Personal Branding

By Beth Carter, Carter Consultants Ltd.

The term, Personal Branding, has been so played out in recent years especially in terms of seeking new employment opportunities.  Many articles have tried to give the reader a one-size-fits-all approach that usually is then applied to 30 and 60 second commercials with the result being that one person sounds very similar to another person.  How do you avoid that?

First you have to start to construct a true picture of yourself starting with identifying your core values.  In other words, what are the 4 or 5 key words that you live your life - both professionally and personally. By doing this, you start to clarify what is really important to you today and how you want your life to look like in the future.  Write them down and see how they interact with each other even if it means drawing circles with each value inside and see how they overlap. 

Next step is to discuss with friends, family, coworkers, and possibly your boss if these core values are evident to others.  Feedback is important so you need to be as objective as possible and not to become defensive when you hear something disturbing or surprising.  This is a time for self exploration so truly spend the time reflecting and possibly journaling what they are saying.

Now look for common themes or phrases and begin to craft a 30 second commercial about yourself.  Use action verbs and adjectives that are not vague like great or excellent.  Try saying it in front of a mirror and look at your facial expressions to see if you come across happy, sad, confused, etc.  If you feel that it does not flow, ask for help from others.  The objective is not to make this “perfect” but for you to get your message across effectively and for you to be comfortable and at ease with the message.  It is also imperative for others to be able to relay it when speaking on your behalf.

As you make a life change, it is important to revisit your personal brand and to “tweak” it if necessary.  Reflecting on past accomplishments and “Aha! Moments” can also help you when revising your message.  Keep it simple and straightforward is the recipe for success.

You can reach Beth at beth.carter@gssocx.com

Carter Consultants Ltd. provides individual and group coaching services tailored for executives, soon-to-be executive, job seekers, and small business owners.  In addition, we offer unbundled research and recruiting services including handling any and all aspects of name generation and candidate development for a variety of industries and functions. Additional services include resume writing and workshops.