The purpose of your personal brand is to communicate with your target audience — potential clients, employers and people who might be able to refer you to them.

And, doubtless, you’ve taken time to think long and hard about who your audience is, how you can help them and why they should choose to work with you specifically.

The job post of today reads something like this:

20 year company seeking sales professional with 5 years of a  proven sales success in increasing new business, expanding sales territory, categories of new business, increase existing account spending, displays a high level of loyalty, plays and works well with others, is a creative thinker, entrepreneurial thinker, has a sense of humor and can wear many hats”. Making a killer apple pie and loving canines a plus!

In this Harvard Business Review article, Hire for Personality, then Train for Skill, the case is made for hiring people with the right characteristics, then train them for delivering their skills better. Makes very smart sense.