If you have attended any career workshops or webinars, you may hear the word Personal Branding being thrown around quite a number of times. And you may think, “Hmm, what is personal branding, and why is it important for my career?“
Well, let’s find out more about personal branding and why you should spend time to hone your personal brand.
What is personal branding?
Personal branding is your unique brand identity that people around you would remember and know you by. Similar to how businesses and organizations would build a brand around their products, you need to have a strong personal brand in order to stand out and be recognizable.
As a jobseeker, you will be competing with hundreds, if not thousands, of competitors in the job market. From fresh graduates to experienced professionals, you are all fighting to get your spot in the job interview and to land that job offer.
Personal branding is more than just building a website or creating a LinkedIn page. It goes beyond and taps into your values, your work ethics, your skills and experiences, and your personality. Your personal brand will help your audience know who you are, what you have to offer to them, and why it is worth choosing you over the others.
But why is it important for your career development?
1. It builds trust and credibility in your skills and worth.
When you have a strong personal branding, people will automatically relate it to your skills and experiences.
For instance, a seasoned wedding photographer who has build up their personal branding will be able to attract potential clients due to their extensive portfolio and expertise. Comparatively, a newbie wedding photographer might find it a little harder to land new clients.
With a strong personal brand, it makes it easier for you to build that trust with new clients or customers. Or, in the case of jobseekers, with potential employers.
2. It helps to connect you with other like-minded individuals.
They say that birds of a feather flock together. When you have a strong personal brand, it helps to connect with other individuals who share similar interests. You would be able to connect and learn from one another, while also sharing your unique experiences.
For example, as an entrepreneur, having a strong personal brand can help you to connect to potential partners, team members, or even investors. It would be easier for you to be able to build your business when you are connected to the right people.
3. It helps to open doors to new opportunities.
Following up from Points 1 & 2, when people know who you are and have trust in your skills, it is much easier for them to recommend you for opportunities.
Someone who used to work with you may have heard of your skills and accomplishments. Thus, they may be more willing to recommend someone that they know for a job opportunity as compared to a random stranger.
On top of that, when you have a strong personal brand online (such as on LinkedIn or other social networks), it is much easier for people to look you up and invite you for other professional opportunities that may be aligned with your brand.
4. It helps you to build confidence in yourself.
For some people, they struggle with being assertive about their strengths and skills. However, as you develop a niche set of competencies and as your personal branding grows stronger, this can help you to feel more confident in yourself.
As you see more connections made and more opportunities being opened up to you, you would be able to tone down on your fear and embrace your skills and your worth.
5. It helps you to be visible and unique.
In a world where there’s a lot of competition, having a strong personal brand can help tremendously. Most job vacancies would receive hundreds, if not thousands, of applications. In scenarios like it, you need to be able to differentiate yourself from other jobseekers.
Having a unique personal brand also helps you to stay at the top of people’s mind. Being able to show your personality and personal branding during a job interview can also help you to leave a positive impression on your interviewers.
Your personal branding can help you in different ways.
It does not matter if you’re a jobseeker or an aspiring entrepreneur – personal branding is an important tool to keep in mind. It pays off to really take the time to develop a strong personal brand, especially when you’re just starting out.
Not sure on where and how to start? Schedule a coaching call with us and we can work with you to help you figure things out.