Read time: 4 mins
Today we’re helping you define a personal brand that STANDS OUT.
This is critical to accelerating your career and directly linked to the opportunities that will come your way.
Let’s get into it:
Your personal brand is what people think about you.
And like it or not, they’re thinking something.
Jeff Bezos says it well:
“Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
Most decisions about your future are made when you’re not there.
Whether it’s hiring, advocating, or promoting; you want those in the room to be your raving fans.
5 STEPS TO DISCOVER YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
1. Self-Assessment: What do I think my brand is?
a. Write down your defining traits: strengths, skills, values, passions, experiences, education, etc.
b. Highlight what stands out to you. What in the list is most unique? What is most notable in terms of your career goals?
2. Research: What do others think it is?
a. Select 3-5 people you trust to give honest feedback on your brand.
b. Ask:
​​​​​​”What do you think stands out about me?”
“If I wanted (insert Dream Job), what do I need to work on?”
“What do you think people would need to believe about me, to seek me out for opportunities in (Dream Job)?”
3. Draft: Write your personal brand statement
a. Use the information you’ve gathered so far to draft a 1-2 sentences covering:
- 1 key problem you’re uniquely placed to solve
- 1-2 core values or what drives you
- 1-2 facts about your skills and experience
Here’s a quick example – Lynne’s personal brand statement:
I help ambitious professionals build their dream careers.
I get so much satisfaction from combining my coaching expertise and corporate leadership experience to help my clients make more money, have more impact, and find real enjoyment in their work.
4. Test: Is my brand relevant, rare, and credible?
To stand out, your brand must be relevant to the role you want, as well as rare and credible.
Use these tests to check if it is:
- Is my brand relevant?
Your brand should demonstrate that you can solve problems that need to be solved where you want to work.
- Is it rare?
Get out of generic mode: your brand shouldn’t be on everyone else’s resume.
- Is it credible?
Ensure you can credibly stand behind your brand. It must accurately reflect who you are and what you do.
5. Re-write: Adjust your personal brand statement
Tweak your personal brand statement based on your tests, ensuring it’s relevant, rare and credible.
Voila!
You’ve defined your unique and remarkable personal brand.
Your next actions
For a little help, download the personal brand workbook from our website.
Thanks so much for reading!
Speak soon,
Lynne and Steve
TLDR (i.e. Too Long; Didn’t Read Summary)
- Your brand is what people think about you.
- Most decisions about your future will be made when you’re not there, so you need a personal brand that stands out.
- The 5 key steps to define your brand:
- Self-Assessment: What do I believe my personal brand is?
- Research: How do others perceive my brand?
- Draft: Write your personal brand statement
- Test: Is my brand unique and remarkable (and relevant, rare and true)?
- Re-write: Adjust your personal brand statement
When you’re ready to accelerate your career, here’s how to ask about working with us:
We offer career coaching & mentoring to support leaders to build confidence and achieve their goals, and are developing career-building courses coming soon.
