Personal branding focuses on finding your essence and presenting that in a way that stands out from the crowd. In different fields and for different people, standing out can mean different things. For someone in engineering, it could mean leading or working on a cutting-edge project. For someone in public relations, it could mean working on a campaign for a client that exceeded expectations. For an author, it could mean getting a great speaking opportunity.
When you think about what makes you stand out now and how you want to stand out in the future, don’t judge your accomplishments based on what others in your field are doing or have done. It’s not about whether you stand out more or less than the other person—it’s about how YOU stand out.
Those experiences will help you zero in on what comes easily to you, what you are comfortable doing, and whether you want to pursue the same or different kinds of opportunities to build your brand. It’s important to identify the instances and ways that you have stood out, but it’s even more important to identify the skills you were using. Keep that in mind when you make your lists.
TO DO:
Think about and write down the following:
- What projects, tasks or skills do your co-workers turn to you for help with?
- What parts of your daily work do you find easiest?
- What parts of your daily work do you find most appealing?
- What have you been recognized by your co-workers for doing recently?
- What recent professional accomplishment(s) are you most proud of?
- In what way do you most wish you could professionally stand out?
What is Personal Branding?
by Jim Kukral & Murray Newlands
Murray Newlands is an online marketing expert who founded Influence People, a San Francisco-based online marketing and blogger outreach consulting firm. Jim Kukral and Murray Newlands recently wrote What is Personal Branding? How to Create a Memorable & Powerful Brand that Sells YOU! to help people learn how to market themselves.
