Do you know who you're competing against?

Ask any athlete how they prepare for a game or a meet or a match and they'll tell you they study their competition. They watch films of their competitor in action, they study their moves, they identify their opponent's strengths and weaknesses. This helps the athlete design their strategy to get ahead and win.

Unless you’re a job seeker or work in a highly competitive field like sales, it’s easy to forget that others are posturing against you — they're studying your moves, looking for an opening — to secure the same opportunities you seek.

As you consider who else is vying for the work, clients, and opportunities you desire for your career, think about:

• who they are
• where they are
• and what they offer.

If you limit your thinking to people who may have your same work experience, education, skills and training, you’ve forgotten the branding piece. There will always be people who can do what you do, offering it in a very similar format. Instead, consider your competition to be those individuals who deliver the same value as you, in a similar way. What makes you competitive, relevant, and interesting to your target audience is why you do what you do and the direct value you deliver.

Once you’ve identified your competition, try to understand what they do well and how they’re attracting the attention of the target audience, and try to learn from their best practices.??

EVALUATE YOUR COMPETITION’S STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

As you assess your competitors — online and in person — consider:

• What are they doing well? What activities, content, connections and tools are they using to gain recognition, opportunity and establish their credibility?
• What are they missing??Are they skipping some steps??Are they overlooking opportunities that you could capture??
• Are they targeting the same audience as you? If they are, are they targeting them in the same way??How could you attract this audience in new ways?
• Where do they hang out??Are they active in groups, online platforms and forums and who are they networking with?

As you build out your personal brand and narrative, pay attention to what your competitors are doing.?The goal isn’t to copy them directly, or be exactly like them. Understand their weaknesses and study their successes but resist promoting yourself by drawing attention to their deficits. Instead, highlight your value, show instances where you live consistently with your beliefs, and enjoy the credibility you will develop.

**Extract from my book, "Reputation 360: Jumpstart your career by building a positive personal brand." Now available. (To learn more, click here).