As we all know, job-hunting is hard — even in the best of circumstances. So it’s no surprise that when cancer is added to the mix, the process can often seem insurmountable.

To make things easier, it’s helpful to have a plan. And these days, some people consider a key part of that plan developing what’s called your personal brand. According to consulting powerhouse PricewaterhouseCoopers, which created an online workbook to help job-seekers do just that, your personal brand is “your reputation…your calling card — your unique promise of value.”

In order to cultivate your personal brand, first you need to identify your special skills and personality traits and how they differentiate you and make you valuable. Having a clear sense of that can go a long way toward building (or renewing) your self-confidence. And for many cancer patients and survivors — particularly those who have taken time off from work to undergo treatment — trusting their ability to perform well on the job isn’t easy. As such, the very process of developing a personal brand can be empowering, because it requires you to focus on the positive, unique attributes you possess and the ways in which you’ve utilized them in the past.

Although PWC’s interactive workbook for building your own brand is targeted primarily toward recent college graduates, the exercise is valuable for job-seekers of any age.

For additional tips on putting your best self forward when looking for work, consult our Job Search Tools, download a free copy of our Job Search Toolkit or have your resume reviewed — also for free! — by a professional career coach.