INVEST IN YOURSELF

Your Personal Branding Matters as Much as Your Professional Competence

One area that many job-seekers pay little attention to is their personal branding. Many reason that if they have the relevant paper qualifications or experience – they should be able to secure a job.

Every employer will look for competence in a prospective hire. But what makes an employer decide to hire or promote candidate A and not candidate B when both are equally competent? One vital consideration is personal branding.

Personal Branding

This encompasses two areas: how one behaves and how one appears to others. The former includes aspects like showing good manners, being etiquette-savvy, exuding personal confidence, having the appropriate body language and relating to others confidently. The latter refers to one’s personal grooming and dress sense, as in, whether one knows how to dress tastefully.

These two areas contribute to one’s personal branding which in turn affects one’s reputation, especially whether one is not only competent but also credible. Yet people often pay little or no attention to this aspect of their professional life. They are careless with their personal grooming, how they dress, or even how they carry themselves. They are not aware that all it takes is simply a few seconds for them to leave an impression on others and for others to form an impression of them. Impressions, once formed, may lead to value-judgments that colour interpersonal relationships and influence job opportunities.

Whether one likes it or not, one’s image does matter. This is true not only for the politician or chief executive, but also for the average job-seeker.

In our highly competitive and tight job market, we must work hard to develop professional competence. We must also develop our personal branding. Whether one is preparing to enter the workforce or is already making good progress in his or her career, it is worth investing time and effort to learn how to enhance one’s personal branding. Three areas to focus on are:

1.    Manners and Etiquette.

One’s manners refers to expected behavior that shows respect and consideration for others. Etiquette refers to polite behavior that also demonstrates consideration and respect for others, and is appropriate in a given social or business setting. Many people may think that there is no need to focus on manners and etiquette as these should be commonsense.

But it has been observed that people in Singapore (where I live and work) are increasingly ruder, less gracious and ill-mannered. A colleague once shared how she gave up her seat on the train for a young pregnant woman. Without a word of thanks, the woman, who was plugged into her mobile phone, simply took the seat. On many occasions, I have held the lift door open for fellow residents. There was not a word of thanks from them. There is much to be said for the need to cultivate good manners and learn how to be etiquette-savvy, whether at home, in the office or in a social setting.

2.    Body Language Life Skills.

When relating with people, we not only use words but also our body language. Our body language communicates messages that we may be unaware of. People also read our body language more than we realize.

Learning how to use our body language to engage and connect with people will stand us in good stead. Nodding when listening, maintaining appropriate eye contact, wearing genuine smiles, respecting interpersonal space, and extending a professional handshake are simple but important body language tips to take note of.

3.    Personal Hygiene and Smart Grooming.

Looking and smelling fresh, having hair that is properly styled, and wearing clothes that are clean, neatly pressed and appropriate to the job are important aspects of personal hygiene and smart grooming.

Attention to such details shows that we respect ourselves and the people around us, including our supervisor and colleagues.

Working on these areas will improve our personal branding. A reputable personal brand coupled with professional competence will leave favourable impressions on others and take us a long way in our job search or career.

(This article was originally published in The Straits Times, January 26, 2016.)