Why is your personal brand important? What can you do to establish and maintain your own brand as a differentiator in the job search process? How can you become a career commander to further your personal goals? All of the above questions are addressed in the new personal branding book by Dan Schawbel. Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success covers a lot of material, and it’s very detailed in some sections that I found quite intriguing. I thought this was going to be a job search book, but it’s more of a marketing book than anything else. Here are a few paraphrased passages from the book with my comments appended.
Gen Y workers are high-energy and aren’t willing to wait an excessive period of time for career advancement opportunities.
I agree. I have excelled in every job I’ve ever had, because I channel my energy and confidence into my work performance. As a side benefit of that work style, I hit career milestones earlier than others, which leads to a domino effect in my career motivation!
Career commanders are active leaders inside and outside the workplace.
The successful ones are. Until I started being active outside of working hours, I didn’t even think about or assess my own career goals. Now I have a strategic plan for my future that will keep me from wandering aimlessly like so many of my working brethren.
One thing that I enjoyed was the sprinkling of quotes throughout the entire book. I’m a quote-lover, and there were some really good ones by well-known professionals. I’m also a sucker for good statistics, and there are plenty of those in there, too. The most appealing part of the book for me was the mix of marketing concepts applied to the personal branding process.
I must note that there aren’t too many details for job seekers; however, if you can find a job that you want, this book can help you develop strategies to get that job. If you’re worried or scared about the prospect of selling yourself or your brand to an employer, then this is probably not the resource for you.
This isn’t for those that just want to be told exactly how to find a new career. It’s more detailed and digs into the marketing strategies and concepts for selling oneself, and with more job seekers in the market than we’ve seen in a long time, it might be just what people need. Overall, the book was an interesting one, and it’s got some great information for those looking to build their own reputation or brand in the online and/or offline world.
I’ll sign off with a great quote from the book. Steve Tatham, a writer for Walt Disney, says, “Confidence comes from making mistakes. The more mistakes you make, the more you know what not to do.”
Leave a Reply