{"id":7073,"date":"2023-05-18T12:02:38","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T11:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=7073"},"modified":"2025-04-24T09:15:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T08:15:15","slug":"brand-yourself-and-achieve-your-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=7073","title":{"rendered":"Brand yourself and achieve your goals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cYour brand is what people say about you when you\u2019re not in the room.\u201d
\n<\/em>Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a>If you\u2019re ready to apply for jobs, internships or further study, you\u2019re at the \u2018Achieve\u2019 career readiness stage. \u2018Selling yourself\u2019, or convincingly matching your unique skills and qualities to the needs of the outside world, is a useful life skill. Nearly all of us are unsure of how to go about our \u2018personal branding\u2019 when we start. But this becomes easier once you take practical steps to build your personal brand step by step. To kick off, watch the talk Selling your personal brand with PwC<\/a> given to OU students by Andrew from global consulting company PwC. We have some really useful tools and activities to help you tackle some of the tasks Andrew mentions in his video:<\/p>\n

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  1. \u201cI\u2019ve never applied for a job before.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Learn the words to describe your skills<\/a> that make employers take notice. Take note of the key words based on research and complete an \u2018Employability skills audit\u2019<\/strong>. You\u2019ll be surprised how much you have to offer.<\/p>\n

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    1. \u201cAfter a break from work I made a number of applications without success.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Once you know \u2018who you\u2019re selling\u2019 and have the right words, build your confidence in your CV, application, and interview skills<\/a>. Take part in our regular live careers skills workshops<\/a> to build your confidence to market your personal brand.<\/p>\n

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      1. \u201cI don\u2019t know where the best place is to find vacancies\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Remember to keep your mind open to roles, sectors, and organisations you may not have considered but which are a great match for you. A designer can work in IT, and an IT specialist for a design company. A human resources person could work in a marketing agency and a marketing specialist for a human resources advisory company. Browse OpportunityHub<\/a> regularly and keep up to date with the latest opportunities from the inclusive employers the OU works with.<\/p>\n

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        1. \u201cI get so nervous about job interviews.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Get the \u2018words, music and dance right\u2019 to make the first impression you intend to. See the \u2018Interview preparation checklist\u2019 on page 133 of Your Career Planning Guide<\/a>. Also work out whether, when and how to disclose any disabilities in \u2018Reasonable adjustments in the recruitment process\u2019 on page 155.<\/p>\n

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          1. \u201cI had interviewed well, and he was going to offer me a position. I still can’t believe it is happening, this really is a dream come true<\/em>.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Practice \u2013 in front of the mirror, to family members, your cat or dog\u2026 or using our Interview360<\/a> tool which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to practice video interviews by asking you questions based on your CV against the clock.<\/p>\n

            Developing your \u2018personal brand\u2019 is closely associated with the \u2018Achieve\u2019 career readiness stage. Find out more about the Discover, Explore and Progress stages and use our intelligent self-diagnostic Career Readiness Pulse<\/a> to work out your own career readiness and identify your next steps.<\/p>\n

            Careers and Employability Services<\/a><\/h5>\n