Nailing a job interview requires more than just a polished resume—you also need to demonstrate a powerful personal brand and make your unique value clear. We asked 11 experts for advice on how to leave a lasting impression.
- Communicate Your Unique Value
- Define Your Unique Value
- Demonstrate Actual Value
- Align Story with Company Values
- Reflect on Core Values
- Transform Brand Into Dynamic Story
- Use STAR Method for Examples
- Connect on Personal Level
- Share Relevant Content Online
- Focus on Job Description
- Create Wall of Love Deck
11 Personal Branding Tips for Job Interviews
Communicate Your Unique Value
My top advice for leveraging your personal brand in a job interview is to focus on consistently communicating your unique value and key strengths. Start by identifying the 2-3 qualities that set you apart—whether it’s your ability to lead cross-functional teams, drive innovation, or deliver measurable results—and be ready to weave those strengths into your answers. For instance, if you pride yourself on being a strong communicator, share a story where your clear communication helped resolve a conflict or align stakeholders toward a common goal.
To make a lasting impression, think about how your personal brand aligns with the company’s values and the role’s requirements. If you’re applying for a leadership role and your personal brand includes being a collaborative leader, you might highlight an example where you led a team through a challenging project and ensured everyone’s voice was heard, resulting in a successful outcome. Employers want to hire not just someone who can do the job, but someone who reflects their culture and values.
It’s also important to prepare a compelling personal pitch that reinforces your brand. When asked, “Tell me about yourself,” don’t just list your job history. Instead, focus on who you are as a professional and what you’re known for—this is a chance to shape how the interviewer perceives your strengths. For example, instead of saying, “I’ve worked in marketing for five years,” you could say, “I’m a data-driven marketing professional known for developing innovative campaigns that have increased engagement by 30%.” This immediately sets you apart by communicating both your expertise and your impact.
Lastly, ensure your personal brand is consistent across platforms. If your LinkedIn profile highlights your expertise in project management, your interview responses should reinforce that same message. Recruiters and hiring managers often check LinkedIn profiles after interviews, so having a polished, up-to-date profile that aligns with what you’ve shared in the interview will strengthen your credibility. Don’t underestimate the power of consistency—presenting a clear and cohesive personal brand makes you more memorable.
By clearly articulating what makes you unique, using compelling stories to back it up, and ensuring consistency across all touchpoints, you’ll leave a lasting impression and position yourself as the ideal candidate.
Margaret Buj
Interview Coach and Talent Acquisition Manager, Mixmax
Define Your Unique Value
My best advice for leveraging your personal brand in a job interview is to clearly define your unique value and practice articulating it with confidence. Your personal brand is how you communicate HOW you lead, WHY you’re different, and WHAT results you deliver. It’s not about listing accomplishments—it’s about connecting those achievements to a narrative. In the interview, you connect that narrative to the company’s needs.
With over two decades of experience as an executive coach specializing in personal branding and career transitions, I’ve seen this approach transform interviews. I even wrote about it in my book 15 years ago—before “personal branding” was a trend. The key is to prepare stories that illustrate your brand in action, showcasing your leadership style and measurable results. When you integrate these stories seamlessly into your answers, you create a lasting impression and position yourself as the solution they’re looking for.
Remember: own your narrative, or someone else will. Make them see why you’re unforgettable.
Adriana Cowdin
CEO and Executive Coach, Be Bold Executive Coaching
Demonstrate Actual Value
The key insight is this: Stop trying to be good at interviews and focus on demonstrating your actual value.
Tell a True Story:
- Not a rehearsed elevator pitch.
- Share a specific relevant problem you solved.
- Keep it under 2 minutes.
Bring Evidence:
- Create a one-page “proof document.”
- Show actual results with numbers.
- Make it scannable, not dense blocks of text.
Ask Better Questions:
- What does success look like in 6 months?
Do Real Wor:
- Offer to solve a current problem.
- Suggest a mini-project.
- Show your thinking process.
Most candidates try to be perfect. Don’t do that. Instead, be helpful. Show them exactly how you think and work. That’s your brand in action.
Dee DeRidder
Career Strategist and Career Coach, MissFit Coaching
Align Story with Company Values
Tell your story in a way that aligns with the company’s values. During the interview, don’t just repeat the professional experience or skills that are in your resume. Tell a specific story about one of those details and explain how you feel it aligns with the Mission and Values of the company. You can find those values on most any company website. If you help the interviewer really imagine your unique story, it’s likely they’re going to remember you for their shortlist of candidates.
Jeremy Ross
Publicist and Speaking Coach, Prestige Publicity and Marketing LLC
Reflect on Core Values
The most important thing to remember when preparing for a job interview is that it’s a two-way street. They are interviewing you, but you are also interviewing them. And beyond that, every company you join becomes a reflection of you and your personal brand. With that in mind, what I recommend to all job seekers is to reflect on their core values in preparation for the interview. Design your questions for the interviewer with your core values in mind to ensure alignment. After all, an organization whose values are a mismatch with yours will quickly prove to be a difficult place to give your heart and soul to. On the other hand, when values align, true magic happens in every partnership.
Marina Byezhanova
Co-Founder, Brand of a Leader
Transform Brand Into Dynamic Story
The game-changing strategy is transforming your personal brand from a static résumé into a
dynamic, storytelling ecosystem of professional potential.
Most job seekers fundamentally misunderstand personal branding—treating it as a collection of achievements rather than a narrative of professional evolution. The most compelling personal brands aren’t about listing accomplishments, but demonstrating your unique problem-solving approach, intellectual curiosity, and capacity for innovative thinking.
Start by creating a narrative arc that connects your past experiences, current capabilities, and future aspirations. This means developing a LinkedIn profile, portfolio, or personal website that tells a cohesive story about your professional journey. Highlight not just what you’ve done, but how you’ve approached challenges, learned from experiences, and continuously evolved.
Our LinkedIn research indicates candidates who craft a compelling professional narrative increase their interview success rates by 47% and demonstrate 33% higher potential for long-term career growth.
The critical insight? Personal branding is about showcasing your unique professional DNA—the intersection of your skills, experiences, and potential that makes you more than just a set of credentials.
Pro tip: Treat your personal brand like a living, dynamic technology platform—constantly updating, iterating, and optimizing your professional narrative to reflect your most current capabilities and aspirations.
Harman Singh
Senior Software Engineer, StudioLabs
Use STAR Method for Examples
Understanding the concept of the “STAR” method can set you apart in job interviews. This stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Instead of merely listing your accomplishments, tell a story using this method. Start with a specific situation you were in, clearly define the task you needed to accomplish, describe the actions you took, and outline the result of those actions. This way, your personal brand is showcased through real examples of how you handle work challenges.
To make these stories even more memorable, align them with the company’s mission or values. Research their goals and weave that into your stories. This shows you’re a fit not just skills-wise, but also in terms of mindset and values. It goes beyond listing skills on a resume—you’re showing how your unique experiences and approach can directly benefit the company.
Andrew Franks
Co-Founder, Claimsline
Connect on Personal Level
Humans have an inherent desire for connection, and our personal brands—shaped by our unique experiences—offer a powerful way to establish that bond. While maintaining professionalism is essential during the job interview process, it’s equally important to look for opportunities to connect on a personal level. Ultimately, it’s a person—a human being—who will be making the hiring decision. That person has a family, friends, passions, places they’ve traveled, and dreams.
By identifying common ground between their personal brand and your own, you can establish a deeper, more meaningful connection that goes beyond business talk. Share your travel experiences, unique hobbies, or quirks. These personal identifiers help you engage on a more profound level, allowing you to stand out from the competition.
Sam Panitch
Co-Founder and CEO, Elevation Nation
Share Relevant Content Online
Start by sharing thoughtful, relevant content on your social media or LinkedIn profile in the days leading up to the interview.
Post insights, ideas, or useful resources related to the role you’re applying for. This shows genuine interest in the industry and positions you as someone actively engaged in the field.
Interviewers often look up candidates online, and seeing you contribute meaningfully to industry conversations can subtly boost your credibility. Additionally, ensure your online profiles are current and clearly highlight the skills and experiences most relevant to the role. Tailor your LinkedIn headline, summary, and featured content to align with the position.
Nirmal Gyanwali
Founder & CMO, WP Creative
Focus on Job Description
The strongest piece of advice I would give someone preparing for a job interview is to focus more on what was asked for in the “About the Job” section of a job posting. There is a key phrase to watch for, “This person will be responsible for…”
During the interview, that is what you should talk about, not focusing on yourself or bullet points in a posting. That “About the Job” section is critical because it is the hiring manager talking to you about what they want.
Talk about how your previous responsibilities are exactly what they’re asking for, now. Refer to the job description, too. It will show that you were thinking, reading, and paying attention to “the order” that was placed. Most people don’t realize this, but a person posting a job is very much like posting an order online and waiting for something to be delivered. The mindset is transactional for the job poster.
You will bring up your personal brand to show that you’re a culture fit for this type of work. You cannot expect the person to read your mind, or expect them to make the connection for you, as to why your personal brand will help you perform better in this position.
You have to share your logic with the hiring manager as to why your brand makes you an excellent fit. It won’t always be obvious to everyone. Try simple phrases like, “I see you are looking for someone who does {this}. I’m happy to see that because I believe my background in {this} could be of great value to your company.”
Final note on this: it is always better to talk to people, as if you’re looking to work with them, instead of talking to people as if you need something.
Steven Lowell
Sr. Reverse Recruiter & Career Coach, Find My Profession
Create Wall of Love Deck
Creating a “Wall of Love” slide deck comprised of LinkedIn recommendations, shoutouts, and screenshots from emails and Slack messages from clients, coworkers, and employers can help you showcase your personal brand. Send this in an email to your interviewers along with your application documents as a way to stand out from other candidates ahead of the interview.
Matt Parkin
Founder, Mornings With Matt Consulting
