Creating Your Own Personal Brand

Having a strong branding is an effective strategy to stand out from the crowd. Knowing the best way to tell your own unique story, experiences and skills is a worthwhile investment that can help you kickstart your career.

Just like how businesses have brands to represent themselves, people have personal brands to highlight the best parts of themselves in a professional manner, and as a form of their personal presentation to the world. If done right, it can lead to new opportunities and connections that could be life-changing.

Having a good personal brand encapsulates at least three things: your career objectives, your values, and your goals in life. That might seem like a lot to take in right now, but you can take your time to develop them if you start now. In fact, setting up your personal brand is a life-long investment that will follow you throughout your career. Here are some steps to get you started.

Define yourself Showcase your talents and interests Mix the personal and professional

Your personal brand should be an honest reflection of who you are, what skills you have and the values you uphold. But before you even start on defining yourself, have a look through your social media accounts and see if what you post matches up with your ideal personal brand. If you need to do some cleaning up, do so by deleting or hiding any content that might seem unflattering to potential employers. Alternatively, you could consider setting up separate accounts for your professional and personal lives.

After that, list down your strengths and weaknesses, taking time to be introspective when needed. It helps to get some third-party feedback, such as from your family and friends if you have trouble with this aspect, especially for those who may have low self-esteem. • What kind of job would make me happy? • Between a job that pays well and one that aligns with my values and interests, which would I go for? • What characteristics have others complimented me on? • Would I feel happier working in a corporate environment, or at a start-up? • Do I see myself as an entrepreneur?

Once you are aware of what motivates you when it comes to work, you can then strategise on how best to proceed with your personal branding.

Your brand should be about what makes you you, and that includes embracing your hobbies and interests as well. Do not be shy to use them as a key part of your personal branding.

This is especially true if you can use them to enhance your career path. For example, if you like drawing, consider taking up classes or joining art circles. Even better, you could even consider marrying your interests and hobbies together by working on personal projects. This allows you to have fun while having the means to sharpen your skills and potentially add them to your portfolio. Knowing how to mix your personal and professional selves can effectively boost your personal brand. And you never know — you might be able to build rapport with future employers by having something in common with them.

You can talk (or even write) about causes or issues that you are personally interested in or care about. But be careful not to get too carried away and always keep it positive — it can be easy to go on a spiel and spiral towards a pointless rant. While a spot of griping here and there is acceptable, constantly listening to someone who only speaks negatively of others does not make for enjoyable company. Be optimistic, while balancing it out with honesty and sincerity.

Choose a role model to help you live your brand Recognise your achievements and legacy

If you are unsure of where to start, you could consider using a role model as a guide to success. They could be a business leader, a famous figure (who also happens to be a business leader) or someone who you look up to professionally. These people tend to already possess a strong personal brand, hence why they are good options for those looking for ideas on building their own.

That does not mean that you have to copy every single step they make — not only is it straight-up impossible, but it may not even work out for you. Rather, observe how they brand themselves and note down any cues that you could try emulating. Take Jack Ma, for example. What is it that you admire about him? Is it his work ethic? His resilience? His neversay-die attitude? Think about them, and how you can apply those traits into your own branding efforts. Of course, if you have your own achievements and successes, you can show them off, but there is more to them than just that. It is also the process of you getting to where you are today that matters, perhaps even more so. You deserve to celebrate your own achievements by marking down these milestones throughout your life. For example, competitions, hosted events or even moments where you felt like you showed off your leadership skills — all of these are your personal milestones, and you should be proud of them.

These awards not only serve as physical reminders, but they could be helpful when considering your career options. They could even point to your discipline and tenacity, ultimately becoming a strong part of your own legacy.