Your personal brand is the unique combination of skills, experiences, and values that define how others perceive you. Simply put, it's what people say about you when you're not in the room.
There's something you need to understand about personal branding before reading any further: As a professional, you're not an "employee." You are a service provider, a business-of-one. And every good business has a brand.
Your personal brand is reflected in the way you communicate, the expertise you share, and even your online presence. Whether you actively shape it or not, your personal brand influences your career opportunities, professional relationships, and overall reputation. The key is to take control of your brand and ensure it aligns with your goals and aspirations.
What Can Influence Your Personal Brand?
Don't think you have a personal brand? Google your name followed by your hometown.
If you have a Facebook page or LinkedIn profile, your name probably comes up on the first page. Perhaps you have more social media profiles. Maybe you've recently been mentioned in a local news article.
All of these things are part of your personal brand. You could think of your personal brand as your online reputation—your digital first impression. Scary? Get over it. It's already out there and you can't do anything about it. What you can do is manage your personal brand so what people see about you is what you want them to see.
The History Of Personal Branding
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Personal branding was popularized by an article by Tom Peters first published in Fast Company Magazine ("A Brand Called You") over 25 years ago.
He starts out the article by writing, "Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You."
How Do You Create A Personal Brand?
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When I read that 25 years ago, I implicitly knew he was right but I didn't understand how a person could go about creating their own personal brand.
The only brands I knew of were huge corporations with hefty advertising and marketing budgets. What could a lone individual do to create their own personal brand?
Then along came the internet, and social networking, and web 2.0, and Google, and then blogs, Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and many other applications entered the scene and made it virtually impossible for anyone to keep from creating a personal brand, whether they wanted to or not.
How To Effectively Manage Your Personal Brand
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With that in mind, here are a few things you can do to manage your personal brand.
1. Make Your Personal Brand Clear
Be clear about the image you intend to project. If you have more than one message, you run the risk of confusing people about what you are all about.
2. Make Your Personal Brand Consistent
Make certain your brand message is consistent across all platforms. For instance, your resume and LinkedIn profile must be in sync.
3. Back Up Statements in Your Personal Brand
Back up any broad statements with objective proof via quantifiable information. Show numbers of what you have done to back up your claims.
4. Keep Your Personal Brand Short, Sweet, and to the Point
Your personal brand isn't your life story. Keep it brief. Can you state your value proposition (your UVA) in 10 words or less? If not, you run the risk of being forgettable—the death knell of any brand.
Having a great personal brand will help you stand out from others and make you more marketable as a job candidate. Knowing who you are, what your goals are, and what message you want to send to employers is crucial for keeping up in the competitive job search.
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