Building Your Personal Brand - Build Your Career

Whether you like it or not, your personal brand is all around you.

This is because you exhibit it every time you go to work, and it also manifests itself in the way you are seen and spoken about by your co-workers and peers.

According to Landit CEO Lisa Skeete Tatum writing for Fast Company magazine, the ability to ‘shape’ your personal brand accounts for at least 30 per cent of your career success. 

Tatum is the head of one of America’s top business career and human resource companies for women and certainly has the ‘street smarts’ to comment on this issue.

And she recommends all employees should keep brand awareness ‘top of mind’ by following some of these top tips:

1. Keep a weekly log 

By writing down some of the highlights and key accomplishments of your working week, you not only prepare the ground for any future promotions and pay rises, but also help boost your confidence. This involves keeping a dedicated inventory of your achievements - and remembering to update it weekly 

2. Dress for the job

By dressing well for the job you want (or the job you have), you show your colleagues or possible employers that you really mean business. And whether you are male or female, this is not about having a lavish wardrobe but rather dressing cleanly, smartly and comfortably.

3. Be concise and authoritative

When dealing with fellow colleagues or co-workers always be calm and confident. Your demeanour will quickly be picked up, so maintaining a stable and authoritative manner in all situations is essential for a good personal brand.

4. Assemble a ‘board of advisers’

To succeed in anything, we all need support. So, it is important, both for your personal brand and your career in general, to have a strong and stable network of supporters available to turn to at all times. And this does not just include mentors. Advisers could include close friends, sponsors (‘amplifiers’ of your brand who give others good feedback about you), and coaches or ‘personal strategists’ you can bounce ideas off.

The other important thing about personal branding is that even if you suffer a ‘brand meltdown’, and a mistake or other oversight tarnishes your reputation, you can always ‘rebrand’.

The key to rebranding is ensuring any contributions you do make at work are always positive and valuable.

To do this always be highly selective when offering any opinions or critique, and ensure the tone of your comments is encouraging and supportive.

As the CEO of US Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc. Jo Miller explains in a recent Muse article, rebranding is all about understanding your current brand, and recognising the brand you want to be known for.

The next step is to align your communication and actions with your brand.

This could involve looking for opportunities to take on new assignments and projects, or even identifying a new role that you can do to help showcase the brand you want to build. 

Finally, always keep in mind that to be successful in business, it pays to have a business mindset.

Basically this means you must think, act, and plan like a business leader. And as social media plays an ever-increasing role in our lives, it is now even more important to be able to manage both your brand and your reputation correctly, both online and in real life.

In short, the persona you present reflects the person you want to be, and even if you do make the odd mistake, it can soon be rectified if dealt with correctly.