In a recent post by Heather Huhman, she talks about how the act of sending thank-you notes after an interview (or neglecting to do so) impacts your personal brand. One comment she made that stuck out in my mind is this:
“Your brand should position you as more than just an expert at something—it should also say you are a hardworking, humble jobseeker.”
Another arena in which a show of thanks can affect your personal brand is on Twitter. People constantly tweet and retweet about blog posts/articles they read and sayings that inspire them. When someone retweets one of your Twitter entries, it’s a common courtesy to thank the person for the retweet. It makes sense since the other person is promoting you and your ideas.
When (not if) a company that is interested in your candidacy for a position decides to look up your Twitter activity, finding entries that express gratitude for a retweet or a listing demonstrate that you are a “humble jobseeker” and show your willingness to appreciate when others help you.
An excellent example of showing thanks on Twitter is Steve Keating (@LeadToday). He is just amazing! He sends out tweets constantly throughout the day, and he takes the time to thank every person who retweeted him. This is no small feat for him as he is usually retweeted a couple hundred times each day. He is true to his bio, which reads: “Builder of People, Improving the Sales Profession, Developing the Next Generation of Leaders, Not selling a thing on Twitter, only giving back.”
The graciousness and humblesness that Steve Keating exudes clearly explain the fact that he has more than 22,000 followers and has been listed almost 550 times (he’s also on my list @TheJobQuest/job-search-advice). Without a doubt, he has built a strong personal brand on his integrity and appreciation.
What other ideas do you have about saying “thank you” to build your personal brand?
Great Post !
It’s always nice to say thanks, either in Twitter or in real life. One other positive that I thought about while reading your post is that if an employer goes to your Twitter page http://www.twitter.com/JohnDoe and sees a lot of Thank You’s from you for your RT’s, not only will they learn that you are gracious and grateful, they will also realize that you are relevant and retweetable! (Of course they would see this if they just Twitter searched or Google searched “@JohnDoe” but they wouldn’t see the original RT’s just from looking at your Twitter page.)
best,
@JeffreyJDavis
Hi Jeffrey,
I’m glad you liked the post.
Thank you for your added insight! You make an important point. If you’ve been retweeted a lot, you are adding value to your industry. Prospective employers wouldn’t necessarily be able to pick up on your all of the retweets because if something has been retweeted a number of times, people tend to drop off who it originates from, instead retaining only the title of the post and the link.
Thanks again for your comment!
Melissa