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The term “brand” is 5,000 years old. It comes from branding cattle to prevent theft but grew to mean a mark of origin and reputation. In the ancient world east to west artisans would use stamps and seals on their creations so everyone would know who made them, so the art of personal branding is a long-running tradition. Notably, the personal brand pre-dates product brands, which first appeared in China circa 1000 CE.
Mass production, as we understand it, was ushered in by the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s and early 1900s and gave rise to brand marketing on a global scale. The historic practice of personal branding was relegated to a secondary and all but invisible role. However, in our digital era of globalization and instant communications, the very thing that buried personal branding has been the catalyst for its rebirth.
The labor matrix has become complex and more difficult to effectively navigate. Personal branding is a creative and effective way to break through and become as memorable as McDonald’s Golden Arches.
Personal Branding – What is it?
According to Harrison Monarth’s article in the Harvard Business Review (02/17/22), “Your personal brand… is intentional. It is how you want people to see you. Whereas reputation is about credibility, your personal brand is about visibility and the values you outwardly represent.”
Defining and promoting what you stand for as an individual is the culmination of your experiences, skills, and values.
Truths About Personal Branding
1. Reflect on how you market yourself and your career.
2. Present the image you cultivate through your actions and communications.
3. It’s a combination of online and in-person presence.
4. It helps you define who – and what – you are.
5. Your brand is subject to change.
The first step to molding those into a brand is to adopt a branding mindset.
Adopt A Branding Mindset (From Arruda &Dixon’s “Career Distinction”)
1. Stand Out: Stand for Something
2. Be your boss.
3. Forget the ladder. Think of it as a ramp.
4. Think like a brand.
Building a personal brand takes patience, strategy, and setting clear goals for yourself. There is no magic wand. You must develop and perfect it over time, yet learn to communicate it on demand in the present.
Tips for Building Your Brand
1. Do your best work and act with integrity.
2. Collaborate cross-functionally.
3. Document your wins.
4. Expand your network and impact.
5. Build influence.
· Bonus tip: Clean up your social media.
Easy, right? Get that to me by noon! Remember, your personal brand “is how you want people to see you,” but for it to have any integrity you have to follow up your ideal version of yourself with successful action. At some point, you must walk the walk, and that comes with experience. If you want to lead, influence, and achieve, don’t wait for the opportunities, make the opportunities come to you.
Lead, Influence, and Achieve
1. Ask for new opportunities.
2. Use facts and data to promote your points.
3. Bring people along for the journey.
4. Come up with alternative solutions.
5. Don’t underestimate your influence.
· Bonus tip: Find a sponsor/advocate/mentor.
· Bonus tip #2: Learn what makes others tick.
The most difficult personal brand to cultivate is that of a leader. The visibility of the trials you may face means there is always an equal possibility of reward and disaster. Over time, your achievements must be impressive and well-communicated but if you want to be seen as a leader you can take the steps right now to establish yourself as one.
Establish Yourself as a Leader
1. Expand your role boundaries - influence is taken, not given.
2. Inspire consensus.
3. Nurture your visibility strategically, track and celebrate victories, and own your losses.
4. Understand how an organization likes to communicate.
5. Invest in professional development.
· Bonus tip: Leverage your new experiences to reposition yourself.
· Bonus tip #2: Think proactively and flexibly in driving career paths.
· Bonus tip #3: Take your performance review really, really seriously.
To review, you can act in your long-term interests by staying on brand in your words and actions throughout your professional life while also delivering an ideal version of yourself based on your real-world strengths right now. Your personal brand does not exist in a vacuum.
The next step is to market it like your Coca-Cola with a much smaller budget. Much smaller. So small in fact it’s limited to communicating through the standard tools of contemporary professional life – your resume and LinkedIn profile. The glamour!
Your Resume and the Age of LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the social media for serious and ambitious working professionals. Owned by Microsoft, it has over a billion users in over 200 countries that speak twenty-six languages and 67 million registered companies. Your resume and your LinkedIn profile are great vehicles for your personal brand, networking potential, and, if the case should arise, a place and tool to find (and land) a new job.
Craft Your Resume and Digital Identity
Take a “public relations” approach to your career reputation management.
· Know your audience.
o Potential future employers.
o Executive recruiters.
o Industry experts.
o Fellow students.
o Your current employer and its employees.
You need a strong resume and LinkedIn profile with a professional presentation. Focusing on LinkedIn, there are simple tricks to maximize its integrity and visibility. This is your game – you control the message but you should be thoughtful about what you include.
1. Create a complete profile. LinkedIn likes complete profiles for search and credibility.
2. Use a professional photo.
3. Headline – 240 characters MAX.
4. About/Summary – 2,600 characters MAX.
5. Tell who you are and what you have to offer.
6. Load it with keywords.
7. Include a call to action.
8. Demonstrate your impact via achievements.
9. Keep your content and tone professional. Don’t get too personal.
10. LinkedIn has many members but only 3 million users (out of over a billion) post every week. Be a regular content creator to stand out.
· Bonus tip: Share your news and work.
· Bonus tip #2: Like, Share, and Comment on other’s posts.
· Bonus tip #3: Get Recommendations.
· Bonus tip #4: Stay on brand.
Final thoughts: If you have the resources, the LinkedIn Subscription is worth the price of admission. Do your homework, but there are many benefits. LinkedIn is great for networking and allows ambitious proactive users to build a professional network and nurture existing relationships. Find your people and join their community.
Philip Roufail contributed to this article.
Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.
