It is so important to stand out. The problem when everyone uses the same generative garbage is that everything looks the same. If you come from LinkedIn, you know EXACTLY what I mean.
The same narratives, the same artificial pleasantries. Most people just don't stand out.
Why create an online identity?
You need to stand out to be considered for a job or to sell something.
If you are trying to get a job, you will fail just sending CVs and cold DMs exclusively. Why would somebody choose you? Because you spammed somebody's DMs or prompted your resume using the same LLM as everyone else does? Really?
What makes you unique? What makes you memorable?
And don't expect somebody to go through your GitHub... recruiters don't even know what a repo is... (for those coding inclined)
My point is you need to do more than the status quo.
Choosing to stand out
This is where I got confused with this website. Am I creating a business or personal brand?
To quote GaryVee, I realised your personal brand IS the business.
Previous readers will notice I changed the domain from gammagelabs.com to benjamingammage.com after realising this.
You, as a person, are the marketing wheel whether you market a job or a product. You need stuff on the internet that puts your face out there.
Yeah, you can choose whether that's words or video, but people will buy from YOU.
I had seven interviews for data analyst positions with no prior experience just because I had a portfolio website and blogged about data reports. On this website.
Not through GitHub. Not even through prior education!!
Building around YOU
Through my employment I have met amazing people. One person comes to mind writing this. I would ask her "are you running the business yet?" This person was next level, seriously could run the entire company with her ability. But she didn't build around her personality.
If she built around her personality, I'm not sure whether that would equal a promotion. But recruiters would give her opportunities. If she decided to build her own thing, she would be lethal on marketing. She was a copywriter after all.
That's a long way to say, I guarantee your personality is your greatest strength and if you built around it, opportunities would come. Like my data analyst interviews.
Then the brand can change
This is where I fucked up hard. Like I said earlier, I changed from gammagelabs.com to benjamingammage.com. I didn't link my YouTube channel to my website either, because of my honest takes on struggling to find a job. (I'm new to all this too, my videos are cringe!)
I made it confusing, people didn't know what I was all about. Am I a business about data reports, or am I building websites? What's with the AI stuff?
Learn from my mistakes here. If you are the brand, make it personal. Don't make it about you, but put your name behind what you say.
My solution is that if you are the focus, the output can be anything.
- Gary Vee went from wine to NFTs, cups, and garage sales. He also runs a marketing company.
- Alex Hormozi went from personal trainer to building companies.
- Ali Abdaal went from a general practitioner to lots of things to some inspirational guy.
I can go on, but the pattern is obvious: it's the person behind it that matters.
Don't make it confusing
I'm currently pivoting from data analysis to websites. But I also love fitness, gaming. Maybe I decide to build a game with Godot. Maybe somebody will buy websites off me. Maybe I end up being a consultant.
That fluidity is not possible if you niche into one thing, like gammagelabs did. But as a person, yeah I can work out and make websites. Maybe somebody wants to buy both services from me? I could offer them a website and fitness plan, who knows!
This removes the confusion. Gammage Labs was tech-based. Wouldn't make sense if all of a sudden I wrote about my 3000 calorie diet.
Conclusion
I didn't want this article to be some marketing bullshit about personal branding - I'm not selling you anything here.
But from my frustrations of creating an online identity and lack of employment opportunities through just applying online on Indeed, LinkedIn, or whatever, I realised that if you want a job, or you are trying to sell something, you need to put your face behind the applications.
And, as you fail to get jobs and need to pivot, you can do that.
It's your only way to stand out doing all of this too.