The inevitable career-related, New Year's resolutions are fast approaching - at least one in five of us will have thoughts of finding a new job or creating a new challenge or opportunity in 2019. Starting this process with confidence and determination is a given but if you’re struggling to determine where to begin, the most logical first step is reviewing your personal brand.
Personal branding is the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands.
In Be Your Own Brand first published in 1999, marketers David McNally and Karl Speak define personal brand this way: "Your brand is a perception or emotion, maintained by somebody other than you, that describes the total experience of having a relationship with you."
Branding has reached a new level of importance because of the rise of the Internet. We need to manage our online identities because of the impact of our virtual lives on reality. We virtually connect with people now and people get their first impressions of us – not by meeting us face to face - but by how they perceive us to be online.
Amongst job-seekers, this has seen a change from the traditional CV based approach to providing other ‘personal brand assets’ like a carefully crafted LinkedIn Profile; a personal blog; articles showing thought leadership and evidence that people have ‘followed you’ about these.
With ten years of experience in the recruitment space, here are some tips to get started.
Decide what makes you stand out - for inspiration, look through the websites or social media profiles of people you consider your competitors and ask yourself what you do differently from them.
Create your story - don’t just ask yourself who you are, ask yourself who you’ll become.
Make yourself visible - both in your current organisation and within your industry/profession.
Be consistent and up to date - make sure every little thing you have posted online is up to date, current, and accurate – make sure this is reflected in your paper CV.
Network, network, network - in your workplace and with friends, colleagues, clients and customers.
You are building your brand in everything you do and, in every conversation, or transaction you have with someone else. Every time you interact or connect with someone, you are making an impression on them and they are making an assessment based on their perception of you – and vice versa.
Remember, that connecting with people - truly connecting - is the way that you can create the right impression and manage the perception that others have of you. This is not about being contrived but by honestly and with authenticity, ensuring people know the true you.
Whether you are entering the workforce, looking for new opportunities or seeking a promotion, it’s no longer enough to just sit back and expect to be approached based on merit. You need to be actively managing your personal brand – the way you present yourself and the messages you send alongside yourself, can have a huge impact on your career.
If you are an aspiring or experienced executive looking for assistance on how to create and improve your personal brand to assist with your career pathway, get in touch with us.
The Decipher Team
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