Me 2.0

This week saw the release of the new book by Dan Schawbel entitled Me 2.0; a comprehensive guide for young people (although anyone can benefit from it) as they enter the workforce and plot their careers and entrepreneurial endeavors.  Personal branding is a relatively new concept—at least for the masses.  But as the economy and traditional business structures change, the focus becomes even more on the individual.  Each person must strive to find a way to define their strengths, network, and build their business using all of their talents—personal and professional.  Employers look at their people as separate units and judge them on what unique skills and talents they are bringing to the table.  Cookie-cutter job descriptions and form applications will simply not suffice for staffing the companies of the new millennium.

As a unique, personal brand you can make a name for yourself over and above the company you work for.   Making a website, writing an ebook, and using social media are easy and fun; as you create your own following, it will add to your net worth as an individual and an employee.

In the groundbreaking book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t by Jim Collins, he describes one of the most important ways that a company can excel when others fail.  Hiring the “right people” doesn’t mean hiring them to fill a job description; it means hiring extraordinary people and letting them contribute to your company in innovative ways.  Corporations have begun to adopt more flexible, organic growth patterns which make them much more responsive to market demands and good old fashioned inspiration.

All this means that the focus must return to developing ourselves in the ways where we are naturally more suited to excel.  Ironically, this will not only make us better employees and entrepreneurs; but we’ll be much happier personally as we align our work with our personalities.

Me 2.0 is not just about building a career based on your individual abilities, however.  That is merely the first step.  This book is for marketing yourself—the next part of the success equation.  All the rules have changed, and that includes how you find work and promote yourself.  Obviously, the biggest role played in modern networking is the internet; and young people have an advantage when it comes to adaptability online.  They also have a much better grasp of how to use Web 2.0 effectively for marketing themselves and their products/services.

Me 2.0 is more than just an informative book, however.  It is a guide for building a personal brand which includes case studies; development and strategic planning exercises; and technical instructions for creating and promoting your online presence.  For anyone looking to succeed in the coming decades, it is a must-read.

Dan Schawbel is the leading personal branding expert for Gen-Y. He is the author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success as well as the publisher of both the award winning Personal Branding Blog and Personal Branding Magazine.  You can stay up on Schawbel’s latest news and information on his popular blog: Personal Branding Blog.