How I Found My 'Personal Brand' (And You Can, Too)

I've been at the career-reinvention wheel for nearly two months now, and I've applied for exactly one job. That's because I'm rethinking my new identity and direction. Last week I made a major leap forward as a result of talking to Karen Kang, a personal-branding guru and author of BrandingPays: The Five-Step System to Reinvent Your Personal Brand.

Here's what Karen helped me realize last week.

Personal branding isn't nonsense. Before talking to Kang, the idea of marketing myself like a bottle of soda seemed totally contrived. Now, I get it. The word "branding" may feel weird, but the concept makes total sense: Packaging yourself in a clear, marketable, and enticing way -- and being consistent about it.