When you think of brand building, an enterprise might come to mind, but you also have a “brand” to consider in terms of yourself as a person. How do you want to be perceived by companies in your industry? What about thought leaders and potential employers? These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself as you look to create your own personal brand.
Understanding the Personal Brand
Your personal brand can be described as anything that defines you as a person, whether it’s your name, emotion, tone, symbol, or a design. Think of a company, such as McDonalds, and try to picture the first thing that comes to mind. The “golden arches,” as they’re called, can be perceived as the brand of McDonalds. Over time, your personal brand may change, depending on the types of positions and responsibilities you take on in your career. Side projects or hobbies may also come into play, assuming they exhibit your skill set.
The Benefits of Personal Branding
Personal branding might make you feel like you’re assigning a label to yourself. However, there are several benefits associated with defining your brand. For example, you can get a better idea of how your colleagues perceive you in a work environment. Your career achievements can let you know what others may determine to be your strengths and weaknesses.
More importantly, personal branding tips you off to areas where you may want to improve. Some areas of improvement may include workday efficiency, email communication, or even your workplace attitude. The goal is to identify improvements that can be made to help you excel in your career, whether it’s with your current company or a new one in the future.
Tweaking Your Personal Brand
There’s no better time than the present to improve your personal brand, even if you only want to make a few adjustments. To start, you need to ask yourself where you want to be after you make changes. Do you want to move into a new industry or simply climb the career ladder at your current company? Understanding your objective can give you an ideal starting point.
Next, determine what makes you different from other people and personal brands. What do you do best, compared to your colleagues or thought leaders in your industry? This is an especially important step if you’re participating in the job hunt and attempting to differentiate yourself from other candidates.
Finally, don’t be afraid to develop a narrative. Just like companies, people have backstories as well, and it’s these narratives that resonate with others. To make sure you strike a chord with your audience, remember to include what’s important to you in your brand story.
Whether you’re heading down a new career path or simply trying to improve on your personal brand, these tips can give you a sense of direction.
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