengths; and that’s great. But when answering the question, tailor your response to what the employer is looking for. Read the job description and try to identify key items that the employer wants in the new hire.
• Focus on strengths that all employers seek, such as: proven experience, honesty/integrity, dedication, trust, intelligence, positive attitude.

Don’t let this question come as a surprise. Take the time to write out and practice a response to this question. Have a friend of family member do a trial run of the interview with you and include this question. While you don’t want to sound too rehearsed, you do want to sound like you have anticipated this question and can provide an answer that is relevant to the employer.

Do you have any other tips on how to answer the “Greatest Strength” question? Share your ideas in the comments.

In a world where sharing and oversharing is pretty common, there is no easier place to do it than on social media. You can post any kind of thought you want at any time. And, you may think no one is paying attention. However, what you post can come back to haunt you when you are in the midst of a job search. How? I’ll explain:

• Potential employers will be checking you out online. Like it or not, when you apply for a job, employers will be probably Google your name to see what they find. If you have a blog, twitter or Facebook page that you have populated with complaints about your current job or employer, or just negative comments in general; employers will take note.
• Other potential networking sources will be less inclined to help. If other people see your stream of negativity, they will not want to offer assistance. You could be missing out on some great opportunities. People help those who are appreciative and positive – not the chronic complainers.
• Your support system will get tired of your poor attitude. Sure, your friends and family will be there for you, but a constant negative comments and complaints will wear on their desire to keep backing your goals. You need these people in your corner.

The bottom line is to stay upbeat. Or, as my grandma used to say, “If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all.” Be someone who employers and networking contacts want to work with. Having and promoting a healthy, positive attitude is a good place to start.

Taking the time to record your achievements can have many benefits, including:

• Building your resume. It’s great and often expected, to include examples and results on a resume. This will help you stand out from other applicants.
• Providing examples for interview questions. Many interview questions focus on how, when and where you have successfully done things in the past. These behavioral interview questions pretty much demand that your answer be an example of something you have accomplished.
• Saving you from embarrassment. You will be asked many times over the course of your career to talk about your successes, things you are proud of. Don’t come up blank. Having these facts and details at the ready can help you in conversations with peers, management and networking conversations.
• Helping you stand out from the crowd. Think of how much more accomplished and valuable you will be to an employer when you can provide concrete examples, numbers, facts and figures and even samples of successful projects.

All this tracking may seem like a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to be. It will be worth it! Here are a few tips on how to painlessly keep track of your success:

• Keep a journal or maintain a spreadsheet. Write down projects, successes, and results as you go. Make it a point to do this every week.
• Use LinkedIn. As you finish a project or get kudos on a job well done, get it on your LinkedIn profile. Consider asking other team members or managers that were involved to write a recommendation for you based on this success.
• Keep a folder at your desk. If you don’t have time to regularly record, at least keep a folder at your desk or on your computer where you can put records of achievement, awards, notes of kudos, etc. for future reference. Try and make a few notes about the specifics of each item, so you don’t forget.
• Use an app. One example is WorkSmart, a free app that helps you track work accomplishments. It even maintains a report that you can email any time.

• Better resume – If your resume includes an Objective or an Objective Statement, you will immediately be seen as outdated. Instead, use a Profile or Qualifications Summary section at the top of your resume to showcase your top skills and results.
• Better social presence – A LinkedIn profile is necessary in the world of today’s job seeker. If you don’t have one; create one today. Also, chances are employers will perform a Google search on your name. What will they find? Try to make sure the results showcase your personal brand in a positive way.
• Current technology – What is your email address? If you’re still using an AOL email account, it’s time to switch to something more current, i.e. gmail.
• Willingness to learn – New grads and Gen Y/millennials in general want to learn and keep learning. Are you? If you haven’t taken any new training or updated your skills in a number of years, you may want to consider exploring new learning opportunities.
• Openness to new technology – Are you savvy in the tech space? Even in an interview situation, you could be asked to participate in a video interview? Are you up for the challenge? The newbies are.

Don’t let your job search tactics scream “out of touch.” Do whatever you can to stay up on the latest industry trends and technology. And don’t forget to research new job search trends. Things change all the time!

How do you stay current with your job search? Let us know in the comments.

P.S. If you’re looking for some of the latest, greatest job search techniques as well as updates on some of the standards, sign up for Manpower’s free webinar: Your Job Search Checklist from A to Z to be held on May 16, 2013 at 12 p.m. CT. Click here to register.

1. Customize your LinkedIn URL – This is one of the easiest things you can do on LinkedIn that can make a huge impact. In the bottom section of the top box of your profile, you will see your LinkedIn url. If it looks like a long, ugly URL address with numbers, etc – you will want to customize this link. Here’s how:

• From your profile, click Edit in the top box – or click Edit Profile under Profile on the top menu bar.
• Then click Edit right after your current LinkedIn url.
• In the Your public profile URL box, click Customize your public profile URL link.
• Customize as you are able – LinkedIn lets you alter the end of the url. Try to use your firstnamelastname (if available).
• Click Set Custom URL.

That’s all it takes to create a link that looks clean and will be easy to share. Consider including this link on all your job search communications, i.e. resumes, cover letters, etc.

2. Write a good headline – By default, LinkedIn creates a headline for your profile that includes your current title and company. For example, mine reads: Marketing Manager at ManpowerGroup.  That headline formula is OK, there is nothing really wrong with it, but you may want to make it better, stronger or more applicable to what kind of role you really want. Plus, LinkedIn can even give you ideas. Here’s how:

• From your profile, click Edit in the top box.
• Click the blue pencil to the left of your current headline.
• LinkedIn gives you the option to Show examples or See what others in your industry are using. This allows you to review other headlines and find ideas you would like to incorporate into your own headline. Don’t copy; just use similar ideas.

That’s it. Two quick things that can boost the impact, visibility, and promotion of your LinkedIn profile. Give it a try today. If you have a great LinkedIn tip to share, let us know in the comments.

Glance through this checklist to see if your career may be stuck:

• You have been doing the exact same thing for a few years.
• Your job title/role hasn’t changed.
• You haven’t taken on any new responsibilities in a while.
• Your peers and/or people hired after you are being promoted.
• You continue to work on the same projects.
• You aren’t asked to take on new projects.
• You don’t like going to work.
• You feel like you are invisible at work.

If you think your career is currently stuck or losing momentum, there are things you can do to get back on track. Here are a few ideas:

• Talk to your manager. Once you’ve realized you’re stuck and want to do something about it, set up a meeting with your manager. Talk about things you like and don’t like in your current situation and what you would aspire to do. Give clear examples whenever possible. Your managers will be better able to help you or figure out options if they have a good understanding of what you want.
• Get feedback. Seek feedback from supervisors, peers and others that you work with. Ask them what they think of your role and if they see you as a valuable contributor. Tell them how you feel and ask for honest feedback of things you can do to get out of your rut.
• Stay positive. Your attitude is what determines if you are happy or not. Don’t waste your time complaining about the state of your career; do something about it.
• Consider a change. You should look at what you want to do and when you want to do it. You may want to look at other jobs in your current company or you may want to shift companies or even industries. Do a little research, see what is out there and talk to some networking contacts to see what is even possible. Decide from there if you want to make a big change or focus on some immediate improvements.

Once you’ve evaluated your situation it’s time to make a plan. Start by setting some small goals and a schedule to accomplish