“Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room” Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon
Whether we recognise it or not, we already have our own personal brand and we all impact other people’s brands by the conversations that we have about them when they are not with us.
Do you recognise other people’s perceptions of you within the workplace? When creating your personal brand it’s important for you to ask yourself “What does my name say about me?” and if you were to put your name into a Google search engine what information could your existing or potential employer find out about you on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or perhaps even your Blog?
The internet has become a huge source of information and enables recruiters and employers to make up their own assumptions of you before they even consider a meet. So, bearing this in mind it goes without saying that when looking for work it’s vital for you to portray a professional image. Below I have listed 5 different ways in which you can start creating your personal brand:
- Be Authentic – What are your passions, desires and dreams? In order to be authentic you have to be real, genuine and not false. You should be able to provide evidence and facts with regards to your experience and show that you are reliable and trustworthy.
- Contact Details – You must ensure that an email address or a mobile answer message is simple and professional. Create a simple Yahoo or Google email address and remember to check this on a daily basis when looking for work.
- Social Networking – Be aware of anything derogatory on Facebook and if need be ask your friends to take down photos that include you. If you haven’t already then I would recommend that you present yourself as a professional within your industry by completing your ‘All-Star’ profile on LinkedIn.
- Tell Your Story – Prepare and practise a 30 second speech or pitch so that you can explain what sets you apart from other candidates, what makes you different?
- Personal Appearance – It’s important that the clothes you wear portray the image you want to give. I would recommend that you always attend both internal and external interviews in smart business dress even if you know that they have a policy of ‘dress down’
“All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” – Tom Peters
A Corporate Mentor for the ‘Internal Job Market’ who offers employees an edge over their internal and/or external competition. With over 15 years’ experience, Nikki educates professional people to build on their personal brand, to sell themselves in the content of their CV and interview technique and to overcome personal barriers to fully recognise their strengths and achievements.
