Why Developing a Personal Brand Is Your Key to Standing out in a Saturated Job Market
Before the boom of social media and the internet, branding was EVERYTHING. Companies, whether large or small, needed to have a logo, tagline, and colors set in stone. Not to mention a huge marketing budget and a targeted brand voice to reinforce what is most important to your company or business.
Really, the concept of a personal brand was pretty limited to a) celebrities and b) very limited big-time budget entrepreneurs.
Now, lucky for us, that isn’t the case anymore AT ALL. Which is why anyone who is looking to curate and design an outstanding career for themselves in a saturated job market will need to build a personal brand.
YOUR PERSONAL BRAND VS YOUR BRAND AESTHETICS
In the past, brands were specifically structured to generate the most profit. This, unfortunately, led to potential clients and customers losing trust in a brand over time. On the flip side, this created the unique opportunity for personal brands to peak the attention of audiences.
From my personal experience, I can confidently say: Branding is not just about your logo, aesthetic, and colors.
Two important pieces to note here about developing a strong brand:
You should be spending a specific amount of time solidifying your logo, tagline, aesthetics, and colors. This is setting the foundation for your brand, but it does not stop here… and I will argue this is the least important step out of the two.
What you should be investing A LOT more of your energy in is developing and working on the value of your brand, what you want to accomplish, who you want to connect with, and how you’re going to make that happen consistently.
See, the difference between a traditional brand and a personal brand is that you should be focusing on what makes you different and valuable.
That’s right – what makes YOU different. Not some big, faceless brand...you!
As you’re getting started on this journey to building your personal brand, focus on the following:
Specific details about what makes you distinct and different (like – why should people choose to follow and invest in you?)
The specific goals of your brand
What audience you want to connect with
Offerings or services that you want to provide
The aesthetic of your personal brand is important too for setting the right vibe, but you will still need to grow that personal connection if you want to carve a space for yourself in such a saturated job market.
THE BENEFITS OF CREATING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
Even if your goal is to work for someone else, a personal brand is incredibly beneficial to you. If you want to strike out on your own, building a personal brand is even more essential to your success.
Here’s why building a personal brand is key for all professionals:
Employers will understand more about who you are in addition to what you offer (because you’ll have a killer value proposition!)
More impact inside your profession since you will have structure and goals to guide you
Better understanding of your worth, strengths, transferable skills, and area of expertise
Increased $$$ because your brand will reinforce the value you bring to your audience and/or employer
Higher career satisfaction AND less burnout - ditch the overwhelming feeling of never being enough or always saying YES because you know yourself, your vision of success, and what you are trying to achieve in your career
Genuinely attract better work opportunities because your heart and focus are both in the right place
ELEVATING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
Once you get started with building your personal brand, don’t be afraid to reach out to other people!
Start talking to people you trust within your personal and professional network about the ideas and goals you have. Ask them for feedback, seek patterns in your performance reviews, and spend time reflecting on all this information!
Your personal brand is an extension of who you are – and it’s going to make all the difference as you try to level up your career.
And if you need help creating your personal brand, NO WORRIES. Career By Design was created to help you do exactly that! Learn more here.
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