Your job is not your brand.

Nolan and I met for a cup of coffee to discuss his recent home purchase. He had just been laid off and was unsure how he would make his next mortgage payment. While sitting there, Sarah, the owner of the coffee shop, approached us.

"So what's your story? What brings you in here on a Tuesday morning?"

Nolan jumped in. "I am currently between jobs. I spent the last 20 years working as a recruiter. I am currently evaluating opportunities in talent acquisition and human resources."

"Recruiting? That sounds interesting," Sarah said.

"It pays the bills," Nolan replied.

Is there anything wrong with Nolan telling Sarah he is a recruiter evaluating opportunities in talent acquisition? No. It is a respectable answer and honest about his intentions. But it is just the beginning of his story.

Nolan is using recruiting as his identity.

Could Nolan sell shoes if he worked at a shoe store? Probably. Could he sell real estate if he had his license? I would say so. He could even help college students enroll in postgraduate programs. But now that Nolan lost his job, that identity is gone. He is not currently a recruiter. And if he were presented with an opportunity outside of recruitment, would his identity completely change? Or is his brand identity something entirely different from his job title?

That is the question this post is trying to answer.

Think about some of the biggest brands in the world. Nike does not tell its consumers "we sell shoes." Everyone already knows they sell shoes, hats, and apparel. Instead, their brand identity is: "To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete."

When you lace up a pair of Nikes, you feel like a real athlete. You feel like you can run faster, jump higher, compete harder. Nike is an extreme example because they have the world's best athletes behind them. But you do not need to be Nike to get your point across.

I have a friend who is designing a clothing company focused on mental health and sobriety. His website does not say "buy this shirt and you will feel better." His brand is about well-being. It is about hiking and clearing your head. It is about being around people who make you feel good. The clothes carry that message. Some have sayings like "you are not alone." They put mental health at the forefront of everything they make. That is a brand identity. The clothes are just the medium.

Which brings me back to Nolan.

Nolan identified himself as a recruiter. But he could have been in real estate, retail, or education. I know that because that is my story. I started selling shoes at Bob's Stores for seven years. Then I moved into college admissions at Post University. Then talent acquisition for the last fourteen years. Along the way, I picked up my real estate license in both New York and Connecticut.

When people ask me what I do, I tell them: "I connect people with opportunity."

Simple. Direct. It does not matter whether I am placing a candidate, selling a house, or helping a student find the right program. The brief stays the same. The job changes. The identity does not.

So how do you find yours? Start by mapping out every job you have ever had. Look for the pattern. What do you actually do for people across all of those roles? Not your job title. Not your department. What do you do for people?

Here is where Nolan's story gets interesting. As we wrapped up our coffee, he started to realize his brief was different from mine. As a recruiter, he was always the person analyzing trends, helping businesses stay ahead of the curve, and forecasting where the market was heading. Before recruitment, he worked as an Apple Genius, helping consumers understand their technology. He also has a background in coding. That experience gave him the ability to predict how AI would shape the needs of the clients he was advising.

Two professionals working in the same field. Two completely different brand identities.

Nolan is not a recruiter. He is someone who helps organizations see what is coming before it arrives.

That is a brief worth building a career around.

So what is yours?