The importance of personal branding

When we hear the word “brand” we often think of the commercial reputation and value held by a corporation.

For example, if you saw any word written in the classic Coca-Cola font, you would probably think of the soft drink. If you saw a black square emblazoned with the famous white “swoosh” you would likely think of Nike. And most people would associate the iconic Golden Arches with MacDonalds. This is mostly due to brand recognition.

But what do your colleagues, managers and stakeholders think of when your name is mentioned? What do potential future employers instantly feel when your CV comes across their desk?

People with strong personal brands are highly desired. They are reliable, smart, hard-working, pleasant to be around, and genuine. Good employers usually reward these people with more responsibility, more opportunities, and as an indirect result – more money.

As an employee of a company (or as a business owner), you owe it to yourself to invest as much time as you can in your personal brand.

Here are some tips on how to improve or maintain your personal brand:

1. Be aware – you can’t work on your personal brand if you are not aware of it in the first place. Make a conscious decision to be the best employee, team member, stakeholder or manager that you can be.

2. Audit yourself – We are all used to having one-on-one appraisals with our bosses, but when did you last have an appraisal with yourself? Take 10 minutes a month to sit down and truthfully assess your progress, and areas for improvement.

3. Provide Value – Always seek to offer extra value in your job, and eventually you will become invaluable.

As a recruitment consultant, I have lost count of the number of times my clients have rejected a job application because members of their team, or valued stakeholders, have warned them about the applicant.

Typical reasons hiring managers may think someone has a bad personal brand include:

(a) perceived bad attitude,

(b) anti-social behaviour;

(d) lack of technical competency.

Most employers will encourage their employees to promote and represent the corporate brand to their best ability, and rightly so. But never neglect or underestimate the importance of your own brand, as it will be of great value to you during your entire career and in times of change or uncertainty.

Matt Marshall is a Director and founder of Greysilver, a recruitment consultancy specialising in providing staffing solutions within the banking & insurance sectors.

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