Personal Branding: Developing a personal brand and better self marketing techniques.

PERSONAL BRANDING  |  Understanding How People Perceive Each Other

Many jobs are found through personal introductions, 'word of mouth' and effective networking, so how people perceive each other forms the basis of personal branding.  The same idea of branding applies
in business where a favourable brand image can influence a purchase decision.

Developing a 'Personal Brand' and making others aware of this can play a part of being successful (credible) in any job role. A favourable perception (image) will positively influence career development and overall career success.

Understanding what goes into making a favourable 'personal brand' and selling this to key decision-makers (management) is all about developing 'personal brand awareness'.

Brand awareness (or image) relates to how individual employees are perceived in terms of
contributions made to the company, role or function.

Other brand awareness factors can include perceptions about how a person interacts (communicates) with other employees (particularly management), team-working and having a positive work ethic.
Self-improvement and adding value through particular skills or achievements can
also be important to developing a favourable image.

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Perceptions of others can massively influence a 'personal brand image'. Learning about oneself helps to identify important motivations, strengths and weaknesses. Constructive feedback allows for adjustments to be made when developing a positive image, selling yourself effectively and demonstrating career potential.

It is important to get feedback from those who are most likely to influence your career. This involves a significant degree of self-assessment, asking work colleagues and getting honest appraisals from line management.

Self-Assessment

It is necessary to dig deeper by looking at inner motivations, strengths, weaknesses and how you think you are perceived in your current role (personal perceptions are invariably inaccurate). In addition, try to identify personal achievements and how you believe these have impacted the business.

Asking work colleagues

Asking work colleagues for honest and constructive feedback. This can give a very useful insight on personal strengths and weaknesses in terms of the following:

-  Contributions to the company, role, function or department.
-  Communication / negotiation skills - interacting with others.
-  Team-working - any positive or negative impacts on the 'team environment'
-  Self-improvement - ideas on how you could improve in your existing role.
-  Adding value through your skills - how do your colleagues value your skills.
-  Achievements / adding value - do your colleagues acknowledge your contribution & achievements?

Feedback from management

There should be opportunities for periodic feedback through review meetings. Arguably, the most important working relationship is with your manager so their perceptions are crucial when
determining things like training, development, pay reviews and career advancement.

Asking line management gives an important understanding of how you are rated in terms of productivity, skills, qualities, achievements, where you sit in relation to your colleagues and possibilities for advancement, etc. Identifying individual strengths and weaknesses will give a clear indication
of how you are perceived and so identify areas for development or improvement.

Other Career resources

Personal branding is very much subjective because it is based on the ideas and perceptions of others.  Specific career resources are difficult to recommend but may give frameworks for interpreting feedback.

Setting objectives & career planning

Understanding where you want to be (overall career goals or ideal image perceptions) and how you are going to get there (career path) will help to establish areas and directions for improvement.

Any effective plan must have realistically achievable and measurable objectives.  The plan should work on satisfying inner motivations, building on strengths and overcoming weaknesses to improve your 'personal brand image'. A clear and focused plan will help to achieve personal goals much quicker
and more effectively.

Prioritising development goals

It is important to identify short, medium and long-term development priorities because some aspects will take different timescales to implement.  Categorising these priorities by timescale will help formulate an overall plan, set targets, maintain motivation over the longer term and will enable the success of any actions to be monitored over time.

For instance, changing your appearance (i.e. wearing a smart suit) can be achieved very quickly. Alternatively, getting some worthwhile achievements (i.e. projects, training, etc) will take longer to implement.

Gap Analysis - Bridging a Skills Gap

Self-assessment and feedback from others will help identify the main weaknesses to work on when developing effective 'personal brand awareness'.  Prioritising key weaknesses will help when planning to overcome them. Key weaknesses could include underdeveloped skills, a lack of training, not enough experience, no evidence of progression or few achievements (i.e. unproven track record).  It maybe worthwhile discussing a development plan with your line manager or doing extra qualifications.

Identifying other opportunities to improve 'personal brand awareness'

It is important to identify achievements and contributions made to date and see how they fit in a wider context. Significant achievements and contributions will inevitably improve your profile, image and 'personal brand awareness'.

Previous achievements will give confidence and ideas for improving 'personal branding' over the
longer term.   For instance, it may make it easier to identify further projects or where you can make
added contributions in the future.

Bringing something different to your role - ideas

Generating workable ideas will always set people apart from others.  Good ideas should bring about recognition, increased profile and derive a positive professional image.  Think creatively about your role, department or function and any opportunities to improve it.  Ideas could revolve around cost savings or improving processes for example.

'Big yourself up' - talk about yourself more

Talking about achievements and contributions will inevitably raise your image and profile.  Only mention this when it is appropriate to do so, such as when asking for more responsibility or if there are new opportunities to demonstrate your skills.

It is best mentioned when face-to-face with line management.  Be careful what you say and how you say it as you will have to give supporting evidence to demonstrate credibility.

Relationship with your manager

The relationship with your manager is arguably the most important in terms of your career. Management need to be aware of your previous successes and reminded about how you can make a positive contribution and add value in the future.

A good time to mention your successes, motivations and skills is during one-to-one conversations or during review meetings when you have their full attention.  Showing a positive, compliant and helpful attitude towards work will generate a more favourable image.  This in turn builds trust and
confidence in your abilities from line management.

Wider business awareness

Businesses are always evolving. Keeping up-to-date of new developments or initiatives will no doubt enhance personal credibility. An added interest in wider business activities can demonstrate extra commitment towards the company and developing a career.

Not everyone takes an interest in the wider business so having a greater understanding can give an advantage when taking decisions. Better decisions will inevitably improve personal effectiveness
and how you are likely to be perceived by management.

Presenting the right image / appearance

People tending to dress smarter will generally stand out more and demonstrate a favourable image perception. A person with a smart suit will give an aura of confidence, show success and give more credibility than a person in an old over worn suit. It is important to dress according to your audience. Aspects relating to personal hygiene can also undermine a person's image or credibility.

Getting First impressions right - greeting and meeting people

Always be careful of how you interact and communicate with people.  First impressions are important because people tend to establish how they perceive others almost immediately.  First impressions
can lead to lasting impressions, whether negative or positive.

Being confident, engaging with people, smiling and giving a firm handshake will demonstrate a positive and professional image. It is also important to be polite and respectful. You can be assertive but not aggressive otherwise people will not take you seriously. Getting the basics right will nearly always
create a favourable impression.

Effective networking

When speaking to others, please be aware of selling achievements, strengths and unique selling points to your audience.  Effective networking relies on creating a positive impression (image) and engaging with others when an opportunity presents itself. Introducing yourself to others (when and where appropriate) could establish favourable business and networking contacts.

Produce a small summary of your key successes and what contribution you can make so you are ready to sell what you can offer to an important person, manager or company representative.  People will be more impressed by you as a 'personal brand' if you can positively sell yourself.

Positive attitudes are infectious

Companies always look at how people fit in, interact and communicate with their peers.  Therefore, adopting a confident and positive attitude will derive a favourable image.  This will make you far more approachable by management and your colleagues will find you easier to deal with.

A positive approach should raise your profile and more opportunities would be forthcoming as a result. Stay positive (and diplomatic) even if you do not like the company, role or people you work with.

Keep your CV updated

Updating your CV will ensure any achievements, contributions and skills are clearly documented.
An effective CV will be carefully structured so information regarding your personal profile
can easily be recalled.

Recalling elements of your CV is particularly important when having to sell your credentials (skills, qualities, strengths, successes) and create a positive impression (image).  You never know
when you might be placed in such a situation.

Writing down and documenting your achievements

Maintaining a personal record of achievement can be useful to review and update.  One idea
would be to keep a portfolio of achievements, thank you emails from senior management plus
any other recognition or ideas. 

The portfolio could be useful in reviews with line management by producing evidence of progression, targets met and steady work.  It can be used as a talking point to see how your profile can be raised
and how your image could be improved.