What Contributes To Your Personal Brand And How Does It Relate To A Career Move?
Given that this is being written during the Republican National Convention... and the news media is filled with the rhetoric of our political "leaders" -- all of whom have their own brand; I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a look at PERSONAL BRANDING.
Dan Schwabel is considered an expert on the the subject of Personal Branding and defined it as follows:
"Personal branding describes the process by which individuals and entrepreneurs differentiate themselves and stand out from a crowd by identifying and articulating their unique value proposition, whether professional or personal, and then leveraging it across platforms with a consistent message and image to achieve a specific goal. In this way, individuals can enhance their recognition as experts in their field, establish reputation and credibility, advance their careers, and build self-confidence."
He goes on to state that your Personal Brand consists of 3 elements:
- Value Proposition: What do you stand for?
- Differentiation: What makes you stand out?
- Marketability: What makes you compelling?
The above definition is a great one for entrepreneurs like me - but there is a lot more to "building your personal brand" that takes into account a vast array of information including: QUALITIES, TRAITS, ACTIONS, BELIEFS, COMMUNICATION STYLE, PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, THE QUALITY OF YOUR WORK, EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT HISTORY...and potentially a host of other criterion that ultimately comprise your PERSONAL BRAND.
To me... it is how ALL of those things play a role in shaping someone else's PERCEPTION or EXPECTATION of what you REPRESENT. It is important to note that this brand is created over time -- as people experience working with or interacting with YOU. Your brand will always be shaped by your ACTIONS... as what you do... the quality and style with which you do it...will have far greater impact than the way you COMMUNICATE you do those things. In other words, your brand is built by WALKING THE TALK!
Paying attention to establishing a consistent --- BRAND MESSAGE can begin with your first job --- right out of school. In fact, this brand building can begin long before that - for those who have a clear vision of WHO THEY ARE... and HOW THEY WANT OTHERS TO PERCEIVE THEM.
It is important to understand that that ultimately -- your brand is not what you say it is -- but what others say it is. It is this fact that you must keep in mind and therefore rigorously apply 3 principles that are the foundation to any successful brand: CONSISTENCY, QUALITY + INTEGRITY. Your behavior, actions and performance must be consistent time and time again --- to establish credibility. Your "audience" needs to see that the work you do is of a higher caliber than most --- and come to expect and associate this superior quality with YOU. Last...but likely most important is the moral compass you bring to the manner in which you conduct business. This needs to never be compromised and must reflect accountability, empathy and genuine partnership.
What does your Personal Brand have to do with the INTERVIEWING & JOB SEARCH process?
I chose to address this topic because it is often not until people look to make a career move that they give thought to... or become aware of their PERSONAL BRAND. Ironically, some of the most brilliant marketers in the country... have the most difficult time... marketing themselves. If you are first giving thought to the way CLIENTS, CO-WORKERS, SUPERIORS, COMPETITORS, PREVIOUS EMPLOYERS, PEOPLE YOU MANAGED, VENDORS... SEE YOU, EXPERIENCE YOU, AND WHAT QUALITIES THEY ASSOCIATE WITH YOU...when you go to make a "career-move" --- you have likely not done much to develop your brand.
In the JOB GAME -- these key factors also play in role shaping your brand:
SALARY HISTORY (negative assumptions are always weighted toward those who appear to have been underpaid - maybe they settle? are not worth more? there's a reason they weren't given a raise...)
EDUCATION (where you went to school helps shape the overall perception)
UNIQUE SKILL SET (Are you an "expert"? Do you bring something to the table that truly sets you apart?)
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY (Do your employers have "brand recognition"?)
SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS ( Has your employment made an impact or change that is measurable? Did you bring"added value" that changed the way they did business in some way?
WORD ON THE STREET (more so than REFERENCES... my clients discretely reach out to previous co-workers, business associates and others to get a sense of how you treat people) THIS ONE HAS COST MORE CANDIDATES OFFERS - THAN ANY OTHER...
When all is said and done --- this whole branding thing hearkens back to things we were told as a child.
1- Treat others as you would want to be treated
2- Treat everyone regardless of their title/position with the same measure of respect
3- Take pride in the quality of work
4- Practice what you preach --- if you say you are going to do something -- DO IT
5- Make sure you understand what skills and qualities you wish others to associate with you
6- Birds of a feather... --- protect your brand by being selective and understand those who you associate with impact yours
7- Do the LITTLE things... responding in a timely manner to calls & emails, showing empathy for those obviously struggling, offering criticism ONLY when it is constructive
8-Be consistent with your ACTIONS and your MESSAGING
9- Constantly look to gain knowledge and for areas where you can improve
10- Present yourself with a potent combination of CONFIDENCE + HUMILITY
* DISCLAIMER: This has been written by the guy that has branded himself ...not only THE TALENT MAGNET... but "the 4th Beastie Boy" ... and the likely product of a morphing of Tony Robbins & EMINEM... so what do I know ;)
"True leadership is seen in those who have the ability to raise the level of performance of those around them simply by the example of their own commitment to excellence." SK
Dan Schwabel is considered an expert on the the subject of Personal Branding and defined it as follows:
"Personal branding describes the process by which individuals and entrepreneurs differentiate themselves and stand out from a crowd by identifying and articulating their unique value proposition, whether professional or personal, and then leveraging it across platforms with a consistent message and image to achieve a specific goal. In this way, individuals can enhance their recognition as experts in their field, establish reputation and credibility, advance their careers, and build self-confidence."
He goes on to state that your Personal Brand consists of 3 elements:
- Value Proposition: What do you stand for?
- Differentiation: What makes you stand out?
- Marketability: What makes you compelling?
The above definition is a great one for entrepreneurs like me - but there is a lot more to "building your personal brand" that takes into account a vast array of information including: QUALITIES, TRAITS, ACTIONS, BELIEFS, COMMUNICATION STYLE, PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, THE QUALITY OF YOUR WORK, EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT HISTORY...and potentially a host of other criterion that ultimately comprise your PERSONAL BRAND.
To me... it is how ALL of those things play a role in shaping someone else's PERCEPTION or EXPECTATION of what you REPRESENT. It is important to note that this brand is created over time -- as people experience working with or interacting with YOU. Your brand will always be shaped by your ACTIONS... as what you do... the quality and style with which you do it...will have far greater impact than the way you COMMUNICATE you do those things. In other words, your brand is built by WALKING THE TALK!
Paying attention to establishing a consistent --- BRAND MESSAGE can begin with your first job --- right out of school. In fact, this brand building can begin long before that - for those who have a clear vision of WHO THEY ARE... and HOW THEY WANT OTHERS TO PERCEIVE THEM.
It is important to understand that that ultimately -- your brand is not what you say it is -- but what others say it is. It is this fact that you must keep in mind and therefore rigorously apply 3 principles that are the foundation to any successful brand: CONSISTENCY, QUALITY + INTEGRITY. Your behavior, actions and performance must be consistent time and time again --- to establish credibility. Your "audience" needs to see that the work you do is of a higher caliber than most --- and come to expect and associate this superior quality with YOU. Last...but likely most important is the moral compass you bring to the manner in which you conduct business. This needs to never be compromised and must reflect accountability, empathy and genuine partnership.
What does your Personal Brand have to do with the INTERVIEWING & JOB SEARCH process?
I chose to address this topic because it is often not until people look to make a career move that they give thought to... or become aware of their PERSONAL BRAND. Ironically, some of the most brilliant marketers in the country... have the most difficult time... marketing themselves. If you are first giving thought to the way CLIENTS, CO-WORKERS, SUPERIORS, COMPETITORS, PREVIOUS EMPLOYERS, PEOPLE YOU MANAGED, VENDORS... SEE YOU, EXPERIENCE YOU, AND WHAT QUALITIES THEY ASSOCIATE WITH YOU...when you go to make a "career-move" --- you have likely not done much to develop your brand.
In the JOB GAME -- these key factors also play in role shaping your brand:
SALARY HISTORY (negative assumptions are always weighted toward those who appear to have been underpaid - maybe they settle? are not worth more? there's a reason they weren't given a raise...)
EDUCATION (where you went to school helps shape the overall perception)
UNIQUE SKILL SET (Are you an "expert"? Do you bring something to the table that truly sets you apart?)
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY (Do your employers have "brand recognition"?)
SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS ( Has your employment made an impact or change that is measurable? Did you bring"added value" that changed the way they did business in some way?
WORD ON THE STREET (more so than REFERENCES... my clients discretely reach out to previous co-workers, business associates and others to get a sense of how you treat people) THIS ONE HAS COST MORE CANDIDATES OFFERS - THAN ANY OTHER...
When all is said and done --- this whole branding thing hearkens back to things we were told as a child.
1- Treat others as you would want to be treated
2- Treat everyone regardless of their title/position with the same measure of respect
3- Take pride in the quality of work
4- Practice what you preach --- if you say you are going to do something -- DO IT
5- Make sure you understand what skills and qualities you wish others to associate with you
6- Birds of a feather... --- protect your brand by being selective and understand those who you associate with impact yours
7- Do the LITTLE things... responding in a timely manner to calls & emails, showing empathy for those obviously struggling, offering criticism ONLY when it is constructive
8-Be consistent with your ACTIONS and your MESSAGING
9- Constantly look to gain knowledge and for areas where you can improve
10- Present yourself with a potent combination of CONFIDENCE + HUMILITY
* DISCLAIMER: This has been written by the guy that has branded himself ...not only THE TALENT MAGNET... but "the 4th Beastie Boy" ... and the likely product of a morphing of Tony Robbins & EMINEM... so what do I know ;)
"True leadership is seen in those who have the ability to raise the level of performance of those around them simply by the example of their own commitment to excellence." SK
