#008 | 4 Tips for Building your Personal Brand & Boosting Your Career

 How we view ourselves is not what defines our personal brand. In fact, our perception of ourselves matters very little.

Our personal brand (AKA professional reputation) is how others perceive us. It is very important to understand that it is up to each and every one of us to control our brand. If you don’t, there is a strong risk that someone else will.

Building your personal brand is critical to reaching your professional goals and climbing the career ladder. It helps clarify your strengths, builds trust and credibility with others and ultimately positions you as the go-to person in your industry.

Unfortunately, most people think working hard is enough to advance their career. If you keep a low profile and let your work speak for itself, you may indeed develop a good reputation among the people you work closely with. But that’s a relatively limited number of people. 

There are a few simple yet effective things that you can start implementing today in order to help you build your personal brand and advance your career.

Narrow your focus

If you speak to everyone, you are likely speaking to no one. 

We often fill different roles: mothers, daughters, caregivers, wives, executives, mentors, etc. The truth is that you can’t build a successful personal brand by trying to be all things to all people. So you need to identify what you want to be known for.

That doesn’t mean you have to box yourself in. 

It means, instead, that you’re focusing on specific skills, talents, and values. In other words, what’s your promise? 

Become a visible expert

Being a best-kept secret is not a good strategy for your career advancement. Actually, it will lead you nowhere. So, once you figure out what you want to be known for, position yourself as an expert and increase your visibility by taking up speaking opportunities in your company and business community.

Many associations, organisations and companies are consistently looking for slots to fill at monthly meetings and annual conferences (now that all these events are taking place online, you can do it from the comfort of your home). 

Target speaking opportunities that will position you in front of your target audience. This exposure leads to increased visibility and when delivered right, increases your credibility. 

Network outside of your industry

Personal brand is all about how you strategically position and promote yourself. 

Connecting with people outside your company and industry will help you create a more diverse network which means that your talents - and, by extension, your personal brand - are visible and recognized by a larger group of people. The more people know you and know what you are good at, the more opportunities you will create (speaking engagements, partnerships and more) to position yourself as the go-to person in your industry.

Use Linkedin

As a professional woman, LinkedIn should play a big part in your personal branding strategy. Your digital footprint is what I like to call your “online reputation currency”. By sharing your knowledge and bringing values through digital content, you can showcase your experience, build relationships, and stand out from the crowd. In other words, Linkedin is an opportunity for you to showcase your unique capabilities, expand your network and create more opportunities for your career advancement.

The good news is that you don’t need to have millions of connections for LinkedIn to make a big impact on your career. Sometimes you just need a few of the right people to pay attention. 

See you next week again.

With your success in mind…Darine