How To Build A Strong Personal Brand as an Employee

Survival of the fittest!

At no other time is Darwin's theory more applicable than in these uncertain times!

In fact, I have an example from the corporate world:

Some heads rolled in times of crisis. Mainly because the higher ups weren't sure what exactly these employees were contributing. Most of them had managerial designations but that wasn't enough to save their jobs.

Such employees are in even more precarious position in today's times. It's the strongest in skills and expertise who'll keep their jobs.

Apart from domain knowledge, it is critical to work on one's skills and branding in order to survive.

It is not just important to do good work but also to let the right people know about it

In the live session last week, I covered personal branding for employees. People working for others also need to build a unique personal brand in order to survive these tough times.

Here are a few things that you should do to create your unique brand:

STEP 1 - WHAT'S YOUR BRAND?

What do you want your brand to be?

Dependable? Flaky? Team player? Leader? Assertive? A Pushover?

Take 2 things into account when you sit down to work on your image:

1. What are your career goals?
2. What image do you want to project?

Decide what you want to project. Obviously no one wants to be known as an irritating pushover. So be wise and choose aspects of your personality that proves you to be a valuable member of the organisation.

Add your skills, expertise, qualities which can be easily brought out in conversations in interactions.

Think of actions you can take in order to prove your value for the company.

Unless you are the first recall for being valuable to work being done in the company, it's hard to survive in these times.

So make a list of your qualities and expertise - read on to know how to put them to good use.

STEP 2: HOW TO SHOWCASE YOUR BRAND?

We are done with the theory part of our branding. This part of the article will help you refine it further.

There are 2 ways to bring out your personal brand - offline and online

ONLINE

No matter who we connect with, the first thing we do is check out your online profile. More so in current times of virtual lives we are leading.

Some of the things you should focus on in your online branding are:

• Complete all the sections in your Linkedin profile and make it All- star
• Post content that showcases your expertise and experience
• Engage and comment on posts from your industry. Also, target influencers' posts to increase visibility to your profile
• Talk about events or projects you've been a part of (minus the confidential into, of course) to inject some personality into your online branding.

OFFLINE

I am going to start with pointers at the work place. And then offer tips for the virtual office.

At the workplace:

• Dress for the brand you want to build - every single day!
• Speak up - being a passive listener isn't going to project you as a leader
• Be present at office socials - lunches, get togethers. Informal occasions are great opportunities to build closer ties with professional connections.
• Build confidence and project presence that people can't miss. They will automatically gravitate towards you for leading roles

At the virtual workplace:

• Be heard - At times when our voice is on mute and video is off, it's hard to be visible. Aim at being heard with a valuable contribution on every call
• Dress up - even for a video call. It helps us feel more formal - especially since we are cooped up at home all day in our pyjamas.
• Develop your communication skills - written and spoken. While we are working remotely, these skills are invaluable in furthering our brands. Be loud and clear when you talk and concise when you write.
• Focus on your voice. Learn voice modulation and projection. Whether it is conference calls with the team or sales calls with clients - you have just your voice to make the required impact

WHAT NEXT?

Sit down with a paper and pen and make a list of your skills, expertise and experience.

Think about which of those can be converted into actions that can be displayed at work.

For instance, speaking up in meetings can show initiative. Coming up with a plan to execute a project can show leadership and delegation. Make a tentative list. You can always edit later.

I go live on Linkedin on Thrusdays at 6pm IST. This Thursday, I'll talk about the skills we need in the VUCA world we are living in. Here is the schedule for the rest of the month.

The first comment of this article has a blog post which mentions more tips on building a strong brand as an employee.

If you need help with any of this, feel free to drop me a line in the comments or message me on Linkedin. I'll be happy to help you one on one.