Personal branding, the process by which you determine what makes you special and then communicate that branding message to the proper audience, has become increasingly important to all career-minded individuals. If you want to succeed in the workplace, you need a well-defined personal brand that supports your company’s mission. You’ll have a much better chance of becoming more valuable to the organization, staying with your company longer and accomplishing more.
Here are few steps for you to get started in developing your personal brand:
- Define your skills and expertise. Are you known for marketing? Sales? Building businesses? Engineering? Do you have specific skills in those areas you can share? Like results, learnings or even mistakes.
- Determine what you’d want to be known for. What makes you stand out now, and where do you want to go in the future?
- Understand the audience that your expertise would interest and who you want your network to be. Start connecting with others in that industry and field.
- Research your industry and follow the experts. Who already has strong personal brands and influence in your space? Follow, connect, and engage with them.
If this seems like a daunting task, there are tools to guide you. One of the best comes from pwc in the form of a personal brand workbook to help you find and showcase your strengths so you can stand out from the crowd. You can use the activities offered here to take charge of your professional success by tapping into your unique skills, talents and passions.
The process outlined by pwc is a lengthy – but valuable – one that helps you to identify who you are and what makes you stand out; it gives you clarity about where you would like to take your career and your life. The brand-building materials you develop as part of this experience are certain to position you for career success now and in the future.