How do you stand out in a crowd? More importantly, what sets you apart from others?

Please don’t say it’s your outstanding communications skills, your attention to detail or your ability to meet a deadline. At the NFPW conference, I asked communicators who had listed these skills on their resumes to stand. As you might suspect, lots of people were standing.

So how do you stand out? One way is to present the brand of you consistently. To do so, take a look at your resume, online platforms, personal business card, head shot, emails and network.

Resume Do you have an objective on your resume? If so, delete it. Instead include a summary statement, which is, essentially, your personal branding statement. It sums up what you do and how you do it. When you list your experience and places of employment be as specific as possible and demonstrate your success.

Online platforms Secure and establish your name domain. Do the same on social media networks. Even if you never use them you prevent others from doing so and potentially harming the brand of you. Be consistent in how you present yourself on each platform.

Personal business card Many of you have a professional business card but it’s helpful to have a personal card, too. You never know who you might meet who could benefit from your talent and expertise.  My personal business card contains my name, phone number and email address and a link to my blog. Presenting a person with a business card is much more professional than scribbling my name and email on a piece of paper.

Head shot A head shot is more than a photograph. It is often the first impression you make online. One study found that recruiters looked at a candidate’s head shot longer than they looked at any other portion of a profile so make it professional. If you are going to be on social media use a photo. Don’t use the ghost image and said the wrong message. 

Emails Think of your personal email signature as a personal calling card. Use it to share links to your social media profiles or to share about a recent honor or award. My email signature includes a link to this blog.

Network How many people are in your professional network? What are you doing to grow it and to learn more about the members? When you attend a conference, make it a point to introduce yourself to at least five people. Then follow up with them during the conference. Schedule lunches with individuals with whom you want to network. If lunch is too demanding try breakfast or just coffee. Networking should be about assisting others and not simply focused on what the other person can do for you. After a networking opportunity, be sure to follow-up.

Does the brand of you need some tweaking? If so make the time to do so now.