Personal branding is a way of marketing yourself to the careers market. Chances are, you've already created somewhat of a personal brand - if you have any form of social media account, it all factors in. But is your brand strong enough? Or even suitable?
What comes up? If something long forgotten but unprofessional and embarrassing from an old social media account pops up, clean it up. Change the privacy settings of you current social media accounts as well, and make sure that drunken holiday photos aren't the first (or last!) thing to surface. Sometimes employers have ways of getting round privacy settings, so for peace of mind, the best piece of advice I have heard is: if you wouldn't be comfortable with a photo being printed on a national newspaper, it probably shouldn't be online.
The best way to create a strong personal brand is by consistently using your own name across all social media platforms. Use the same username for Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and anything else relevant to your career search. A perspective employer won't try all day to find your accounts as means to hire you. By using your name, it will help them to find you more easily, aiding your career search in the long run. Interconnect the platforms by having a link on them all. Include any blogs you might have. If you want to keep something out of the picture, use a completely different username that's not attached to your professional brand.
Have a stand out concept that you have as a bio in your accounts to show what you can deliver. This concept should be different to those you've seen before and work specifically for you to show why YOU are the person that should be hired. Think of it as how a slogan works for big brands. It should be something that sets you apart from everyone else.
To have that human element to your personal branding, make sure your online persona is synonymous with the way you present yourself in real life. If you've suggested you're a confident, conscientious person, act and dress the part. It's important not to sell yourself short both online and in person, but overselling yourself with your brand online can be a huge let down to perspective employers.
