Author: Erik Deckers

is the owner of Professional Blog Service, a newspaper humor columnist, and the co-author of Branding Yourself: How to Use Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself, No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide to Social Media Marketing, and The Owned Media Doctrine.
Brand Yourself AsPositioningRelationships & Personal GrowthSocial Media

What Does Your Blogging Platform Say About Your Personal Brand?

What does your blogging platform say about you? Are you sending a message just by having the blog platform you have? Are there certain types of people who choose one platform over the other? See what your chosen blog platform could be saying about you.

Select your weapon

Blogger.com: I’m new to blogging and technology. …

Brand Identity & Self-DiscoveryJob SearchLifestyle & Habit BuildingRelationships & Personal GrowthSocial Media

Your Résumé Should NOT Include A Headshot

Do not, do not, DO NOT include a photo with your résumé!

Just don’t do it.

“But what if I—”

No.

“But what about—?”

No!

“But I like to—”

No!

Unless you are a model or an actor applying for a modeling gig or auditioning for a part, you should never, ever, ever, ever, EV-VER …

write at every opportunity; bio
Brand Yourself AsJob SearchLifestyle & Habit BuildingPositioningRelationships & Personal GrowthReputation Management

Writing Your Personal Brand Bio When You Change Careers

How do you redefine yourself professionally when you’ve spent several years getting it down pat the first time?

Timothy Brandt posed that question — sort of — to me and my Branding Yourself co-author Kyle Lacy last week on Twitter.

How can I start my IT bio when I received experiences from business positions?

For …

Career & WealthLifestyle & Habit BuildingMarketingNetworkingRelationships & Personal GrowthReputation Management

Two Important Things to Do While You’re Unemployed

I hope you’re not one of those people who said, “I’m making my job search a full-time job.” I’ve known people who do that. They spend — or at least intend to spend — 40 hours per week, poring over the job boards, applying for any and all jobs they can find.

It’s an awful, …

Brand Identity & Self-DiscoveryBrand Yourself AsLifestyle & Habit BuildingNetworkingRelationships & Personal Growth

Five Personal Branding Resolutions To Keep In 2012

Well, hell, why not? You’ve made resolutions for everything else so far, why not make resolutions for personal branding next year? Here are five resolutions I wish other marketers, networkers, and social media people would follow. And if you want people to like and respect your personal brand, you’ll at least consider this list of …

brand matchupBrand Yourself AsJob SearchNetworkingRecruitmentRelationships & Personal GrowthSocial Media

Five Personal Branding Tools Every Job Candidate Needs

If you want to be taken seriously as a job candidate, and stand out as someone who really knows what they’re doing, and that you’re plugged in, you need to have a few personal branding tools.

They’re all easy to get, they’re all inexpensive, if not downright free (except #4; you’re kind of stuck there). …

Brand Yourself AsJob SearchLifestyle & Habit BuildingRelationships & Personal GrowthReputation ManagementSocial Media

Three Advanced Personal Branding Techniques

Most of you reading this are beyond the “start a blog, get on Twitter” advice for personal branding. Way beyond it. Hell, if you found this site, you’re already on Twitter, you rock out Facebook, and you know how your Klout score is trending. but still have to look at your license plate to remember …

Brand Yourself AsJob SearchLifestyle & Habit BuildingNetworkingPositioningRecruitmentRelationships & Personal Growth

Find Hidden Jobs Never Found on Traditional Job Boards

Quit wasting your time on the traditional job boards. The monstrously big career building boards. If that’s where you’re spending a lot of your job search, thinking that’s where you’re going to find your next job, you’re putting a lot of time and effort into a source with a very low rate of return. If …