How to Build your Personal Brand at Work

What comes to your mind when you see these Images?

The above-given Personal Brand are clear, consistent, and recognizable. You presumably know precisely what these companies do and the products or services they offer. This association is the result of organized and deliberate branding.

The best Brands are unique, authentic, and trustworthy. They build a strong reputation for you that can help you personally and professionally.

Defination of a Personal Brands

Whether you’re aware of it or not, you have a personal brand at your place of work. Your personal brand is a combination of your image and reputation. How you present and conduct yourself daily forms the foundation for your brand. Others impact your personal brand, too, through their speech and actions.

Think of a time you have brought up a colleague’s name and heard words like “she is so hard to work with”, “he is known for throwing people under the bus”, “she is very competent and always delivers exceptionally”, or “he’s a really an amazing guide”. All these statements illustrate personal brands in action! They all determine what attributes and qualities one possess, which indirectly prompts the Individual’s brand.

Before getting into the details of building a brand, let’s clarify a few things and ask yourself some questions that explain if you have a credible personal brand? 

• Firstly, do people have a clear understanding of what you do and the value it brings?
• What words, concepts, and ideas do people associate with your name and image?

In this article, we’ll go through all of this and talk more about why building a personal brand is essential and help you with ways to create one, even if you’d never considered it before.

How important is having a Personal Brand?

As you’ve probably figured out by now, personal branding has become a pretty big deal in recent years.

What you might not realise, however, is that it’s not just for celebrities and entrepreneurs. Every human being (that wants to have a career and/or make an impact in the world) needs one… and already has one. That’s right. Whether you’d thought about it before or not, you have a personal brand. Because guess what? A personal brand is about how other people perceive you (the good, the bad and the ugly), and they’re going to have an opinion of you whether you’re intentional about your brand or not. So now you know this, you have a choice to make. You can take action and be proactive about how people see you – taking power back into your own hands. Or you can continue to leave it all up to fate, getting frustrated when your agent, friends, casting directors and acquaintances don’t seem to ‘get’ what you’re about.

If you’re ready to take action, you’re in the right place – the following pages are going to kick-start your branding journey. If you’re not, then I guess you should close this window, unsubscribe from my emails and pretend we never met because I can only help you if you’re prepared to do the work. Alright, I’m assuming you’re still reading this and are ready to dive in! But first, a disclaimer: A personal brand is about more than making some superficial changes to your social media profiles or writing a killer bio. It’s a lifetime commitment to showing up daily and consistently, so your actions become louder than your words. Oh, and it’s an ever-evolving process. Your personal brand WILL change because it’s simply a reflection of you – an ever-changing, always fascinating piece of miraculousness.

Ways to Build your Personal Brand

There are some practical ways to build your brand and intentionally shape how colleagues and management see you in your career goals. Here are some tips on how to develop your personal brand:

Step 1. Understand who you are

Since you want your brand to be an honest reflection of who you are, what skills you possess, and your aspirations, it’s critical to determine this information. Think profoundly and be authentic. Start by asking yourself few questions like:

1. Who do I want to serve to?
2. How do I solve my audience’s problems?
3. What are my values?
4. What work and efforts drives me?
5. What is my most potent form of communication?
6. Who am I showing up as?
7. What is my mission statement?

Even if you’re not sure about the answers to these questions, don’t be afraid to ask your friends, coworkers, family and close ones. They will be a better critic of your queries and would be best to consult.

Once you have the answers to your question, try analyzing yourself as to which niche you prefer. Suppose you realize that you don’t have an interest in a specific niche and instead enjoy a broader list of topics. Don’t limit yourself. Realize that your brand will change as your career grows; when you keep learning new things, you will be better able to narrow down your interests. The best practice is to select a particular area of interest and let it evolve with time.

Step 2. Do Good Work

The point of departure in establishing your brand is straightforward: do great work and excel at what you do! Without any impressive work, brand-building efforts will be akin to “making Silk Purse out of a Sow’s Ear”.

Step 3. Showcase your brand on platforms

Make use of online branding tools for engaging hiring managers, co-workers —even if you’re not on the job hunt.

With so many different social media tools available today, it could include having a blog or a great LinkedIn profile. Your online presence will likely look different depending on the medium you choose. Keep in mind a polished online profile does not constitute a brand – what you present online is merely an extension of who you are. Every interaction you have at work is an opportunity to build your brand and advance in your career.

This may include the simplest things like leaving an insightful comment on the influencers post, posting regularly on your profile and making meaningful connections. All of this adds up to promote your brand and reach out to new people on social media.

Step 4. Have your elevator pitch ready

As you begin to conceptualize your brand, spend some time crafting an elevator pitch—a 45 to 60-second story about who you are and what you want to achieve. Whether you’re attending a corporate networking event or your colleagues or friend’s get together party, having an elevator pitch prepared makes it easy to describe briefly what you do and where you’re going (or would like to go) in your career.

Keep your elevator pitch brief by focusing on a few key points you want to emphasize. This could include that you’re looking for a new opportunity, have abilities in a particular niche, or recently increased the value of your current department or company.

Step 5. Follow the best influencers in your niche

As you start evolving and outlining the careers you want, it is recommended to compile research on experts in those roles. Find out who about the influencing leaders in whatever field you’re interested in, and don’t just give them a follow on their social media profiles. Instead, go online and research if they have any personal blogs or have contributed anything to the community. Look for people who are successful and examine what they’re doing. Copy them, and then do one better.

In building your brand, the goal is to stand out—but you can’t rise to the summit without taking inventory of who’s already there.

Step 6. Develop your skills

We already know by now that the most effective way to accomplish a long-term project is to make it a habit. That means extracting out a little time each day to work on one or two micro tasks at once. Always remember that this is a business commitment and not any other hobby. So it’s okay — in fact, it’s crucial — to devote part of your workday to upgrading your brand. You will have to commit some of your personal time to it, as well, but it’s an ongoing process, one that will never end. Start building your job around it.

Step 7. Go Out with a Bang

Curate and read over your plan again and again. Try to fix any minor clashes or issues you might face along the way be it with selecting your niche or posting content on social media. Once you’re well-equippped start implementing it. It will be slow going at first, but it’s important to get the ropes and ladders in place before you set out. You’ve got a strategy for your personal brand, now put it into play!

Conclusion

Building your brand takes a lot of perseverance and work. While the level of effort is quite high, the payoff is relatively enormous when done correctly.

Having your brand allows you to build a network of professionals who see your worth and think of you first when new opportunities arise. Whether you’re looking to generate business, accelerate your career, find a mentor, or never job hunt again, a personal brand can get you there.

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