How to create your own killer personal brand — Tips to help you network better!

Imagine you’re in a speed date… you have 4 minutes to make an impression on the other person before the conductor rings a bell signalling your turn to move on to the next person.

If you’re fake:

• They’ll see right through you.
• If you don’t know what you’re talking about, they’ll know.
• If you don’t have a spark, they’ll lose interest.

Just like a speed date can lead to a potential “partner”, selling yourself in the best way possible can be lead to an internship, or even a dream role with a prospective employer.

So the question is, how can I sell myself in the best way possible? Here are three tips to help you build your killer personal brand.

1. Be true to yourself

So you’re at a networking event, standing to the person next to you who is giving a killer pitch to an industry representative and your thinking… how do they do it? At this point, you’re also probably thinking that they are super “extroverted”, but really they are simply ‘self-aware’. Unfortunately, people underestimate the power of being self-aware.

To build your personal brand you need to first know the answer to the most basic question… who am I?

Being self-aware shows that you have a better understanding of yourself which will help you identify what makes you unique, it also aids in identifying areas of improvement while building on areas of strengths. And so, having a basic understanding of your own character will act as an epic guide to creating your own value proposition.

Tip: Take your masks off and don’t be afraid of being vulnerable.

2. Be knowledgeable

While being true to yourself is important, most important is being the best-prepared version of your true yourself.

It is a common adage that the worst thing to do before an interview is to not prepare. Likewise, as with any networking event, preparing something meaningful to say will help show off your skills, knowledge, and hopefully impress your fellow networkers.

However, this comes from being knowledgeable of the industry you’re hoping to work in, and developing your own professional acumen.

So how can you do this?

1. Go to networking events related to your industry and ask questions! (This is one of the best ways you can learn about an industry you’re interested in from the perspective of an expert).
2. Reading up on the Australian Financial Review. (This will develop your professional acumen, and keep you up with latest trends in news across business).

3. Selling yourself (to the right people)

‘Marketing’ yourself in many ways can be the best approach to being the most memorable person in the room. But before you can truly market yourself, it would be good to know who is your target audience so that you can tailor your pitch to the appropriate audience.

Let’s take the speed dating scenario again, you’ve been given 4 minutes to make an impression on the other person, but keeping in mind it only takes about 1 minute for the other person to already make assumptions about you. In this minute, you must be able to positively communicate your unique selling proposition that is:

• What value do you provide and how? (Think about your key strengths and past achievements)
• What is unique about you? (What skills or experiences do you have that sets you apart from other individuals?)
• What are your career aspirations? (You need to have a clear career direction, that is the industry you would like to work in and the type of job position you want)
• What would you like to do? (Identify what are your goals, this can be both short-term and long-term goals).
• You may choose to add your motivations to support your goals as this conveys a lot about a person’s ability to take action on goals.

If you think of this scenario carefully, it can be easily applied to the networking process. What your trying to do is sell the best version of yourself to an employer, that is why being self-aware is important. If you can’t demonstrate that you truly know who you are and what you stand for, then most likely the other person won’t be compelled to believe in your message either.

Essentially, this article is designed to help you build your personal brand toolkit. It’s imperative to keep your elevator pitch short and concise but, convey a strong value propositions that is compelling and memorable.

Co-Written by,

Mariam A-El and Alexander Cheng