How to protect your Personal Brand even when you aren’t looking for a job

At HARP wallen we have pretty much experienced the worst of the worst in the recruitment world; candidates forgetting their client interviews, cancelling last minute or showing up an hour late for a meeting with a recruiter, and even refusing to complete an interview task. These types of acts can obviously damage your personal brand during the recruitment process and as we have previously stated in an earlier post, having clear and effective communication skills can sometimes determine whether you get a job.

Whilst it is clear that having these skills during the recruitment process is important, it is even more important to have them when you are not looking for work. The travel industry may be a large sector but the network of people that work in it are quite small. People remember the candidates they interview and remember the people they meet at networking events. At HARP wallen we know travel and we know the people that work in it. By protecting your personal brand you ensure that people remember you and the good impression you left behind.

I’ll give you an example:

Some time ago we had a candidate contact us about a senior level role with a Tour Operator we were recruiting for. When we presented the candidate to our client the Managing Director stood them down. The reason being? She had met the candidate several times at industry and networking events and noticed how the candidate would repeatedly consume excessive amounts of alcohol and for this reason she did not invite them for an interview.

In a scenario such as this, protecting your personal brand is essential and can come back to bite you in the rear. Be smart, be conscious about your actions at work, during job interviews, industry events and conferences.

Written by, Emily Ziolkowski
Twitter: @Emily_HWER
www.harpwallen.co.uk