How to Use Personal Branding to Propel Your Career

Many people run from the idea of a personal or professional brand. Instead of everyday people going to work, the terms conjure images of social media influencers and celebrities. While those people have brands, the rest of us do, too!

Your brand is basically your reputation —?except you can put extra time and effort into its crafting and care. Brands are powerful tools that enter a room before you're physically there. For example, people talking about how excellent you are for an opportunity will discuss your brand before they ever talk with you.

I recently hosted an episode of LinkedIn 's Career Talks with LinkedIn Top Voice Marielle Legair , who is a speaker, LinkedIn for Learning instructor and personal branding expert. In addition to explaining the ins and outs of personal brands, she explained how you can use yours to unlock the next step in your career.

You can watch the broadcast below or by clicking here.

Highlights

• How do you define your brand?? Reflect on your strengths, values, passions and skills. Focus on what makes you different and what coworkers and others know you for as a professional.? Know who you're targeting with your brand. Make sure it speaks to that audience.? Craft a compelling story about how you got to where you are today.?
• Put your brand into action after you define it by broadcasting your story while networking and on your social media.
• You'll know your brand is working when you start receiving praise and opportunities.

Next up in LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky's new series: Athletic Greens President and COO Kat Cole. Kat talks about her journey to the C-Suite and reminds people to remember where they started. Be sure to check out Ryan’s interview with Kat below. Also, be sure to subscribe to Ryan’s newsletter by clicking here.

• Why are workers staying put in their jobs? (By Todd Dybas) Upheaval from the pandemic affected where and how we work, plus whether we stayed at a job. Then the so-called "Great Resignation" emerged when quit rates spiked. Economists now say the trend of mass departures in 2021 and 2022 is over. More people are staying put. Why? They either improved their position with a prior change or hold a skeptical view of the current market. "Even if you want to quit your job, you look out at the market [now] and think, 'maybe I shouldn't,'" professor Anthony Klotz, who coined the phrase "Great Resignation," told BBC. Here's what people are saying about it.
• How do you set better boundaries? (By Leah Smart) Boundary-setting conversations can be awkward for everyone involved. This may be because we're looking at them wrong. According to a recent article in The Atlantic, boundaries "are best understood as a set of internal rules that determine what you're willing to tolerate from other people." Boundaries are not rules for others. They're rules for the boundary-setter. To set mutually-beneficial boundaries, author and therapist Nedra Tawwab says to give others time to adjust while remaining firm. Remember that appropriate boundaries should safeguard relationships, not end them. Click here to read more.