{"id":2489,"date":"2011-03-24T07:23:42","date_gmt":"2011-03-24T11:23:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/?p=2489"},"modified":"2025-07-08T05:34:35","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T09:34:35","slug":"personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Personal Branding Hype and Myths vs Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Personal branding has somewhat mainstreamed and is becoming more accepted in job search. But I still see too many job seekers confused about what branding actually is.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no wonder they\u2019re confused, with so much debate and misinformation floating around social media and traditional media. Do you feel bombarded by the opposing voices and befuddled about branding and whether it has any value in job search?<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>The Hype and Myths:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Some of the misguided <a href=\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-personal-branding\/\">things you\u2019ve probably heard about what personal branding<\/a> is:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A passing fad not worthy of consideration \u2013 the next new thing is bound to come along and replace it.<\/li>\n<li>The way to position yourself as an expert in your field.<\/li>\n<li>An opportunity to brag about yourself.<\/li>\n<li>Just a catchy tagline for your resume and email signature.<\/li>\n<li>Your ticket to making big money.<\/li>\n<li>The way to become famous.<\/li>\n<li>A brand statement that lists your relevant functional areas of expertise, just like a job description.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>The Reality \u2013 what personal branding really is:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Simply put, branding in job search is a way to uncover, define, and communicate your unique ROI (Return on Investment) value to your target employers, based on their needs.<\/p>\n<p>Authentic personal branding takes work. The development process requires pinpointing the personal attributes, values, drivers, strengths, and passions that differentiate your unique promise of value from your peers, in content and messaging designed to resonate with your target audience (or target employers).<\/p>\n<p>If you need help defining your brand, see my <a href=\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/10-steps-to-an-authentic-magnetic-personal-brand\/\">10-Step Personal Branding Worksheet<\/a> or consider working with a certified personal branding strategist to uncover the things that make you a good-fit candidate for your target employers.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>The Hype and Myths vs. Reality:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Branding isn\u2019t a passing fad. In fact, the process of identifying what differentiates you from your competition has been part of job search, career marketing, and resume development for decades. It was given a name in the mid-nineties by Tom Peters. It may go by a different name in the future, but the concept and approach will probably be the same.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re not actually an expert in your field, don\u2019t lie and mislead people in your brand messaging. When push comes to shove, you won\u2019t be able to live up to the expectation . . . and then you will have tarnished your reputation by boasting inflated claims.<\/p>\n<p>You may call branding bragging about yourself, but it\u2019s really all about being truthful about the best you have to offer. If you\u2019ve achieved great things, you\u2019d be wise to let your target employers know about it, without embellishment.<\/p>\n<p>If all you\u2019ve done is create a spiffy tagline, and you think you\u2019ve defined your brand, you haven\u2019t done the work. Back up, and spend time identifying what differentiates you.<\/p>\n<p>Money may come with branding, but if you\u2019re setting out to become wealthy, it takes a whole lot more than knowing and expressing your brand. Your brand may help you land a high paying job (I hope!), but once on the job, everything will fizzle if you don\u2019t have the goods to back up your claims.<\/p>\n<p>Unless your goal is to become famous and you have whatever &#8220;it&#8221; is that makes people famous, your brand alone probably won\u2019t make you a superstar.<\/p>\n<p>A brand statement needs to be much more than a string of relevant keyword phrases highlighting your functional areas of expertise. To make it hit home with recruiters and hiring authorities assessing you, it needs to integrate your hard skill sets with your softer ones \u2013 indicating who you are and how you use your skill sets to make things happen. Read more in my Job-Hunt.org article, Creating Your Authentic Personal Brand Statement.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Why personal branding matters so much in job search:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The branding process helps you understand your ROI value to your target companies and what differentiates you from your competition in the job market,<\/p>\n<p>And helps you clearly communicate that ROI value and good fit qualities when you network and interview,<\/p>\n<p>And helps you stand out from your competition in your career marketing materials (resume, biography, online profiles, blogging, etc.).<\/p>\n<p>Your brand incorporates your &#8220;softer&#8221; side and generates chemistry for who you are, what you\u2019re like to work with, how you make things happen, and what you have to offer that no one else does.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Bottom Line:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Try to ignore the hype and myths. Learn what authentic branding actually is. Invest time and effort in identifying the things that differentiate you from your competitors in the job market and the things that make you the best hiring choice for your target employers.<\/p>\n<p>Related posts and information:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/10-things-to-love-about-your-executive-personal-brand\/\">10 Things to Love About Your Executive Brand<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/how-to-land-an-executive-job-in-2011\/\">How To Land an Executive Job in 2011<\/a><\/p>\n<p>My ebook, <a href=\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/executive-branding-job-search-ebook\/\">23 Ways You Sabotage Your Executive Job Search and How Your Brand Will Help You Land<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Cross-posted at Job-Hunt.org<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn what authentic branding actually is. Work on identifying the things that differentiate and distinguish you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6],"tags":[95,112,181],"class_list":{"0":"post-2489","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-executive-job-search","7":"category-executive-personal-and-career-branding","8":"tag-executive-branding","9":"tag-executive-job-search","10":"tag-personal-branding","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Personal Branding Hype and Myths vs Reality - Executive Career Brand\u2122<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Personal Branding Hype and Myths vs Reality - Executive Career Brand\u2122\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn what authentic branding actually is. Work on identifying the things that differentiate and distinguish you.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Executive Career Brand\u2122\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/megguiseppi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-03-24T11:23:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-08T09:34:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Meg Guiseppi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@megguiseppi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@megguiseppi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Meg Guiseppi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Meg Guiseppi\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8f77ad4251f6cc47790139bc14483711\"},\"headline\":\"Personal Branding Hype and Myths vs Reality\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-03-24T11:23:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-08T09:34:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/\"},\"wordCount\":820,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"executive branding\",\"Executive Job Search\",\"personal branding\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Executive Job Search\",\"Personal Branding\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/\",\"name\":\"Personal Branding Hype and Myths vs Reality - Executive Career Brand\u2122\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-03-24T11:23:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-08T09:34:35+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Personal Branding Hype and Myths vs Reality\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/\",\"name\":\"Executive Career Brand\u2122\",\"description\":\"Executive Job Search - Personal Branding, Executive Resumes, LinkedIn Profiles, Biographies, etc.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Executive Career Brand\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/02e273b.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/02e273b.png\",\"width\":100,\"height\":50,\"caption\":\"Executive Career Brand\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/megguiseppi\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/megguiseppi\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/megguiseppi\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8f77ad4251f6cc47790139bc14483711\",\"name\":\"Meg Guiseppi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d9efda092ffdeacce0bbf2552a50ec956f2b0bc2efa2f7d6eb7b821f0efbb913?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d9efda092ffdeacce0bbf2552a50ec956f2b0bc2efa2f7d6eb7b821f0efbb913?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Meg Guiseppi\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Personal Branding Hype and Myths vs Reality - Executive Career Brand\u2122","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Personal Branding Hype and Myths vs Reality - Executive Career Brand\u2122","og_description":"Learn what authentic branding actually is. Work on identifying the things that differentiate and distinguish you.","og_url":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/","og_site_name":"Executive Career Brand\u2122","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/megguiseppi","article_published_time":"2011-03-24T11:23:42+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-08T09:34:35+00:00","author":"Meg Guiseppi","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@megguiseppi","twitter_site":"@megguiseppi","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Meg Guiseppi","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/"},"author":{"name":"Meg Guiseppi","@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8f77ad4251f6cc47790139bc14483711"},"headline":"Personal Branding Hype and Myths vs Reality","datePublished":"2011-03-24T11:23:42+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-08T09:34:35+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/"},"wordCount":820,"commentCount":2,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#organization"},"keywords":["executive branding","Executive Job Search","personal branding"],"articleSection":["Executive Job Search","Personal Branding"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/","url":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/","name":"Personal Branding Hype and Myths vs Reality - Executive Career Brand\u2122","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2011-03-24T11:23:42+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-08T09:34:35+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/personal-branding-hype-and-myths-vs-reality\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Personal Branding Hype and Myths vs Reality"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/","name":"Executive Career Brand\u2122","description":"Executive Job Search - Personal Branding, Executive Resumes, LinkedIn Profiles, Biographies, etc.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#organization","name":"Executive Career Brand","url":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/02e273b.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/02e273b.png","width":100,"height":50,"caption":"Executive Career Brand"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/megguiseppi","https:\/\/x.com\/megguiseppi","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/megguiseppi"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8f77ad4251f6cc47790139bc14483711","name":"Meg Guiseppi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d9efda092ffdeacce0bbf2552a50ec956f2b0bc2efa2f7d6eb7b821f0efbb913?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d9efda092ffdeacce0bbf2552a50ec956f2b0bc2efa2f7d6eb7b821f0efbb913?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Meg Guiseppi"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2489"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20975,"href":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2489\/revisions\/20975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}