Don’t kid yourself. Successful brands don’t happen by accident. Fortune 500 companies don’t create and build their brands — i.e. their messaging, identity, personality and the like — accidentally. Instead, they first understand the best practices that strong brands require and they manage them with precision through an army of experienced “brand police” every day, at every turn. From their smallest tweet to their largest global event, their information is Compelling, Clear, Concise, Clever and Consistent at every turn. What would happen if we applied these same 5 C’s to our own personal brands?

I believe that everyone can benefit from applying the great branding techniques of big business – including you and me! The next time you update your resume or prepare for an interview for a dream job, remember what the big guys know:

• Be Compelling: Plan and practice your 30-second elevator pitch ahead of time and strive to capture their imagination with your message and your delivery.
• Be Clear: Be sure your message is easy to understand. You want them to see how you can solve an important problem or fill an important gap for them. The last thing you want to do is confuse them.
• Be Concise: Get all your points across quickly and efficently. If you go around in circles or wander off track in your interview, they may think you’ll do the same on the job.
• Be Clever: Try to leave them with a thought or idea that is truly memorable and interesting so that you really stand out about the other candidates.
• Be Consistent: There’s an old saying in marketing. Tell them. Then tell them again. And tell them again. Without sounding repetitive, be sure you are consistent in your messaging so they know they can depend on you.