I am often asked about book recommendations regarding personal branding and marketing for jobseekers and business owners, so here are four to consider. I am definitely a fan of the most updated versions of “ME 2.0, 4 Steps to Building Your Future” by Dan Schawbel, “To Sell is Human” by Daniel Pink, “101 Strategic, Job Search Marketing Steps: The Helpful Checklist-Guide to All Things Considered Workforce Readiness and Social Media Smart” by Lenora M. Johnson, CPRW, and “Do It! Marketing: 77 Instant-Action Ideas to Boost Sales, Maximize Profits, and Crush Your Competition.” These books can help anyone get started in personal branding, including sales (you are selling as a jobseeker or business owner), social media, blogging, podcasting and the many jobseeker or business marketing options available through the Internet and your daily activities. Each book discusses integrated strategies to help those interested in personal branding for career or business success. Yes, some of these books are more targeted towards someone in a job search, and some are more focused on business ownership, and yet, the strategies and tactics generally apply to both audiences.
With today’s jobseeker and small business needs being so similar, i.e. Marketing and Personal Branding, the advice offered in the aforementioned books can be easily adapted to either type of individual. While there are a plethora of books that teach personal branding and marketing principles, I find these four to be particularly straightforward for the average reader, and the type of books where you can read just a few pages at a time and still receive benefit. Thus, these books are ideal for today’s busy lifestyle.