- No reply
- Rejection
- Nagging from your family
- Talking about yourself
- Networking
- Worrying about what people think
- Worrying about never finding another job
These are among the most common replies I hear when I ask the question above. What is your answer? I do hope you will post it below.
Different people “hate” different things. For example, if you are someone who hates talking about yourself, personal branding may feel like trying to sink a hole-in-one during every round of golf.
Branding is about communicating points of difference and what makes a product or service unique. It is about creating a connection that helps the target audience feel an emotional or analytical response instantly.
Would you love to connect with future employers and other professionals instantly?
Would you enjoy having recruiters, hiring managers and others call you directly?
If you don’t like to chase down leads and would rather have recruiters call you -or- you are not clear on how to grab the attention of hiring managers, then embarking on the work required to unlock and leverage your personal brand may be for you.
Let me offer you fair warning — personal branding is not a quick fix. It is not one-and-done. It is not a cute logo, a new catchy tagline or a few quick updates to your resume.
Personal branding is also not for those who don’t want to do some work. Real work.
Unlocking your personal brand allows you to create an amazing and sustainable career. You have a brand, everyone does. Putting it to work for you can change your life and your earnings potential.
Leveraging your personal brand is about awareness. It is about understanding the value you offer. It is also a discovery process that takes time to sort out exactly what to share (about your values, skills and experience) and how to best communicate those attributes.
Does your brand elicit cold and prickly or warm and fuzzy feelings? Does your brand clearly demonstrate stability, professionalism and success?
When done right, personal branding opens doors and creates connections. Leveraging your personal brand is not a fad, it is a professional competency. As a leader ready for your next move, personal branding can be the key to accelerating your success and achieving your goals.
Do you have a question about personal branding? Post it below or contact me.
I love the personal brand concept and it’s definitely something that I think about when creating new programs, web pages, and things like that. A consistent personal brand is super important.
Dorothy, You are so right being consistent is ‘super important’. Thanks for sharing your insight.
“Leveraging your personal brand is not a fad, it is a professional competency.”
I love this, Cindy! So powerful and true. Those people who’ve scoffed at the idea of personal branding are the ones that either don’t understand the concept and/or find themselves without prospects when they are looking for their next job.
Lori, love your comment – you are right many who scoffed do find themselves without prospect as they search for their next position due to a lack of understanding of the impact and need to be able to tell and share their story.
I guess I never really thought about our presence as being a “brand” when in the workforce! Such great information you share Cindy!!
Kelly, glad the information is helpful to you. The workforce is vast and includes large businesses, small businesses and those who work in solo owned businesses. Our presence in the world and workforce is a ‘brand’! Thanks for your comments.
Cindy, when I worked for others, I hated all the things you list at the top. I had no real personal branding, heck, I’d never heard of the concept. Thanks for posting such wonderful visibility advice.