Why Personal Branding Is Important - and How to Build Yours

Who are you?

This is often the hardest question to answer in an interview. Questions as simple as "Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?" and "Who are you?" give us pause. Why is that?

Often, it's because we don't know how to position our personal brand. Knowing what your personal brand is and how to describe it will give you a perfect guide to answering those common interview questions. Beyond that, it will help you stand out to employers - they won't hire who they don't understand. To start learning about the importance of personal branding, let's break down that sentence into two key terms: positioning and personal branding.

What is Positioning?

Positioning or market positioning refers to a brand's location within the consumer's mind, specifically focusing on how to differentiate the brand from its competitors. A good positioning strategy will make a brand stand out by focusing on its unique selling proposition, which is what a brand offers that no other brand can replicate.

What is Personal Branding?

So, if we're trying to have an effective positioning strategy, we need something to position. That's where your personal brand comes in. If you're trying to find a job, you may not have a corporate brand to consider, but you do have a personal brand.

A personal brand is the curated view of yourself that you put out to the public world. A good personal branding strategy will make you more known, but should, more importantly, make you easier to understand.

As you establish a personal brand, people should be able to quickly know what you love, what you're good at, and what you should avoid.

How Do I Create a Personal Brand?

If you're wondering how to build a personal brand, begin by answering the following questions.

What energizes you?
Who do you want to be compared with?
Who is your target audience/ who do you want to serve?
What are your unique strengths?

By answering these four questions, you're on the path to making a personal brand. Combine the answers to these questions into a single sentence to help you verbalize what your personal brand is. Be as specific and honest as you can about who you are and what you're good at.

For example, someone like Simon Sinek's personal brand could be described as "a charismatic thought leader and change-maker in the marketing and business world that excels at communicating with aspiring business leaders."

Now, when you're asked "Who are you?" you'll know how to answer impressively and concisely. Now, it's time to start showcasing your personal brand.

How Do I Maintain My Personal Brand?

Many of these projects can take time out of your day, but they can be both fun and rewarding! If done well, you can create extensions of your personal brand that help communicate who you are to employers and keep you top of mind.

Create a blog - Do you have a career niche you'd like to target? Try writing a blog from your perspective on that topic. Not only will it demonstrate your writing skills, but it will force you to learn more about your area of interest while positing yourself as an expert in the field.

Curate your social media - Everyone is on social media - including future employers. Use your socials as a way to share and create content that showcases your personal brand. Even if you're not job searching, practicing content creation will develop your public image while adding some important skills to your belt.

Update your portfolio - If you don't have a portfolio, start by making one! Sites like Wix and WordPress have great free resources to use. Include only your best work and organize it in a way that is logical and easy to navigate. Online portfolios are limitless in their capacity, so make sure you use them to their fullest potential and show off as much as you can.

The Big Picture:

Curating your personal brand will help you explain who you are to employers by showing them what you're good at and what you love, positioning yourself as a high-level candidate who can stand out amongst the others.

Looking to level up your career or explore career options? Schedule your (FREE) career strategy session today.