What Does It Mean to Brand Yourself?
“Build your personal brand.” You’ve heard it many times, but what exactly does it mean?
In this article, we’ll give you insight into what personal branding is, how to build it effectively, how to portray your strongest traits on all your online channels, and how to self-market while job hunting.
Determine Your Goals & What You Bring to the Table
Let me ask you: what do you bring to the table? This is your value proposition. How do you demonstrate it? These are questions that you must ask yourself and be able to answer before building your personal brand.
Think about what unique characteristics set you apart from other candidates and professionals. For example, traits such as being a strong problem-solver, working well in teams, etc. are all necessary for being a strong candidate, but you can take it a step further? An out-of-the-box trait can be “empowering those around me.” Perhaps you strive to support your colleagues in putting their best foot forward and to elevate them to their fullest potential. If a recruiter were to see this on your LinkedIn profile, he/she would be intrigued to know more about how you do that.
Knowing your personality and how you are unique is vital to setting yourself apart in the competitive candidate pool. Your resume tells the recruiter a story about what you have accomplished, but they want to to know YOU. There are multiple mediums on the internet in which you can build your brand and share your uniqueness. We will go over how later.
Next, assess your goals for the future. I encourage you to think in both the short term and the long term. Where do you see yourself in 6 months? A year? 5 years? Ask yourself where you see yourself both professionally and personally. Maybe you seek to be a manager for a team professionally, but personally you hope to feel fulfilled and wanted in your role and have a solid professional and personal relationship with your colleagues. Be as descriptive and imaginative as you can. Aim high.The possibilities are endless! Your goals can align with your values and how you want to feel. This assessment exercise will help you decide how to craft your self-image so that you can attain those goals.
Ensure That Your Value Proposition Aligns With How You Are Perceived
So, you’ve determined your value proposition, but now you must ask yourself, how does this line up with the way that your colleagues perceive you? Ask your coworkers for an honest assessment. Here are some examples of questions that you can ask:
- What do you think are some of my most positive traits? Negative ones?
- In what areas do you view me as someone that cannot be replaced?
- I believe that some of my strengths are ____, ____, and ____. What do you think about this assessment of myself?
Once you have the answer to these reflective questions, see how they align with how you perceive yourself. If they align, you are in a good spot and can begin to market these traits confidently as key facets of your personality. If they are not aligned, I recommend going through the steps again and assess the discrepancies between your self-image and the image your peers have of you. Feel free to ask more colleagues, your boss, or your friends these same questions to get a more holistic take.
Time to Make Your Channels Shine
Once you have gone through the important phase of self-reflection and have narrowed down how you want to present yourself, then the next step is to make that seen and heard clearly on all of your outfacing channels. Make a list of where you convey yourself: resumes, LinkedIn profiles, Facebook, Instagram, a personal website, cover letters, and more. Ensure that there is consistency in your personal branding throughout them all.
Social Media Channels: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, etc.
It is super important to ensure that the content you post on these channels is reflective of who you are, especially if these accounts are public. Are you posting things that showcase you at your best? Maybe you post a lot about your hobbies and passions, or with family and friends. As much as we overlook these things, they present an image of you and what you value. Your followers and people that look you up will see these things and start to form a mental image of what they expect your values to be, what you prioritize, and more.
Content is easily spread on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, so be careful about what you comment on and re-share. It can feel like a comment or tag could get lost in the black hole of the internet, but you never know when it could resurface. All of these things must be taken into consideration when shaping your outfacing social media channels.
LinkedIn is an amazing platform with many possibilities. With the various aspects of your profile, you can paint an image of yourself that will leave a lasting impression on whoever views it.
Your header, for example, should speak to something about yourself. It can be a design that you put together on a simple digital graphic creation site like Canva, an image of the city you reside in, or a picture of the layout of your desk. Whichever header you choose, do not use the default one.
Next up, the title of your profile can reflect your current position, but it can also show so much more. Use the “|” symbol to separate different phrases and use words that describe traits you wish to showcase. An example header: Product Manager @ Microsoft | Lover of People | Blogger | Global Citizen. This header tells the viewer so much about you with the quick glance at the top of your profile. Words like “blogger” and “global citizen” will intrigue the viewer to look more at your profile and be an indirect call to action for the viewer to continue examining your profile.
Third, your bio can be long and complex or short and sweet. It is a stylistic choice and up to what you choose to showcase on your profile. Your bio should tell a bit about yourself and what you aspire in your career, your interests, and anything you feel that is important. Feel free to mention any blogs or websites you have in your bio as well, all so that they are loud and clear at the top of your profile. Taking the time to really craft this section is important, as your brand image is already growing in the mind of your viewer as they scroll down your profile.
Finally, your LinkedIn content can give you high visibility. Many people do not post on LinkedIn and use it simply as a way to network and meet other professionals. However, if you are part of the small percentage of people that do post, you have a high chance that your post will be seen by thousands of people. Recruiters love to see candidates that engage in thoughtful discourse on LinkedIn and drive the conversation with posts about accomplishments, advice, discoveries, or simply feelings at the time. These posts are all equally important. Posting is the time for your voice to shine. Here are some tips we suggest to build personal, branded content and boost your profile:
- Show that you are a leader and active thinker in your field.
- Mention others that you believe are credible to demonstrate that you are open to thought and the exchange of ideas.
- Make your content highly customized and out-of-the box. Share personal anecdotes, your own personal advice, and relate to others. There’s a high chance that your insight will be useful to people just entering the industry. Yes, you’re on LinkedIn to develop your career, but helping others is equally important. It will also show that you’re not so self-centered.
Personal Websites and Blogs:
Once you have nailed your personal social media channels and LinkedIn account, consider expanding by putting together a personal website or blog. This will further enhance your personal brand and give your viewers more insight into who you are and what your values are. Link your blog or website to your LinkedIn profile and social media channels to ensure the widest reach. Use LinkedIn to share insights or things from your website to also reach a wider audience. Maximizing your outlets is key to reaching more eyes/viewers/audience/recruiters.
Final thoughts
If you have gone through the steps on this post, you are already well on your way to building your personal brand. Always remember to be yourself and stay true to yourself. Nothing is more important than knowing who you are and what you value. Showcasing this to the world is the next step.
