What is the role of personal branding in your professional portfolio?

In today's competitive market, personal branding has become an essential component of a professional portfolio. It's not just about showcasing your skills and experiences; it's about creating a unique identity that resonates with your values, aspirations, and the distinct value you bring to the table.

Building a strong personal brand is a must in today's competitive landscape. Here's why it goes beyond your CV: More Than Skills & Experience: Showcase your unique story and the value you offer, not just what you've done. Values & Aspirations: Express your beliefs and what you strive for. Attract opportunities aligned with your vision. Stand Out From the Crowd: Create a memorable identity that sets you apart in a sea of resumes.

Couple of things to consider when crafting your personal branding: - Let's be clear about where we are going and what we want to achieve, even in a year or two. Often, in pursuing our personal goals, we purposefully reinforce our professional expertise along the way. - Second, let's get to know ourselves, as strange as that may sound. Let's understand what our natural strengths are, and what separates us from people with similar experiences or histories. By paying attention to our strengths and focusing on how we can flourish, we can achieve spectacular results. - Thirdly, let's clarify our positioning, i.e. let's give ourselves at least 3-5 specific keywords or phrases that we want to be associated with (or maybe already are).

Your portfolio should start with a bio and today's corporate bios need an upgrade! I'm on a mission for professional bios to read more like beautiful origin stories and impactful achievements than like resumes. A few tips... - Use descriptive words that truly describe you. Steer clear from the bio buzzwords like change agent, proven track records and accomplished. - Move some of the fun stuff at the bottom closer to the top! People want to know who you are. That's what they relate to. - Include your mission, purpose, what you want to accomplish to the top. - If you are creating an external website, it's ok to include a picture that is a little more informal if it aligns with your personal brand and supporting materials.

Think of it as the story you really want others to know. In the past, the cover letter of your CV/resume was where you added the touch. These days with access to so many (too many) social platforms, your job is to (1) know your own story (2) identify the right places to share (3) have a clear strategy of the what/why/when/how of your messages. Last but not least, be realistic about the time required to manage it all.

Over the years, I've learned about the power of networking in personal branding... The ability to network effectively is not just about swapping business cards or connecting on LinkedIn. It's about cultivating meaningful relationships with people who align with your brand and values. It's about being intentional with who you interact with and how you present yourself. This isn't limited to in-person interactions, either - your online presence matters just as much, if not more, in today's digital age. This has helped me build a strong professional reputation, open doors to new opportunities, and broaden my circle of influence. Success lies in fostering genuine connections and maintaining a consistent personal brand.

As far as networking is concerned, here are a few tips that may help: Identify people who can help us to achieve our long-term goals and introduce yourself to them, even on LinkedIn. Secondly, let's think about joining a professional association that allows you to get to know members of the industry. Thirdly, let's identify the communities that are already in place - business clubs, associations, networks - to help us grow personally. Fourth, let's remember that relationships are a two-way movement, so let's apply the usual principles of human interaction, both online and offline, e.g. greeting on important occasions, and responding to requests. And of course, a strong personal brand will help open all those doors faster.

In Dorie Clark's latest book "The Long Game", she clearly explains what networking really is. It is about connecting with people. Yes, in the long run there may be benefits (emphasize *may*), but if you network for immediate one-sided gain only, you are doing that wrong. I did not set out to "network" when I started working 30+ years ago. If you enjoy team work, or learning ew perspectives, the relationships will develop naturally. Then it is up to you to maintain and check in. Through others, you will get to know your own self (brand) better too. You'd be surprised to know how helpful many people are if you ask for feedback of any kind.

Focus on multimedia. Thanks to Universal Search, Google displays images and video alongside text-based content. A picture is worth a thousand words and according the Forrester Research, one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words. Your brand story will be more compelling when conveyed using rich media. To do this, create a video bio and video thought leardership content. And make sure all the photos you post of yourself are named: firstname.lastname.jpg.

Online presence used to be simple - you have a Linkedin profile, or a website, or a twitter handle. The landscape has grown much, much bigger since. Your job is to figure out where you should be - most of the time. Some channels just feel more natural, or more effective, for your purpose. If you see someone who seems to be everywhere all the time - they may have be established enough to have a team behind the effort, or is really too burnt out to finish the marathon.

An impactful online presence across social media platforms emphasizes cohesive visual identity. Incorporating logos, color schemes, and multimedia content strengthens your brand's appeal. Platforms like Instagram showcase design portfolios effectively, fostering audience engagement. Consistent branding and storytelling convey your industry perspective, connecting with clients. This clear positioning nurtures closer client-designer relationships, facilitating fruitful collaboration.

Visual consistency is key in reinforcing your personal brand message. From your website to social media profiles, maintaining consistent design elements ensures brand cohesion. Creating a brand style guide with guidelines for logos, colors, and typography enhances professionalism and strengthens audience impact. Just as articulating your value proposition impacts professional perception, visual consistency reinforces brand credibility and distinctiveness.

Humans are ever-evolving and so are our personal identity and brand. Nothing in a human potential is static, or limited and remembering this can give our personal brand the flexibility to grow the way it wants to grow. It allows for the new developments and new thought processes to reflect in the personal brand also.

Realistically, it takes at least 1 year to see the effect of personal branding, because it takes time to "lay a good foundation". One of my clients has just recently received public recognition for speaking out on a topic that is relevant to society. Actually, this is a great achievement for someone who doesn't like to write, who is modest, but who is increasingly getting up on stage and sharing what he knows. He understands the meaning of personal branding and has been working in a very focused way for the past two years - measuring, evaluating, and moving forward. When you have something to share, when you are interesting and authentic, awareness is the perfect tool to achieve bigger goals.