Have you thought about your personal brand and the impact it has on your career trajectory? Sadly, it is often overlooked, but it is absolutely critical at any stage of your career. Professionals have their own story to tell and goals, skills, and expertise to share. In today’s virtual world, a personal brand is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s expected if you want to stand out. It’s what separates you from the rest – your secret sauce!
So what is a personal brand? A personal brand is the impression of an individual based on their expertise, competencies, actions, and/or achievements within a community, industry, or the marketplace at large. It’s the process of engaging others within your profession and differentiating yourself. What is your value add? What makes you unique? Are you giving back to the profession? Your personal brand is being built brick by brick with every conversation, every social post, and every interaction that you have with others. And your story plays an important role in boosting your career.
Developing a personal brand may sound challenging, but there are steps you can take to build up credibility and your persona. Here are ten tips to help you create an authentic personal brand and amplify your career resiliency!
1. What makes you unique? Your personal brand should reflect your personal and professional identity. Create a list of your personal strengths and weaknesses.
- What areas do you excel in?
- What characteristics have others complimented you on?
- What motivates you?
- What tasks do you enjoy the most?
- What attributes do you want to be known for?
This is a great opportunity to also tap into your network of friends, family, and co-workers and lean on them for input and feedback. Once you are more familiar with your uniqueness you can move forward with building a branding strategy.
2. Define your audience. Whom do you want to reach with your story? Is it thought leaders, a group of people, or recruiters? Once you define who your audience is you can begin with crafting your story and how you want to communicate it. As an example, if you want to reach industry thought leaders, you’ll want to build up your social presence and engage with others via networking events/conferences. Research what other thought leaders are doing. How do they stand out from the crowd? How can you imitate them, but then also add your own personal touch?
3. Tell a story. Create a story around your personal brand that others can relate to and engage with. One of the best ways to do this is via written content or video. Posting a video sharing your knowledge and expertise allows for a personal connection with your network. Just be sure to make it unique to you. Also, let other people tell your story. The best PR is word of mouth. What do others say about you when you’re not in the room?
4. Create a positive impact. Always keep in mind the impact you leave on others. Focus on growing a positive community around your brand. A positive attitude and helping others will significantly help grow your brand in the long run. As an example, even leaving a negative comment on someone else’s LinkedIn post can be detrimental to your brand. You never want to burn bridges either.
5. Be genuine and authentic. In addition to creating your personal brand and doing your self-assessment, it's also a great practice to identify areas where you can stand out from the crowd. How do you champion a program? How do you motivate and engage with others? Be true to yourself. People can see right through a disingenuous show. Remember that your brand is your secret sauce. If everyone was the same this world would be quite boring.
6. Be focused and consistent. You cannot be everything to everyone so what is your focus? Keeping your messaging targeted to your audience will greatly help in creating content around your personal brand. Also, the narrower and more focused your brand is, the easier it will be for people to remember who you are. Consistency around your online and offline messaging is also key – across all platforms.
7. Embrace networking. Once you’ve built your brand you need to embrace networking to grow your professional circle. Networking regularly and effectively with peers and industry thought leaders both virtually and in person will elevate your brand and help you get recognized within your profession. Considering that 85% of jobs are filled through networking, regularly engaging with others will allow for opportunities to find you and advance your career.
8. Be ready to fail. It’s human nature to fail, but it must be acknowledged to learn from it and grow. You’ll never grow if you don’t push yourself outside of your comfort zone and open yourself up to the potential to make mistakes and fail. The very best thought leaders are never built from perfection.
9. Live your brand. Many professionals make the mistake of separating their personal and professional worlds, but it is easier to create your personal brand that is one and the same as your actual lifestyle. Your brand needs to be authentic to who you are. What do you believe in? What are your ideals?
10. Protect your brand. Once you’ve built your brand and your community you want to be sure to protect it. Think of yourself as a social media manager. One bad post or comment at a work event can quickly destroy your brand. Always admit to mistakes, take responsibility, and think before you act.
Hopefully, you find these tips helpful. Just remember that your personal brand isn’t built overnight. It’s a lifelong project that evolves and changes with your career. It’s your secret sauce! As always, we are here to help you in meeting your career aspirations in any way that we can. Sign up for our BCM Career Alert notifications at https://www.bcmanagement.com/business-continuity-jobs to ensure you receive timely new career notifications matching your search preferences. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you might have. Arrange a complimentary discussion today at info@bcmanagement.com.