In 2001, Victoria Beckham said, "I want to be as famous as Persil Automatic". While some raised their eyebrows at her comparison to laundry detergent, she was onto something very clever. She was looking at herself as a brand.

Today, personal branding is no longer the work of A-listers and mega corporations, it is a part of our day-to-day lives. We've all in some way carefully created a profile of ourselves, be it our personal Facebook pages, a basic LinkedIn profile or even a blog.

As digital and communication technology proliferates, so does the need to present ourselves in the digital space. And while we're not all cut for becoming on par with Persil, thinking and treating yourself as a brand in the job marketplace can help you create a strong image of yourself and help recruiters see what you're all about.

"When it comes to nailing a job, your personal brand can really put you ahead of the competition," says personal branding expert and author of Personal Branding for Brits Jennifer Holloway. "Whereas most people focus entirely on selling ‘what’ they have to offer, anyone using their personal brand alongside their CV to appeal to employers is adding their ‘who’ into the mix. And when people buy people (which is exactly what’s happening in a job interview) that’s important."

Marissa Mayer, Yahoo’s CEO, is an example of how personal brand building can positively impact your career. According to Laura Ries, a leading brand strategist,Mayer's brand as 'Google’s 20th employee and first woman engineer' set her apart from her competitors.

Your personal brand allows employers who have never met you to very quickly learn who you are "If you've built a great LinkedIn profile, written blogs, shared your experience on Twitter and projected a positive image, that will lay some great groundwork for peoples impression of what and who you have to offer," explains Jennifer.

And while it might seem that personal branding is mostly for individuals in creative industries, that's not the case. A 2014 study by CareerBuilder.co.uk found that 50% of recruiters have admitted to using search engines such as Google in order to research potential job candidates and 48% used social networking sites.

To put it simply, personal branding is an extension of your CV and cover letter. It's where you can add colour and depth to your story and show employers why you're the person for the job.

The 21st Century CV. How personal branding can help you nail your dream job