When you think about certain famous people who are leaders in their field, you will immediately think of adjective and keywords that describe who they are and what they do. For example, if I were to say “Oprah Winfrey” you would probably say: Determined, altruistic, motivated, wealthy or powerful. Or if I were to say “Bill Gates”, you would say: Technical, intelligent, humanitarian or nerdy. On the other hand, if I were to say “Tara Reid” or “Lindsey Lohan” you would most likely say: Train wreck, drug addict, drunk or hopeless. This is all a result of personal branding. Everyone is a brand, even if you don't realize it. The key is decide what your brand is going to be and to actually cultivate it rather than just letting it happen to you.
In the professional arena, your personal brand is the image that you project and the attitudes that you inspire in co-workers, employers and clients. By having a clear brand, you are telling people upfront who you are and what you are about. The nice thing about this is that they will look for qualities you have that support the image rather than trying to figure out who you are and making their own judgments, ones that you don't have as much control over.
So how can you create your own brand? Here are some tips to help get you on the right track:
- Do a Google search on yourself- Finding out what comes up on a web search is the best place to start. Try to read anything you find about yourself objectively. Write down the adjectives that you feel about what you have read-both good and bad. If you are seeing or feeling the same words repeatedly, circle or in some way mark them. After you are finished looking through all of the result, take a look at your paper. The words that you circled are most likely words that accurately describe your current brand. Is this what you want to keep and expand on? Or do you want to change the way you present yourself? If you want to change it, write down the words you would like to see and think about how those descriptors fit you and what you need to do to show those sides of yourself more.
- Decide on a professional name- It is never too late to re-invent yourself, and when you are changing jobs it is the perfect time to start over a bit. What is wrong with your current name, you ask? Well, maybe nothing. But, if you have a very common name, or you found it difficult to find yourself in the Google search, you may want to use a shortened version of your name or include a middle or maiden name. The goal here is to be easily found on a web search. For example, Jane Smith in Manhattan, might have trouble being located in a web search, whereas Jane Harmon-Smith might be easier to find. Also, if you have any professional credentials, like RN, CCNA, CPA or even Ph. D, be sure to use them constantly on your resume, business cards and social networking sites.
- Create public profiles- Create a Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and even a Google profile. Make sure that your self summaries support your brand and your image. When you write something on your profile, read it over to make sure that you are leaving viewers with the feelings and impressions of you that you decided on in the first step. Don't forget to add links to these profiles on any corporate bio you may have on a company website.
- Make a website or blog- Depending on your field of expertise or your industry, you may need a website that promotes you and includes a calendar of speaking engagements and other business events. If you are not in a field where you have to promote yourself that way, consider creating a blog about your field or a portion of it that you are passionate about. You don't have to spend any money on a domain because there are plenty of places where you can set up a free blog. (i.e Wordpress, Blogger) Be sure to keep it updated and participate in the larger internet community. Make yourself an expert in at least a small part of your field. Again, be sure that your site and any content you post all represent the brand and image that you decided on. Take care when you comment on other people's blogs and be sure that your online behavior represents your brand. You don't want to look bad and even risk losing professional credibility because you couldn't resist getting in a flame war on a message board.
Now that you have completed the first steps to creating your personal brand, you are ready to move on to Personal Branding 101- Part 2, and complete the branding process.
What have you done to create and nurture your personal brand? Let me know in the comments!
Are you looking for a job in the Manhattan Area? Visit ManhattanJobs.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!