Developing a Personal Brand to Maximize Your Career Story
When it comes to creating a brand for yourself, many people immediately think of LinkedIn. While this is an important tool in order to brand for your career, it's also crucial to understand how your personal brand intertwines with the story you want to tell professionally. In other words, what does your brand mean to you?
The Building Blocks
The first step to developing your brand is figuring out what anchor points are the foundation of your career story. You may have lived or worked in one place your entire career, or you may have moved around in your personal and professional life. Either way, you have a foundation that you have built up of traits and skills that are unique parts of you regardless of the environment you’re in. A fun way to think about this is to consider your signature skills, signature style, or some of the assets that you bring to the table in any position or company! For example, someone who has worked as a server for many years is likely to be skilled at making quick connections and getting along with all types of people - even if those connections and people are in an office building instead of a restaurant.
The Inner Circle
Think about the people you surround yourself with. Who are you aligning yourself with in and out of your workspace? Are they aligning with you, pushing you outside your comfort zone, supporting you? You want people who will nudge you to take the next step because they can be the catalyst for different parts of your career journey.
The Flow
Think about what you are constantly talking about inside and outside of your workspace. You have the option to choose what you are talking about and contributing to on your own time and the same goes for what you consume. When you choose to consume podcasts, books, articles, videos, etc. about things in your wheelhouse, you grow an aspect of your brand. These things grow your knowledge base, they help you get better at your chosen profession, and they expand your mindset. Conversely, if you’re consuming a lot of content outside of your wheelhouse, you might want to examine your habits more closely. After all, if you’re very passionate about women in STEM, but you’re solely known as the person who watches videos about dog shows, you risk running a disconnect between your career story and personal brand.
The Consistency
Once your foundation and your network are in place, its worth turning your attention o executing consistently when it comes to your brand. You can’t just write one article per year or post on Twitter every other month and be done. If you really want to hone and sharpen your personal and professional brand, you have to show up regularly. And this doesn’t just mean on social media! If social media’s not your thing, that’s ok. There are plenty of other ways to be consistent. You can consistently contribute in your workplace or consistently be a thought leader in your field. You can also take classes, read books, and attend trainings on a regular basis. When you show up consistently in and around your work, people begin to know you for your niche and that association capital is a great way to build your personal and professional brand.
Finally, remember that it’s okay to evolve over time! If you’re the same 5 or 10 years from now as you are today, something is wrong. People do and absolutely should grow and this comes from trying new things, changing your mind, and even failing. What’s really important is making sure you’re asking yourself the key questions: What are your signature skills and how would you describe your signature style - that is, what you always bring to the table no matter what the job is? What problems do you see in the world that you’re passionate about creating or facilitating solutions around? And what causes or professional affinities do you align yourself with? Follow the path these questions lay before you, and you’ll be able to create a personal and professional brand that develops as you do!
Do you need support and guidance when it comes to polishing your personal and professional brand? Enroll in the Career Maven Academy, and be part of a group of women looking to level up and become the CEOs of their own career stories in a 4-week job search group coaching program!