Your “brand” is simply a blend of personal and professional skills and strengths that add up to the promise of an experience – in other words, the experience you promise to your potential employer.

The following are some questions you can ask yourself in order to develop your unique brand. Experiment with completing the following statements. You may want to take some notes:

In one sentence, professionally, who are you?

Yes, I know… it’s purposely hard. The first thing that pops into your head is often best. My answer was that I am a lamplighter. Why? Because I love the artful, romantic image (hence “The Career Artisan”), and because I light the way for my clients time and again.

What are you an expert in?

When you are at your best professionally, how do you affect other people? Do they get excited, find solutions to problems, band together as a team, become empowered or enlightened with the information you share with them?

What do you stand for in your business?

It could be getting the details right, communicating clearly, or helping others. For example, in my business I stand for “truth in advocacy.” My passion is getting people the right information that is truly going to help them no matter what.

What is your brand identity?

If you had to describe what you have to offer a company in one sentence, what would it be?

Here’s a tip you can use to understand how others see your brand identity:

Ask your spouse, partner, good friend, or coworker to describe you in three words. They can only use three words. Take note of the feedback you get. You may be amazed, and you can certainly use this information to formulate your brand sentence.

My one sentence statement is in the tagline for my business: “Masterpiece marketing strategies to help you focus on, find, and win your dream job.”

By identifying your brand, you are more able to communicate your value clearly and authentically. Like a thread, you should consistently weave your brand throughout your resume and cover letters and into your interviews.