As a talent strategist and career coach, my best advice to anyone who is looking to level up in their career is to develop a personal brand built on trust and credibility.
Why? Because people love associating themselves with other people who will make them look good.
A few years ago, I was chatting with a recruiter at a large tech company. He told me he had more than 1,000 people apply for one job. Fifty people were referred internally by an employee. About 10 had someone personally reach out to him to say how wonderful the person they were recommending was, and that they’d be a great fit for the role.
You can probably guess which candidates he spoke to first. When you create a strong personal brand based on credibility and trust, you can become a magnet for opportunities. Here’s how.
So what did those 10 stand out candidates do differently? They didn’t just send their resumes out into a void. They turned to their community, asked someone to help, and made it easy for them to say, “Of course I want to vouch for you.”
