Let's talk... Your personal brand

Hi everyone and welcome to another blog post!

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Today I am talking all about your personal brand - how to create one and why it's important.

We all make judgements of people based on very limited information, it’s a fact. Your personal brand is the label you give yourself or one others will apply to you based on a limited amount of information when they meet or hear about you. Your personal brand may be something you have worked on to develop (like a company would) or it may be a label you are completely unaware you have. Whilst labels belong on presents rather than people, unfortunately it’s a fact that people do make judgement, so let’s ensure their judgement is based on facts.

Your personal brand should:

• Influence how you are perceived

• Reflect your values (what is important to you in life, what you give time and energy to)

• Connect with and communicate your purpose in life

• Demonstrate the ‘you’ that you want to be

• Tell people what to expect of you

• Show what is unique about you

• Feel authentic, not forced

• Evolve over time based on how your life changes

Just like a company uses its brand to distinguish itself from other companies, to give recognition and build a reputation - your personal brand is no different.

Think about the answers to the following questions to consider what your personal brand looks like:

1. I am known for…..

2. I make a difference to…. by…..

3. I am different from …… because…..

4. I have credibility in……

5. I attract….. kind of people

6. I am passionate about…… and communicate this with others by…..

7. At work, I stand out from my colleagues because…..

By asking yourself these types of questions, you increase your awareness of what others may think of you as well as identifying any gaps between perceptions and reality, between how you are seen and who you really are.

Next I want you to think how you are represented in the world, what four or five words might people use to describe your ‘brand’? For example if you think of Ferrari you might think of the words ‘luxury, sportiness, performance, black horse (logo), or the colour red.’ (I am sure Ferrari's come in other colours mind!) Think about the words people might use to describe you. Do these words align with the impression you want to create, or the answers to the questions above? If the answer is no, what can you do to create the impression or brand that you want the world to see?

The idea of a personal brand is particularly important in the workplace, are you demonstrating what you really have to offer your organisation? Are you showing why you are different to your colleagues and what you can offer your organisation that others can’t? Your brand is an opportunity to show your skills, values, ability and uniqueness. Many people capture their personal brand in a job application or CV but there are so many other opportunities to communicate your brand with the world.

Visibility is key, there’s no point a company developing a really strong, positive and unique brand if nobody knows about it. Here are some ways you can demonstrate your personal brand:

• Making new contacts in work and in your social life

• Maintaining a social media presence such as on LinkedIn or Facebook

• Speaking up about issues that are important to you

• Share you knowledge and expertise with others

• Be memorable - in a good way!

• Share positive feedback you receive from others

• Your appearance and the way you present and introduce yourself to others

So why is all of this important?

Building your personal brand is not about trying to prove you are better than anybody else, but it’s important that people have the right impression of you rather than making judgement based on a lack of information or a lack of understanding. Your personal brand must be clear and consistent, which is why it needs to be authentic. You simply cannot fake a personal brand it must be built on your values, beliefs, skills and desires. Employers will often look at your personal brand, including your online presence, so it's important the person you say you are aligns with who you really are.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this post, next week’s blog post is all about career progression, so we’ll be building upon the idea of a personal brand in the workplace and how you can use this along with other actionable steps to land your dream job. I can’t wait to share it with you.

Thank you as always for reading.

Love Alice

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