It’s important to have a personal brand. It differentiates you from everyone else, which is what employers and clients are seeking. But, what if you’re still not sure what your personal brand is?
Too many people rush into creating a personal brand without first discovering who they are, what they can offer and what they want to do for the rest of their life.
Discovering your brand is important because it allows you to visualize your career path and goals all-in-one. Some important questions to ask yourself:
What is your mission?- Who will you serve?
- What’s your vision for the future?
- What are your key attributes?
- What are your personality traits?
- What are your strengths?
- What motivates you?
- What are your goals?
- What is your definition of success?
- What do you want to be remembered for?
- What impact do you want to have on people?
Pay attention to what others say about you because this is also part of your personal brand. Do co-workers describe you as creative? Intelligent? Incorporate these characteristics into your brand identity accordingly.
Your personal brand should reflect your interests and passions. You want to set yourself apart by finding your “niche” – or the position you’re best suited for. Your niche should be a specific subject or field you’re interested in and can offer expertise and advice about. If you’re not yet an expert in this field or subject, now’s the time to acquire those skills or further your education.
Whether you like it or not, your personal brand is how others will see you. Ideally, once you’ve discovered your brand, sooner or later, your name will be associated with those traits.
Author:
Heather R. Huhman is a career expert and founder & president of Come Recommended, an exclusive online community connecting the best internship and entry-level job candidates with the best employers. She is also the author of #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), national entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com and blogs about career advice at HeatherHuhman.com.
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Dear Heather:
As always, this is an extremely helpful and well-written article.
Your list is deceptively simple, but can provoke lots of thought and exploration.
Best wishes–Roger
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Dear Heather,
I agree with your article. But I’d like to add that there are times when priorities change. it seems to me that branding is something that can be built upon and nuanced.
Best, Dorothy
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