Branded
Coke is the real thing, while with Allstate you're in good hands, and Nike just does it. What's your brand? How do potential employers, former colleagues, and service providers perceive your brand of management and business savvy? Part of the answer is in your personal style, says Craddock, who has worked with many CFOs who run tight ships, but remain detached and even abrasive. Applying such an approach to job hunging won't work, says the executive coach. Rather, work to become more involved with people, not just the work, during a transition and beyond.

Proul claims that "career goals may change, but a branded individual will have the ability to make transitions easier and at their discretion." And the building blocks of a personal brand are probably already listed on a job seeker's résumé, including the types and size of the industries, markets, and companies a candidate has worked in, as well as career path, work/life balance, skills, strengths, and expertise, says Proul.

Also, candidates should co-brand themselves through association with employers or departments, writes Proul in a report he authored for Century Group. He explains that many candidates are called in for interviews because of the strong reputation of the company, industry, or products with which they are associated. Writes Proul: "Your employer already spends time and money on marketing; you can capitalize on it. In no other business relationship can you more freely use the branding and name of a company without consent."

Since a résumé is the primary billboard for a personal brand, keep it updated, Iannone recommends. "Updating a résumé is like taking down the Christmas lights after the holiday. You may not like it, but it's something you have to do every year." By performing an annual cleanup, the document better portrays a candidate's most pertinent skill set and accomplishments, and sometimes helps to reposition career goals.

Seidel, though, cautions candidates to first test the brand with their personal board of advisors, only then releasing it to the market. For instance, find out what the market wants and how your brand can be positioned to fill current voids. Some candidates may want to play up their experience in different industries and ability to effectively manage corporate finance issues across multiple sectors. Other may want to tout deep industry knowledge, for instance.

The key is to balance the brand, he says. "The brand and résumé should tell the candidate's story." But if a candidate brands too narrowly, there will not be enough opportunity in the marketplace. If the brand is too generic, it may lack value. "Once a brand is out in the marketplace, it is hard to pull back," warns Seidel. After all, Ford is still trying to live down the Edsel.

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