Looking to get that job you've always wanted? Or maybe you want to get accepted to one of the toughest schools in the country. Personal Branding (Marketing) may get you there…

Ok I'm beginning to sound like the infomercials I wake up to at 3 in the morning. Usually I just smash the front of the tv with my half dead hand. Sometimes I think I'm lucky enough to have the remote curled under my arm so I can conveniently shut the TV off. But, usually it doesn't work and I have to throw it at the wall and visually and physically assault the TV in an effort to get the real estate opportunities off of the screen.

The truth is, people don't establish relationships with companies, they establish relationships with people. And, no matter what your role is at the company you work for or want to work for, or the school you currently attend, or want to attend, it is a powerful and beneficial thing to brand or market yourself (assuming you KNOW what you want to market or brand yourself for).

After unsuccessfully trying to gather information online on a potential hire and colleague (I was looking for a portfolio or writings) I realized how important personal branding is. I wanted to see their real world work, study the code and design that went into a site they had created or maybe read an article or response they had written on a blog… something. But, I couldn't find anything.

At that moment I realized how important and powerful personal branding is. I tell people (after they ask) that I am a web designer. Some people remember the name of my company and my web address, but more people remember my name.

I did a quick vanity search for "Zach Katkin" and realized nothing came up, especially nothing relevant to web design.

Although many times designers (web, print, etc.) are hired by firms and so don't have a whole lot to their names, they need to establish themselves through personal branding. Web designers in particular are involved in a medium that uniquely demands personal branding.

Search and search engines have become the tool for quickly studying a person and their qualifications. If you are a web designer, you need to show case it. Your name needs to bring up articles, documents, sites, etc. that you have authored or contributed to.

And the issue of ego is a small one. As long as you are truly knowledgeable and passionate, you are merely participating in the same type of activities and conversations you should be to better yourself in your craft and help others.

Other industries and persons (not in web or web related fields) can also benefit from this. Imagine the sales potential if you are a business consultant who specializes in consulting with large construction firms and you happen to meet a large developer one night at dinner. The developer searches your name later that night and finds articles you've authored related to construction and consulting. A powerful thing!

Likewise, if you are a student trying to get into pharmaceutical school, possibly at Nova, or Miami imagine the benefits when an admissions officer looks up your name online and finds you have authored some posts about chemistry, biology or your desire to become a pharmacist.

And so, I have been actively personally branding my name and my blog over the past few months. That was (one of the reasons) why I started this blog, where I discuss topics in the web industry, and have since encouraged my employees to do so.