18 Oct Article: How can my “personal brand” drive my career growth?
I wrote this article that originally appeared on the BellMTS Business Hub blog. Writing on various business topics, I like to keep keenly aware of the landscape in many different industries. You can find this and more articles written by me on the BellMTS Business Hub.
There’s a certain type of brand that is more important than ever before: your personal brand. As more signals, technology and challenges compete for our attention, it’s important to be able to stand out from the noise.
Your personal brand extends to both the digital world and your career, so it’s important to manage it correctly. Together, offline and online branding gives any onlookers — be they managers, human resources, colleagues, influencers or friends — the complete picture of who you really are.
Here’s how to define your brand and put your best foot forward.
Offline brand: How you treat people is key
To paraphrase Maya Angelou, people will forget what you said or exactly what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Developing a personal brand in the offline world is all about how you treat people and act in your day-to-day life — especially at the office. The feelings and ideas that people associate with you will actually become your brand.
Keeping this in mind, people will cultivate offline brands that include the type of work they focus on, the causes they are passionate about, their hobbies, the type of pop culture they consume and even how adventurous they are with food. All of these attributes help define who you are as a person, while also reflecting on people’s expectations of you in the workplace.
For example, someone with a personal brand who is seen as ‘approachable, agreeable and cares about volunteering’ is a great pick for a role working on a team. Or if you are pursuing a role in finance, you can emphasize and reinforce your personal brand in the office by being detail-oriented and a problem-solver.
Don’t be afraid to let people know your personal brand standard. Map out what your career goals are, and then think about the qualities and experiences you’d need to be successful in that role.
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