{"id":3347,"date":"2012-05-08T07:49:04","date_gmt":"2012-05-08T11:49:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/?p=3347"},"modified":"2025-07-08T05:34:36","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T09:34:36","slug":"7-reasons-not-to-be-a-personal-brand-copycat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/executivecareerbrand.com\/7-reasons-not-to-be-a-personal-brand-copycat\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Reasons Not To Be a Personal Brand Copycat"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

 <\/p>\n

(Following is a slightly modified version of my latest Personal Branding article at Job-Hunt.org.)<\/em><\/p>\n

You see a beautifully written, branded resume \u2013 or maybe a LinkedIn profile \u2013 of a job seeker with similar qualifications to yours, seeking the kind of job you want. It sounds a lot like you, and you don\u2019t write so well, so you see no reason why you shouldn\u2019t use some of that good writing in your own resume or LinkedIn profile.<\/p>\n

Somehow, because it\u2019s right in front of you, and there for all the world to see (if it\u2019s online), you don\u2019t think of it as stealing. But it most certainly is stealing.<\/p>\n

I’ve seen it more times than I can count . . . people copying parts or all of brand statements or other brand content I’ve written for clients and using it for their own. In other words, plagiarizing \u2013 known as copyright infringement, and in the social media sphere as “scraping”.<\/p>\n

Copyright infringement can lead you into all kinds of problems. When you borrow someone else’s brand, you put yourself in a tenuous position. How will you come across in an interview \u2013 confident and convincing or floundering and failing? When you borrow content, you risk exposing yourself as “less than” what you intended and who you know you are.<\/p>\n

Several times I\u2019ve found content from the sample resumes on my blogsite in the resumes prospective clients have sent to me. I have to wonder, did they think I wouldn\u2019t notice or that I\u2019d be flattered that they thought that much of my writing?<\/p>\n

As the manager of Job-Hunt’s Personal Branding LinkedIn Group<\/a> (a subgroup of the Job-Hunt Help Group<\/a>), I was recently monitoring a new discussion started by a new member who was introducing herself.<\/p>\n

Her intro was vaguely familiar. Then I realized she had copied it verbatim from a sample personal brand statement in a Job-Hunt article of mine. I responded to her privately, and gently, that it\u2019s never a good idea to \u201cuse\u201d other people\u2019s content, and why she needed to start from scratch and write her own brand messaging.<\/p>\n

Here are 7 reasons why borrowing content is a bad idea:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

1. Copyright infringement has expensive penalties.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the USA, the government thinks stealing content is wrong, too, and makes violating copyright law a serious, punishable offense, with fines up to $150,000 for each infringement.<\/p>\n

ANY content you\u2019ve found online, even if it doesn\u2019t carry a \u201c\u00a9 Copyright\u201d claim, is protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act<\/a> (DMCA), which is international in scope and consistent with similar laws in the European Union and most other parts of the globe.<\/p>\n

2. A borrowed “personal” brand isn’t personal enough.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A \u201cpersonal\u201d brand is just that. It\u2019s associated with a specific \u201cperson,\u201d designed to resonate with their specific target employers, and crafted to showcase that person\u2019s unique set of personal attributes, motivated strengths, passions, and value proposition. The content you\u2019re stealing may sound like you, but it\u2019s really not your brand story.<\/p>\n

Employers are increasingly using the Internet to validate what is contained on a resume or in an online profile.\u00a0 If everything isn’t “in sync” it will look very odd, and will likely negatively impact your chances.<\/p>\n

3. Not your unique personal brand.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Branding is all about differentiating yourself. It\u2019s not about how you\u2019re the same as the others competing for the jobs you want. In today\u2019s highly competitive job market, you need to stand out . . . not get lost in a sea of sameness.<\/p>\n

Identify and help people assessing you understand what specifically elevates you above the rest, and makes you the best-fit candidate for your target companies.<\/p>\n

4. May not be appropriate for your situation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The well-written content that\u2019s tantalizing you may not do the job a resume or online profile is meant to do \u2013 aligning what you have to offer with the current needs of your target employers. You MUST research those companies to determine the key functional areas that will be important to them, and pump your resume and LinkedIn profile with your specific expertise, contributions, and value-add in those specific areas.<\/p>\n

5. May cause you to be shut out by identity confusion and conflicts.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That resume you stole from may still be in circulation, being used by an active job seeker, or the LinkedIn profile you borrowed may belong to a job seeker who is pursuing the same jobs you are. What do you suppose happens when a recruiter or hiring professional notices the same content for two (or more, if others have stolen the content, too) candidates they\u2019re considering for the same job? All of you get shut out. Nobody wins.<\/p>\n

6. Puts your integrity in question.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If hiring professionals find out, you could be jeopardizing your chances to land the jobs you want. What does stealing say about your integrity? What kind of employee are you likely to be if you have no qualms about scraping copyrighted content? Even if you never heard of the DMCA, you should know that stealing is wrong.<\/p>\n

7. Bad SEO (search engine optimization) reduces impact and authority.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you create a web resume that duplicates more than 50% of someone else’s web resume (or any other web page), Google and other search engines will view yours as “duplicate content” and will place it further down in search results, below the “earlier” version done by the originator. Search engines penalize duplicate content!<\/p>\n

Bottom Line:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

You\u2019re an original. Reflect that in your brand. Authentic branding doesn’t come from using someone else’s brand messaging. It comes from digging deep and differentiating yourself. Read my 10-Step Personal Branding Worksheet to learn how to develop your own brand content.<\/p>\n

Related posts:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

What Personal Branding is NOT<\/a><\/p>\n

Executive Brand Online Reputation Management: Relevance, Quality, Diversity, Volume, Consistency<\/a><\/p>\n

Top 10 Executive Resume Branding Tips<\/a><\/p>\n

photo by woodleywonderworks<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Take time to define and develop your unique personal brand. It will pay off in job search and overall career management.<\/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":[3,4,11,6,12],"tags":[150,171,181],"class_list":{"0":"post-3347","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-executive-career-management","7":"category-executive-job-search","8":"category-online-presence-online-reputation-management","9":"category-executive-personal-and-career-branding","10":"category-social-media-and-social-networking","11":"tag-job-search","12":"tag-online-identity","13":"tag-personal-branding","14":"entry","15":"has-post-thumbnail"},"yoast_head":"\n7 Reasons Not To Be a Personal Brand Copycat - 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\/7-reasons-not-to-be-a-personal-brand-copycat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"7 Reasons Not To Be a Personal Brand Copycat - Executive Career Brand\u2122\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Take time to define and develop your unique personal brand. 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