"As an individual, you must acknowledge that you are a brand."
~Dan Schawbel, Me 2.0 - 4 Steps To Build Your Future
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Overall I give the book a 3.5 out of 5.
I gave a lower rating due to the book lagging relevance. The first edition was released in March 2009 and the revised version released October 2010. Dan understands the need for relevance which is why I'm excited to read his newest book: Promote Yourself: The New Rules of Career Success. I'd recommend readers start with this one when it releases in Sept 2013.
I gave a lower rating due to the book lagging relevance. The first edition was released in March 2009 and the revised version released October 2010. Dan understands the need for relevance which is why I'm excited to read his newest book: Promote Yourself: The New Rules of Career Success. I'd recommend readers start with this one when it releases in Sept 2013.
About the Book: Me 2.0 describes the history of personal branding; how the Internet has revolutionized career development; and how individuals can leverage social media for personal empowerment, self-management, and networking. It includes a proven four-step process for discovering, creating, communicating, and maintaining your personal brand, and it shows you the results you’ll achieve by using this plan.
Top 3 Things I Gleaned From the Book:
- No employment contract spans a lifetime. It's important that we begin understanding how important our personal brand is. Work is always changing, whether your laid off, the business goes under, you change jobs, you get fired or you retire. But your personal brand will always follow you. Start today to make the tools of today work FOR you in your career aspirations.
- Personal branding = the ultimate career catalyst. Personal branding is about unearthing what is true and unique about you and letting everyone know about it. College degrees are ho hum these days and MBAs will soon be the same due to the sea of folks pursuing higher education. How will you stand out from the crowd 5, 10 or 20 years from now? What skills do you have that cannot be matched? Infuse those skills into your personal brand so others know your value.
- Successful blogging is good leadership in a new medium. I encourage people to add "blogging" to their resumes and online profiles because it is a form of tought leadership. If a blog is managed and updated frequently, that communicates discipline, tech-savvyness, and a passion…all great attributes! Consider blogging as a main component of your personal brand.
Favorite Quote: “Amid all of these exciting changes, a new breed of worker is emerging—one who feels energized and empowered by the exciting new world that the Internet has created and is eager to make a difference. Those with confidence, drive, and the ability to use the full potential of modern technology—including creating a powerful personal brand to define themselves and achieve their goals--will be at the forefront of this bold new world.”
About the Author: Dan graciously guest posted on this blog here. He has an uber relevant blog, podcast and upcoming book! At 26 years old, Dan was BusinessWeek’s youngest columnist. He is also a featured contributor to Time, Forbes, Mashable, LifeHack, and MediaPost, and he has written articles for BrandWeek and Advertising Age. He is recognized as a "personal branding guru" by The New York Times.
Question: What steps will you take to make personal branding a viable career strategy for you?
