How (and why) you should upgrade your personal branding as an employed professional

Hello! Welcome to the 2nd edition of The Digital Spotlight newsletter.

The wave of promotions, appraisals and new jobs has already stirred up a storm on LinkedIn. (A huge congratulations to everyone this applies to!)

I have observed the second half of each calendar tends to bring a lot of focus on career development for employed professionals, which I owe to the September boom. Data from Indeed has confirmed that September and October tend to be the best months for job switches. I would additionally state that it is when most employees start to strategise a promotion or high appraisal in the coming year.

Why do you really need a personal brand if you already have a job?

1. Recognition as a specialist or expert: By writing, talking, and posting about what you do, you get to showcase the unique mix of knowledge learnt from institutional education, other educational sources and your own professional experience. While generalists do well in the long run, (PS: Read this book if you are looking to develop your skills as a generalist ) I have noticed generalists with an armoury of specialised skills or niche expertise leave all others behind. If you are looking for just a little edge in your function, here's your hack!
2. Get noticed by your manager/senior management: Yes, we have all seen reels on how it is essential for us to track our tasks and maintain a list of everything we do. But how do we put that list to use? We add it to our personal brand. Here's a few examples - you can use the bio, job description, and additional sections on LinkedIn to have your responsibilities and projects be a part of your profile. Another example is the simple and direct method that we tend to find most intimidating - just post about it. Talking about your experiences in your own words will always be better than trying to have the perfect post and never posting. Make sure everything you do put on the internet is in compliance with your organisation's social media policy.
3. Be known within your organisation for the work you do: If you are really aiming for that promotion or appraisal or intra-company job switch, a strong personal brand will add to your arsenal. While it doesn't have to be an abrupt announcement of your expertise/skills/interests, it could always start out with something small but noticeable - an online course, an article in digital or print, or engagement with posts online within your area of interest.
4. Attract job offers from other organisations: A fun fact I like to share is that every job offer I have ever accepted has been in September. So, time to prep for the change you want?
5. Foundation for content creation or business: If doing a multitude of things energises you the way it does for me, you may want to consider setting up your personal brand as a foundation for eventual content creation, brand creation or a business.

How can you leverage your personal brand to move up the ladder?

• LinkedIn Profile: Easiest to start with, since my 20s have been all about going off the gram and building here instead. My number one tip for this platform is - use it on your laptops/desktops. LinkedIn as an application is great in general, but it's features come alive on the desktop version. Start with the basics: an HD profile picture in formals, a header image (a lot of organisations provide this or you can create your own on our beloved Canva), a bio that clearly states your role, responsibilities and interests. Once you have the basics set, go to the 'Add section' part on your profile - and fill out as many as you can, while maintaining relevance. Bonus points for any numbers you can add in!
• Where and how to post: It is not as intimidating as it seems, I promise. Choose your comfort format before you begin. My personal comfort formats have always been written and in person. However, over the years, I have adapted to audio and video as my career as a podcaster grew. Do you really need multiple platforms? Absolutely not. One of my favourite examples for this is Cal Newport, author of Deep Work . As suggested by the name, Cal's entire platform is about utilising methods to create a focused environment for the brain. A large part of his method includes not using social media, but he still maintains a strong personal brand by using his books, speaking engagements and Youtube. (Here's a link to his viral TEDx talk with 10M+ views on how incessant social media consumption messes with your brain)
• Platforms: I strongly believe, as an employed professional, LinkedIn is all you need. If you are on the hunt for a job and have creative skills, a Wix website is a great option as well to showcase your skills and experience to hiring managers. If you want to create written content, here are my fav platforms - LinkedIn, blogs (own or shared or features), articles with the press, magazine and book contributions and cards. If AV media is comfortable for you - Youtube is my top pick, followed by Meta, Spotify and other audio platforms.
• What to post: Remember that task tracker mentioned? Start there! Post about completed projects, learning and development sessions you enjoyed, insights from your calls with mentors or other team members, and everything else that we tend to brush off as mundane.
• Unfollow/block as needed: A tip someone gave me once when I was in a rut was to separate my personal and professional by blocking my personal connections on professional platforms. While this may not work for a number of people, it did wonders for me and removed my creative block. It also helps to unfollow/mute pages and people who do not add value to your lifestyle and professional goals.

Have you tried or observed any of these ideas, tips or methods? Let me know what you think!