Workopolis: Career Resources: May 18, 2014
Today more than any other time in the history of the industrialized world, it is important for employed and unemployed people to take control of developing, establishing and managing a Personal Brand.
A Personal Brand allows all that is strong and effective about your personal and professional style to become deliberately known to your business and social community, says Lisa Orrell, author of the new book, “Your Employee Brand is in Your Hands: How Any Employee Can Create and Promote Their Own Personal Leadership Brand for Massive Career Success!”
When you are in control of marketing your brand you can direct the content and manage your wonderment as job descriptions change, managers roll over, and objectives are altered, to keep up with the rollicking times.
Orrell offers four reasons why focusing on developing and managing a Personal Brand is critical to your career growth:
It Gives You Clarity
Personal Branding is about increased self-awareness, an emotional intelligent skill that is sadly weak in many adults. Take a good hard look at yourself. Do a self assessment of your weaknesses. You know what you shine at so forget your strengths for the time being and do some brainstorming around how to turn those weaknesses around. If you are a new grad or an experienced worker, you have to know who you are and who you aspire to be in order to conduct yourself in any role effectively.
When you know who you are and how to describe it, the clarity you will have in a job interview will sky rocket compared to the oft flailing around one does in an interview.
Improves Your Job Satisfaction
Having clarity of your strengths and values gives you a roadmap of how to behave and build relationships at work and personally. It also encourages you to ask such questions as: “Am I in the right job or role? Do I even like what I do or should I make a career change? Does my boss or the company, mesh with my Personal Brand values? The answers help you to determine whether you are “happy to be here” or not.
For job seekers, knowing your Personal Brand will help you hone in on the companies, positions, and management style that will work best for you and allow you to ask pointed questions in an interview. Knowing your PB helps make the best choice as to which job to take and which to turn down.
Expands Your Notoriety
When you stand out like a giraffe in a field of mice, you are sought after. When you make a ripple or a wave as a SME in your industry, you will be contacted to speak at conferences and write papers, or you will be recruited for positions rather than having to seek them out. Certainly you have to be your own publicist and you have to stay current on trends and new findings so as to have unique insights to share. Notoriety can expand your world outside of the office or the unemployment line up.
Excels Your Advancement
Living and walking your Personal Brand can reap substantial rewards in the workplace. When you are consistent in your messaging, your behaviour and communication, you build respect and trust and you earn ‘buy in’ from co-workers and those around you. Buy in equals promotions and high profile projects.
Take the extra time it takes to develop a brand for yourself. If you have a long work life ahead of you, PB planning can be a life line to future challenges and opportunities. If you are in transition, knowing yourself and being able to communicate that in writing and in an interview will impress interviewers and make them want to have you in their company.
Colleen Clarke
Career Specialist and Corporate Trainer
Author of Networking How To Build Relationships That Count and How To Get a Job and Keep It
