The Importance of Building Your Personal Brand for Your Career  

Much has been written about the need for personal branding in recent years. While professionals and business leaders tout a personal brand as necessary for career management, oftentimes, many really do not fully understand what the popular buzzword means.

What Is a Personal Brand?

William Arruda, personal branding guru and founder of Reach Personal Branding, defines the term as  “clearly communicating the unique promise of value that you have to offer your employer or your clients.” Because “unique promise of value” is in italics (Mr. Arruda’s emphasis, not mine), let’s start there.

Value 
The core of your brand is the value you deliver. The word “value” is intentional. Branding is not your title, your work history, or a fabricated catchphrase. Your brand is the combination of how you do what you do, and the benefit you create as a result.

To define your brand, you need to know your skills, strengths, style, and interests. What differentiates you or makes your offering unique? Consider Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Both were (at one time) technology company CEOs. Yet, they each had a different focus and style for running their businesses. Whether intentional or not, their brands as CEO were quite different, yet they both were successful.

The power of your brand lies in being unique. It sets you apart from others who serve the same function. But don’t worry about trying to be something you’re not just to be different. Instead, recognize the “special sauce” that helps you achieve the results you do. For example, maybe you’re a manager who’s committed to empowering individuals and teams, or a technology leader who is focused on creating customer- and business-driven solutions.

Promise
“Unique promise of value” (italics are mine) implies your brand is setting an expectation about what you (will) deliver. Your brand isn’t something you make up; it is what you’re known for, because it’s what you reliably do. Your brand must be built on the foundation of your own strengths, abilities, interests, and unique offering. It’s not enough to say it; you need to do it. 

“Promise” also implies consistency. To meet the expectations of your brand, you’ll need to be dependable in delivering it. Personal branding is most effective over time through the alignment of your words and your actions, not as a one-time event.

Clear Communication
This is the key to personal branding. Communicating covers a lot of ground, intentionally. Your brand is more than your LinkedIn headline or your 30-second elevator pitch. Though both are forms of branding, you’ll want to go further. Branding is sharing your message about what makes you unique and delivering on it through your words and actions. Essentially, it’s saying what you do, and doing what you say.

In addition, it’s important not to overlook the word “clearly.” The point of personal branding is to help others “get” you. Your objective is for them to quickly and easily get a picture of who you are, what you do, and how you can help them or others.

Your personal brand, therefore, is your unique offering, including the impact or benefit of what you do and how you do it, in the professional world.

What’s the Value of a Personal Brand?

Once you have defined your personal brand, there are several ways it can help you manage your career or find a new job.

• It differentiates you. Whether you’re happy in your current job or considering a transition, knowing and conveying your brand can help you stand out among your peers or other candidates. Adding value beyond that of others in similar roles or with similar background and experience will get the attention of leaders and decision makers. Clearly communicating your brand will help you set yourself apart from others in the workplace or a recruiting situation. 

• It increases your visibility. Becoming known for the value you deliver increases your visibility, along with your chances of being selected for opportunities that match what you enjoy doing and what you do well. Embracing your brand makes you the go-to person for what you most want to do. 

• It gives you focus. Knowing your brand makes it easier for you to manage your career and/or transition by focusing your efforts. Your brand reflects what and how you want to contribute in your career. This clarity allows you to target your efforts and position yourself for success. 

• It builds credibility. Embracing your brand means aligning your words and actions. This allows you to build expertise and establish a reputation for delivering consistently, which can increase the demand for your talent. 
• It increases confidence. Inherent in your brand is the acknowledgment of your skills, strengths, and interests. Recognizing what you bring to the table enables you to align your career to your abilities and passions, rather than fitting yourself to the needs and desires of your employer, and gives you the confidence to share your message and take action to bring your career to new heights.