Your resume is your greatest tool to market and sell yourself to a potential employer.  This is why it is essential to develop your brand.  A brand statement is a modern way to replace the “objective statement.”  An objective statement is often redundant (they know you are seeking a job with their company, duh).  It’s often bypassed by the reader rendering it a completely ineffective tool to sell yourself.

Hiring managers will receive hundreds of applications from seemingly equally qualified candidates, all possessing the same technical qualifications.   (In the wildland fire world, with the introduction of IFPM minimum qualifications, you can bet every applicant that crosses the hiring manager’s desk is technically qualified.)

What can tip the scales in your favor?  Having a bold branding statement as one of the first things a reader sees on your resume.  One thing to think about when developing your brand are transferable skills that are desired for ANY position.

Some of these skills are:

• Are you a team player?
• Can you come up with creative solutions to solve problems? (perhaps cost effective solutions?)
• What are your communication skills?
• What are your leadership skills?
• Can you multi-task?

Someone who can highlight these well in a resume will grab the interest of any hiring manger for ANY position.

These skills along with your goals, passions, and values should go into developing your brand.

Think about how people respond to brands and their loyalty to brands.  Nike, for example, with their logo, “Just do it,” selling active attire and equipment.  To “do” something is to act–an activity, action, to be active.  The statement implies a “no excuses” to your active routine, as it is an answer to every possible excuse to not be active.  Therefore, wearing their product will remind you that you have no excuses to get off the couch and just do it.  Their product offers their user instant motivation, isn’t that great!  And as you’re jogging along in your Nike shoes, I bet you subconsciously repeat the mantra in your head, “Just do it.”  Just keep going, push yourself, right?  Now they have gotten in your head and created a loyal customer out of you.

How can you get in the minds of the hiring officials?  Develop a brand statement they will remember, that highlights what you can offer and appeals to the field/position you are applying to.

Good Luck!