As employees reassess their careers and future ambitions, they’ve become more interested in the enduring value of personal branding.
A widespread misperception is that personal branding is only essential for businesses, celebrities, or high-ranking individuals. Nope! You have a personal brand. It’s everything you post on social media. It’s everything people say about you while you’re not there. Professionals always need to work on their personal brand.
If you’re looking for work now, you’ve probably faced stiff competition for available employment.
Predictably, 20% of employees changed occupations during the epidemic and 26% expect to search for employment when things calm down. Aside from the pandemic, one factor stays constant. Making contacts is more likely to help you get a job than your qualifications alone.
Regardless of your professional stage, managing your online reputation and building a personal brand that helps you stand out in a competitive job market is critical. Creating your brand has several advantages, including:
- developing trust, credibility, and connections within your sector;
- generating opportunities that correspond with your beliefs and aims, and;
- distinguishing oneself from the competitors.
So, here are three ways to start.
1. Be true.
Your brand goes beyond your work title and tasks. It represents your fundamental principles, skills, and what you stand for.
False authenticity and insincerity hurt your credibility and reputation. Authenticity repels the wrong chances and people while attracting the right ones.
Your brand begins with your reputation, said leadership expert Mike Ashie. Your brand will flourish once you know who you are and what you stand for. The idea is to be purposeful in how you show up, says Marietta Gentles Crawford, speaker, personal brand strategist, and creator of MGC Ink. Your eccentricities and distinct personality frequently help you stick out to others, she said.
So, to start establishing your brand, discover what makes you unique and what others say about you. Get feedback from friends and coworkers to assess your strengths and flaws. From there, you may use the data to improve your brand and capitalize on your strengths.
2. Create content.
Build your digital footprint to affect your brand. This involves communicating, utilizing words, interacting with people, and exhibiting your individuality.
Nowadays, we have plenty of tools and resources to create content and promote ourselves. For example, you may use TikTok or create a YouTube channel. You can also use Facebook Live or email newsletters.
To enhance your personal brand’s efficacy, avoid contradicting your platforms. Be conscious of how you connect with people as well as the information you re-post and share. Employers often examine employees’ social media accounts, particularly the public.
Connections help to determine whether their posts reflect poorly on the firm. As a result, you’ll want to curate your material to reflect your fundamental principles while being professional.
Begin by Googling yourself and examining all of your public postings. If the results don’t match your goals for your brand, start removing postings.
Next, choose a platform that allows you to share material, network quickly, and interact with others. LinkedIn is one excellent choice. There are 810 million users and over 57 million enterprises active on LinkedIn so that you can network and connect. In this manner, you may show your skills while connecting with others.
Consistency is vital. Your network will eventually grow. You may have just a few followers when you initially began working on your brand. Despite this, you must persevere. Your fan base will increase and continue to expand. You can share content such as:
- events you’re attending or have attended;
- your views on articles you’ve read or events you attended;
- your education and expertise;
- lessons you’re learning; and
- any articles or white papers you’ve authored.
3. Build a network.
A solid network is much more than just job hunting or networking. It’s about building a long-term connection. A strong network helps you create your brand and prosper in your professional world, said Kevin Miller, co-founder and CEO of GR0.
You may develop and utilize a few networks. Individuals in your network can help you by linking you with their networks. They may even assist you in improving professionally or getting jobs.
Strategic networks consist of people you can contact to help with particular tasks like giving prizes for a raffle or auction, reserving a sold-out location, catering, entertainment, etc.
Therefore, a group of employees from diverse departments can assist you to achieve projects and responsibilities.
Volunteering is another fantastic method to network.
Serving on a non-profit board may help you earn essential leadership experience.
Also, it links you to crucial persons within the community who may assist place you in front of additional chances. Volunteering can also help you develop new skills and experiences.
If you’re interested in volunteering, consider the subjects you care about and investigate local groups before contacting them. It’s a great experience.
