Resumes are Dead. Long Live Personal Branding!

In today’s digital world, traditional resumes are slowly losing their power. While hiring for a role not long ago, I came across a candidate whose resume said he was a Python developer.

But when I checked his LinkedIn, it turned out he was actually working as a web developer. That’s when I thought—while a resume lists your roles and skills in a static, one-size-fits-all format, your LinkedIn profile actually shows what you do.

It reflects your journey in real time—your projects, content, endorsements, career shifts, and even how you talk about your work.

LinkedIn has become your living, social proof. It shows what you really do, how you speak about your work, and what others say about you. For senior roles especially, hiring decisions are no longer just about qualifications—they’re about presence. And personal branding plays a huge role in that.

So, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a fresher, a consultant, a marketer, or a founder — your personal brand speaks before you do.

Why Personal Branding Matters Now More Than Ever

Earlier, resumes were the go-to way to showcase work. Today, a recruiter will check your resume for 2 minutes. And spend 20 minutes scanning your LinkedIn.

If you speak at an event, write about your learnings, or share an idea that resonates, that’s what people remember. That’s what makes them follow your work or reach out to you.

It’s no longer just about skills. It’s about trust and visibility.

If people know you, see your work, and get value from your content, they’re more likely to hire, recommend, or collaborate with you.

The PDC Framework to Build a Strong Personal Brand

When it comes to building a strong personal brand, there are three key things to focus on—your Presence, your Distribution, and your Content. I’ve been following this simple framework for a few years now:

Let’s break each of these down.

1. Presence

When we talk about presence today, it includes LinkedIn, social media, your blog, and every digital touchpoint.

The way to get started is by building distribution—there are multiple strong channels you can use to build visibility. But, the key is picking one and going deeper into it. That’s where momentum begins.

You can also consider presence as your digital footprint. This includes your LinkedIn profile, your website, any event pages, podcasts, guest articles, or community platforms where your name shows up.

• It’s the first step in making sure you’re findable.

• If someone Googles your name, what shows up?

• Does your LinkedIn have a clear summary?

• Does it tell people what you do in a simple way?

• Does your profile picture, banner, and headline make you look professional and approachable?

  
  

That’s where you start. Because if people can’t find you, they can’t trust you. And if they can’t trust you, they won’t work with you.

2. Distribution

Now that you have an online presence, the next step is distribution.

Distribution is simple: it’s how far your message can go.

●       When you post something on LinkedIn, how many people see it?

●       When you share an insight or idea, how many people engage?

●       When you speak at an event, how many people hear you?

You don’t need to have 100,000 followers. You just need the right 1,000 people to know what you do.

Your distribution grows when:

●       You show up regularly online

●       You engage with others’ content

●       You collaborate with communities

●       You speak at webinars or podcasts

Every small interaction helps build awareness. And over time, people start associating your name with your space.

3. Content

When it comes to content, one of the most important things is to clearly define your content pillars.

What will you talk about?

It could be your skills, your learnings, leadership lessons—whatever feels authentic to you. But the key is to pick two or three and go deep. That’s how you start building a strong personal brand.

Once you're clear on what you stand for, it becomes easier to create consistently and build recall. This can include:

●       Tips you’ve learned in your job

●       Mistakes you made and how you fixed them

●       Reviews and testimonials from clients or colleagues

●       Videos or photos from events you spoke at

●       Screenshots of results you achieved

●       Reposts of industry insights with your own take

You don’t have to write perfect posts. You don’t need viral content. You just need to show up consistently and share things you genuinely believe in.

Over time, good content will bring reach. Reach will bring opportunities. And those opportunities will grow your personal brand.

Why Is LinkedIn One Of The Most Powerful Channels Which Brands Can Focus On?

Almost 10 years ago, I was stuck in my corporate career. I remember being given a piece of feedback that completely changed how I approached my work.

One of my leaders said to me, “You’re doing great work, but only people inside the company know you. If you want to grow, you need to build your personal brand—let people outside know the value you bring.”

That stayed with me.

I started small—public speaking sessions, blog writing, and slowly experimenting with LinkedIn. Over time, I realised something important: there are many ways to build visibility, but the most effective one for me was LinkedIn.

It allowed me to go deep, consistently show what I stood for, and most importantly, attract the right people who resonated with my work.

Today, I think of digital presence as more than just “posting on social media.”

Your real presence is a mix of four or five things: your LinkedIn, your blog, public speaking, social media, and how you distribute your thinking online.

But what matters most is going deep in one channel. That’s how real momentum builds.

We use a simple framework at DAiOM called PDC—Publish, Distribute, Convert.

It helps us and our clients build visibility in a focused way.

And we believe LinkedIn plays a powerful role in the "Distribute" part of that.

When I started DAiOM, I applied the same idea: build and distribute your thinking publicly. That’s what brought us early customers, and even now, it’s what drives organic traffic to our blogs and helps us stay visible.

So no matter what you’re building—start putting it out there.

Start with your blog. Share it on LinkedIn. Let people see what you believe in.

Because what’s not seen, doesn’t scale.

There’s a popular quote by Porter Gale: “Your network is your net worth.”

But in today’s world, it’s not just about who you know. It’s about who knows you.

And what they remember you for.

If 50 people in your industry think of you when a project comes up, that's way more powerful than a line on your resume.

Conclusion

When we started CrossMentors, one of the first things we focused on was building a strong presence on LinkedIn — and it’s been one of our most effective channels for visibility and distribution.

Why LinkedIn?

Because that’s where the professional world lives.

• LinkedIn has over 1 billion members globally

• More than 120 million users are from India, making it the second-largest market after the U.S.

• And if you’re in the professional space, chances are, you’re already on it (or should be!)

Whether you're hiring, mentoring, building a brand, or just sharing ideas, LinkedIn is no longer optional. It’s where people look you up, form impressions, and decide whether they want to work with you. That’s why we considered it early, and the results continue to speak for themselves.

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