You have the right to remain branded

Dan Schawbel, Image supplied.
Dan Schawbel, Image supplied.
By: Dan Schawbel

You, like everyone else, already has a brand name - but that brand name might not stand out without personal branding.

Right now, you have the right to remain branded; anything you say can be used against your brand.
Everything you say, do, create and any action you take will be judged by your audience. 

Personal branding is all about your total perceived value, from the eyes of your audience, so it is critical to have a brand strategy. 

To discover your brand, your focus should be on four main elements: personality, appearance, competencies and differentiation.

To find your own identity or brand, you must find your inner strength and goals and leverage them.
The object is to create a core message from these elements and pitch it to your audience.
 
But along with your core message you must have supplemental marketing collateral. I call this the "personal branding kit."

This kit is made up of a resume, cover letter, reference document, portfolio, personal website and flash introduction. 

Personal Brand focus points

  • Positive Attitude:  In everything you do, you must be positive and optimistic and treat every new challenge as an opportunity.

  • Credible and trustworthy:  In order for your employer, or any other member of your audience to select you for an opportunity (a project or a position), you must appear competent and reliable.

  • Responsibility:  When you do work, you need to be timely and follow-through from start to finish.

  • Leadership:  To be perceived as a leader is not only good when applying for a job, but when you are starting out in a company..

  • Reputation:  Building your reputation takes time, but when your reputation grows, more people are aware of you and what you bring to the table. 

  • But even the most elite personal brand might fade over time.

It's all about reminding your audience, through networking and developing new technical competencies over time. 

Without this approach, an individual becomes a commodity, which will not be selected for future competitive positions within a company.

My Personal Brand Success Story

In high school, my personal brand was unsatisfactory. 

Starting in college, I proved to myself that I could achieve by getting straight A's my first semester.
Once I had this confidence, I planned a four-year strategy to build my brand, so that I would be positioned properly to secure a job after graduation. 

My branding strategy was to diversify my background, by obtaining at least one internship every semester, one leadership position in a respected organisation and continuing my scholastic achievements.

I was able to claim eight internships over my four years.  In addition, I started two small companies, a website consulting company and globalsportsvillage.com (dealing with global sports and bringing communities together).

My marketing experience hit all areas of marketing, including marketing research, public relations, personal selling and eMarketing.

When applying for jobs, I had such a compelling story or core message.

Now I work for a Fortune 500 company, EMC.

* Dan has motivated, advised and mentored both students and young professionals, watching them excel and uncover new job opportunities.  As the Personal Branding Spokesman, he has preached, blogged and written articles for The New York Times, The Association of Career Development, and has been a guest author on some of the most visited blogs on the web.

Visit Dan's Website -  http://personalbrandingblog.wordpress.com/