You’ve been doing a lot of thinking about your personal brand lately, haven’t you? But what exactly is a “personal brand,” and why should you care about it? And more importantly, how the heck do you make one for yourself?
A personal brand is simply an expression of who you are. It’s how people perceive you when they think about you in general terms, including your professional skills and qualities. The idea of branding yourself doesn’t necessarily mean buying expensive clothes or hiring a personal stylist (although it certainly couldn’t hurt…). Rather, it has more to do with making sure that when people think about you in certain contexts—like at work or in public–you come across in the best possible way. And the only way to do that is to be intentional about how you present yourself.
I’m not suggesting that you live your life by some strict code of behavior, but there are definitely ways to make sure people have positive associations when they think of you. Plus, personal branding will almost certainly come in handy when you’re looking for work, since human resources departments consistently report that they value employees who demonstrate well-defined career goals and who understand what distinguishes them from other applicants. So if you’re interested in finding a new job or advancing your current one, it’s time to hone your personal brand! Here are seven steps for doing just that:
1) Think introspectively
One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking too much about themselves. They assume that they know what others think of them, but those assumptions are often wrong. The only way to be sure is to do some analysis on your own:
· Ask yourself: What do I think about myself? How would friends and family answer this question?
· Think back over the past month and recall 10 instances where you made a positive impact at work or in your personal life. Write down one thing you did differently in each scenario than you usually do.
· Have people given you feedback recently about how certain aspects of your personality come across? Write down three things that people have said, then write down whether those things were good or bad for your brand. Now, write down whether those things are authentic to who you really are, or if they’re just random personality traits that someone else has projected onto you.
· Take some time to think about the qualities and skills you most enjoy using at work and in your personal life. Do people tend to make a big deal out of these attributes? If so, how do those people react when those characteristics show up unexpectedly?
The introspective process outlined above will help you figure out what qualities others associate with you on a conscious level as well as a subconscious one. As a bonus, it will also help improve your self-awareness!
2) Define what success means to you
If there’s anything I’ve learned from my career as an executive recruiter, it’s that everyone defines success differently. In fact, some people have no idea what success looks or feels like for them! I bet if you sat down and thought about it right now, you could come up with a pretty good image of your dream job. Maybe it includes a nice salary, freedom to create your own schedule, time off in the summer and holidays, a close relationship with co-workers… The more clarity you have on the kind of position that would make you happy professionally AND personally, the better.
3) Articulate your professional brand
Now that you know how other people perceive you and what qualities they admire about you, it’s time to write down exactly what those associations add up to when put together. Think of this as a summation of everything you’ve learned thus far, and what you need to make sure your personal brand includes:
· What is my career goal? This can be anything from “I want to be the next Elon Musk” or “I don’t really know yet.” (As long as it’s realistic and achievable, that is!)
· How do people see me now? This comes back to those instances where your actions made an impact on others; write down adjectives that describe how those actions came across. For example: I might say that after I helped my colleague with her presentation during lunchtime last week, she said I was helpful and positive throughout the ordeal. So, I might write “I’m helpful and positive.”
· What do I want people to say about me? It’s time to answer the question you asked yourself before: Who are you, what do you stand for, and how do others perceive that? Go back through your list of adjectives and put them into groups so they make sense. For example: I’m driven, resourceful, empathetic, etc. Some people might see me as warm and laid-back; others might see me as organized and strategic. Others still would describe me as calm under pressure or able to remain composed when everyone around becomes hysterical… Now it’s time to synthesize those different impressions of you by a single sentence that summarizes all of them. Sometimes, you’ll get lucky and this sentence will pop into your head immediately; other times (like when I was working on my personal branding!), it might take some time to formulate. When that happens, sleep on it! Let the idea marinate overnight, then run through your list of adjectives in front of the mirror the next morning if need be.
· What do people naturally assume about me? This is an important quality to have for any position because it demonstrates non-negotiables about yourself that are hard to fake or learn at a later stage in your career. For example: lots of jobs require being able to work well with others under stress, but not all roles call for high levels of patience and composure. If you can already embody those characteristics, it makes your performance during an interview or new job rollercoaster all the more impressive!
What career goal will I pursue? How do they see me now? What qualities do they ascribe to my brand? What assumptions do others make about me that align with what I want professionally?
4) How does your professional brand align with your personal brand?
After you’ve come up with a definition of success that works for you, it’s important to discover how the various aspects of your life fit into that picture. Start by asking yourself: What are my long-term goals in terms of family, friendships, and relationships? Think about all the different parts of your life; they don’t necessarily have to be related to work! A few examples include: I’d like to get married some day; I want to travel more; My friends make me happy; etc. After you’ve compiled a list (it doesn’t need to be exhaustive or perfect!), go back through them one at time and ask yourself this question: How will getting what I want professionally help me achieve what I want personally?
This might sound confusing, but let’s pick on the example of getting married someday. If you’re currently in a position where you’re not dating anyone, then some people might assume that your career is more important to you than anything else; thus, they will see you as driven or focused (among other things!) But if staying late at work means avoiding potentially awkward situations with new suitors each night, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your professional life trumps all others—it just means that this specific circumstance is blocking your preferred future! Once you’ve figured out how these various areas of your life intersect and overlap, compare them to your list of adjectives from step three. Which ones still apply, and which no longer do? After editing your list again, you’ll have a more complete version of what makes you tick!
5) Identify 3 adjectives to describe the professional brand I want to build.
Finally, it’s time to answer this question: What qualities does my ideal professional self possess that will allow me to be better at my job and excel within a larger organization? Try to use specific language here—the more descriptive your adjectives are, the easier it will be for others to recognize them in you when they see them displayed in action! For inspiration on how you might answer this question yourself, feel free to check out some of our past case studies from students who’ve successfully created personal brands.
As one of my favorite quotes says, “If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.” Developing your personal brand is the first step toward being recognized for who you are and what makes you special—rather than simply blending in with everyone else!
6) What adjectives would my friends use to describe me?
On that note, it’s important to remember that even though your personal brand is something that only YOU own, it doesn’t mean that other people won’t have their opinions or ideas about how they see it too. Don’t be afraid to ask others whether they think you embody these traits already! Use the 5-Adjective technique (similar to number three) to get their feedback. It’s helpful for everyone involved if you can put some of these adjectives into context; that way, your friends will know what specific behaviors or actions caused them to describe you in this particular way.
The best part is, at the end of it all, you’ll end up with a personal brand statement (and one that’s very relevant to your professional goals!)
7) Putting it all together
Now that you know who you are, it’s time to figure out how you’re going to make a name for yourself. You’ve already compiled a list of adjectives that describe the professional brand you want to build, but how are you going to get people to notice it? We suggest starting with the basics: your LinkedIn and resume.
Make sure that all of your interactions online are authentic representations of who you are, from your email address to your Twitter handle! It’s easy to get caught up in the business side of work, but if employers come across a tweet about how much you love Game of Thrones or a Facebook photo from last weekend’s party at R House, they might wonder whether you have a life outside of work.
And while we’re discussing authenticity, it’s important not to forget authenticity when writing about yourself too—think about it this way: if a friend were to describe what makes you unique and special, would they use any words besides ones you’ve used already? If not, then add them to the list!
In addition to your online presence, it’s also helpful to have a uniform or uniformity in your physical appearance at work. This might seem a little counterintuitive at first—after all, don’t you want employers to see how unique and individualized you are? Of course—but there’s a fine line between showing that you’re you and being too much of an “individual.” If you show up each day looking slightly different from one another, people might not be able to figure out what attracts them towards you. In the same way that numbers on a clock tell time, uniformity helps others recognize your place in the professional world. The more comfortable people feel with who they think YOU are, the sooner they’ll trust you with a promotion or raise!
The key to your success is understanding how people perceive you. By developing a personal branding statement, defining who you are in relation to the market, and determining what adjectives most accurately describe you, it will be easier for others to recognize that they’re dealing with someone different than all of their other employees or peers. Whatever steps you take today can make an incredible difference tomorrow! Your future self thanks you now ?
