Review the following video Tips for job seekers: How to negotiate your salary pt. 1? and Tips for job seekers: Advice on personal branding pt. 2?, and answer the critical thinking question

Nov 8, 2018,11:30am EST

10 Golden Rules Of Personal Branding Goldie Chan Contributor

Chan, G. (2018, Nov. 8). 10 golden rules of personal branding. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/goldiechan/2018/11/08/10-golden-rules-personal-

branding/?sh=25ac506a58a7

Creating a personal brand can be a daunting, mythical task. And one of the

easiest ways to get lost in the process is to not know where to start. Even

Oprah Winfrey began by going through several style iterations on a small local

show before defining her voice into one of the most influential personal

brands in the world.

In both our look-at-me cultural shift and evolving job market, it’s both helpful

and necessary to stand out when applying for a job or starting your own

company. A personal brand is for (almost) everyone. So here are 10 golden

rules for creating an engaging, unique, and inviting personal brand.

1. Have a focus.

“Too many people are unfocused when it comes to press and coverage, trying

to be "everything to everyone." Decide what your key message is and stick to

it,” says Cooper Harris, founder and CEO of Klickly. Her personal brand has

undergone a dramatic shift—from working actress to respected tech

entrepreneur and she has handled this shift by only focusing on one message

at a time. Keeping your message focused for your target demographic will

make it that much easier to both create content around your personal brand

and have others define you.

In fact, Adam Smiley Poswolsky, millennial workplace expert and author

of The Breakthrough Speaker, takes it one step further when he’s advising

speakers: “Carve a niche, and then carve a niche within your niche. The best

personal brands are very specific.” And Juan Felipe Campos, VP of tech and

partner at Manos Accelerator, goes one step further to focus on communities

that he targets with his large-scale clients. “Keep your message and content

consistent to one niche topic to become memorable within a targeted

community.” The narrower and more focused your brand is, the easier it is for

people to remember who you are. And when it comes time to hire a speaker or

a new employee, your narrowed-down brand will be what they remember.

2. Be genuine.

There’s an easy way to have an original personal brand—and that is to be

genuine and authentic. Millennial influencer and head of marketing at Popular

Demand, Monica Lin, says “People can see right through a disingenuous act.”

The more obviously a brand is a copycat, the more the audience will call out

the perpetrator for it. Monica's personal brand experienced a huge amount of

growth after she began engaging with her audience more meaningfully on

Twitter.

"Be genuine. It will make it much easier to manage your personal brand on a

daily basis," explained William Harris, Facebook ads expert at Elumynt. Your

personal brand should be an easy daily filter that you create content and reach

out to your audience with. And finally, Justin Wu, founder of CoinState

says “Be a master of your craft, skillset or industry before starting a personal

brand. Then your content will help amplify who you are.” When initially

building his personal brand, he garnered a reputation of being an expert in his

field while simultaneously amplifying on social media that same renown. If

you’re deeply skilled in one area, your reputation alone will help you build the

brand you want.

3. Tell a story.

If your personal brand isn’t telling a story, you’ve already lost half of your

potential audience. Allen Gannett, chief strategy officer at Skyword and author

of The Creative Curve explains it best:” The most effective personal branding

strategy these days is to build a true narrative – single character monologues

are boring in Tinseltown, and even more boring for your personal brand.” No

one wants to hear you shout about your brand into the social media void, so

create a story around your brand that your audience can engage with. Allen

regularly meets and chats with his audience in airports around the world,

further developing his warm and friendly personal brand.

One of the best ways to tell that story is through written content or video.

For Pelpina Trip, social video strategist, this is definitely the case. Her own

video channel on LinkedIn sees some of the highest levels of engagement

across the platform. “The most personal way to communicate online is with

video. Simply use your smartphone to video message your clients, make a

personal connection with prospective clients and connect with co-workers.

After all, you always have your smartphone on you!”

4. Be consistent.

Being consistent is very similar to having a narrow focus—it’s much easier to

get recognized for one topic if you consistently create content and brand voice

around it. “Ensure that your personal brand promise stays consistent, both

online and offline,” explains Fyiona Yong, director and millennial leadership

coach (ICF ACC). She regularly works with millennials in a corporate context

to help them define their more conservative work goals. “You have to

demonstrate consistency across your communication, gravitas, and

appearance. Don’t underestimate how tiny inconsistencies can derail personal

brand effectiveness.”

On the opposite, creative side, CyreneQ, a top storyteller on Snapchat,

suggests “something consistent either visually or personality wise. Something

unique that people can associate with your brand and know it's you. For

example, a sidekick mascot or having a catchphrase you say after every video –

something people can fall in love with.” Her sidekick mascot, Ele, has

garnered millions of views per Snap for brand work, allowing her fun personal

brand to represent big box brands like Walmart and DC. So whether you’re

creating a wild, incredibly out-there fun brand or one that’s a bit more on the

conservative, corporate side, consistency is key.

5. Be ready to fail.

Failure is tough, and all of us generally want to avoid it – that’s human nature.

However, to have a personal brand that rises above the rest, you need to have

a failure. Walt Disney spoke of this often when he reminisced about his failed

first attempts at creating an animation brand. “I think it’s important to have a

good hard failure when you’re young. I learned a lot out of that. Because it

makes you kind of aware of what can happen to you. ” And what can happen is

never as frightening as not trying at all.

When Timothy Hoang, CEO of Stories By Tim, Inc. develops his influencer

clients, he likes to tell them: “You’ll never achieve the best branding until you

fail a couple times while pushing past your comfort zone.” The very best

brands always come from repeated trial and error, mistakes and failures and

not from instant perfection.

6. Create a positive impact.

After you’ve developed your personal brand over a period of time, there are

generally two ways to continue to build your brand – hop over others and burn

bridges or steadily grow a community around your brand. Jacob Shwirtz, head

of social partnerships at WeWork, who has worked with many of the top

influencers in the world, including makeup personality, Michelle Phan, gives

us this wisdom.

My quick tip on personal branding is to remember you are your brand, no matter what

your current job is, what project you happen to be working on at any one time or

whatever the priority happens to be today… always keep in mind the impact you leave

on others and remember all we have is our own reputation and that's our brand , so be

awesome to each other!

Keeping a positive attitude and helping others will only help healthily grow

your brand in the long run.

7. Follow a successful example.

“People interested in personal branding need to start marketing themselves

like the celebrities and influential people that they look up to every day,“

explains Jason Wong, CEO of Wonghaus Ventures. His own personal brand

has gone viral several times, over subjects like ice cream in Japan, inflatable

pool toys and memes, earning him the title of the “Meme King.” His success

often comes from studying trends and popular individuals on different social

media platforms and then implementing them with a twist. Creatively

dissecting social analytics and establishing the next big trend can be within

your grasp too, if you pay attention across all social media platforms and not

simply focus narrowly on one of them.

8. Live your brand.

As mentioned before, one of the ways you can make building a personal brand

difficult on yourself is to separate your brand from your personal life. While

certainly doable, it’s easier when initially creating a personal brand to have

your actual lifestyle and brand be one and the same.

Tim Salau, community builder and founder of Mentors & Mentees, who works

with college students to help them build brands that will get them hired,

believes in this idea as well. “Your personal brand should follow you

everywhere you go. It needs to be an authentic manifestation of who you are

and amplify what you believe.” With this in mind, your personal brand is not

only a reflection of a series of job functions like marketing, finance or creative

but also ideals like giving back, thoughtful leadership or mentorship.

9. Let other people tell your story.

The best PR is by word of mouth. Creating a personal brand in the public

sphere is no exception to this rule. Aaron Orendorff, editor in chief at Shopify

Plus, tells his personal story through lively videos and the occasional bunny

co-host or two and his audience remembers. They’re able to recall the bright

outfits and the animal friends and tie those pieces of the story to their

interpretation of his brand. As he eloquently states: "Personal branding is the

story people tell about you when you're not in the room." Jessie Maltin, co-

host of Maltin On Movies works with her father, renowned film critic Leonard

Maltin and has watched him build his career over the past several decades.

“All you have in your life is your name and the reputation you garner.”

10. Leave a legacy.

Once you’ve built your personal brand with a reputation and community

behind it, the next step is to think about the legacy that you’ll leave behind.

What are the keywords and actions that you want to be known for? Blake

Jamieson, artist at Blake Jamieson LLC, who paints pop art portraits of

famous tech and sports heroes reminds us that: “Building a personal brand is

much bigger than building a business. The only exit strategy is legacy.”

A personal brand is a lifelong project that constantly evolves and changes.

Even the experts who build or enhance the biggest brands in the business

know that there are no hard-set rules for creating a personal brand. But these

general guidelines help provide first steps, especially if you’re starting a new

brand or rebranding.

Creating the right personal brand will not only help you be known in your field

and consistently land work but it could be the difference between “Who are

you?” and “Thank you for being here” in your career .

Goldie Chan

I’m known as the “Oprah of LinkedIn.” I'm a personal branding expert, digital strategist and creative.

My video channel, #DailyGoldie, won LinkedIn Top Voice and was

…

10 Tips for Building a Personal Brand & Boost Your Career January 14, 2019

Northeastern University. (2019, January 14). 10 tips for building a personal brand & boost your

career. https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/tips-for-building-your-personal-

brand/

Apple challenged the world to “Think Different.” Nike encouraged people, regardless of

age, gender, or physical fitness level, to “Just Do It.” Dunkin’ Donuts persuaded busy

professionals that “America Runs on Dunkin’.”

Over the years, these recognizable slogans have morphed into rallying cries—setting

the tone for how each company communicates and identifies itself in the market. In just

a handful of words, these slogans have told a story and influenced how people perceive

the organizations behind them. Together, they represent the power and potential of

branding.

“Branding is what companies stand for,” says Dr. Sean Gresh, a faculty member

in Northeastern’s Master of Science in Corporate and Organizational Communication

program. “It’s reflected in how that company acts, how it serves people, the value that

the company shares, and how the company projects those values.”

A strong brand stands out in the crowd—and gains more sales, increased awareness,

and better customer experiences as a result.

But branding isn’t just for companies. Professionals each have their own story to tell and

goals, skills, and expertise to share. In today’s increasingly digital world, a personal

brand is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s expected.

What is a Personal Brand? A personal brand is, in many ways, similar to a corporate brand, Gresh explains. It is

who you are, what you stand for, the values you embrace, and the way in which you

express those values. Just as a company’s brand helps to communicate its value to

customers and stand out from the competition, a personal brand does the same for

individuals, helping to communicate a unique identity and clear value to potential

employers or clients.

Or, as Gresh summarizes: “Personal branding is one’s story.”

That story can play an important role in establishing or boosting your career. In fact, an

overwhelming 85 percent of hiring managers report that a job candidate’s personal

brand influences their hiring decisions. Your personal brand should highlight your

strengths, establish a reputation, build trust, and communicate the unique attributes that

you bring to your current (or desired) industry. Cultivated well, your personal brand will

signal to employers whether or not you’ll be the right fit for an open role.Tips for building

your personal brand

Developing a personal brand might sound challenging, but there are incremental steps

you can take to build credibility in your field. Here are ten tips to help you create an

authentic personal brand—and amplify your career in the process.

Ten Tips for Developing Your Personal Brand

1. Figure out who you are.

In order to build a personal brand that accurately reflects your personal and professional

identity, you first need to know who you are. Be introspective, and create a list of your

personal strengths and weaknesses. Ask yourself:

• In which areas of work do I excel?

• What motivates me?

• What characteristics have others complimented me on?

• Which projects have others had to help me with repeatedly?

• Which roles seem to drain my energy?

• Which projects can I spend hours on without feeling overwhelmed or tired?

If you’re struggling to answer these questions, ask friends, family, and co-workers how

they would describe you. Once you’re more aware of the different facets of your

personality, you can decide how best to brand them.

Keep in mind that many people struggle to choose a specific niche because they don’t

want to limit themselves. Realize that your personal brand, like many corporate brands,

will change as your career grows. The best strategy is to choose a particular area you’d

like to focus on and let it evolve over time.

2. Determine what you want to be known for.

Your personal brand is more than a reflection of who you are today; it’s a roadmap of

where you to go. In addition to understanding your existing skills and competencies,

Gresh suggests assessing your strengths and weaknesses as they relate to whichever

industry or career you want to break into next.

By doing this, you’ll uncover the skills and traits that make you distinct, as well as the

areas where you need to improve or gain new knowledge in order to advance.

Forecasting where you want to be in five or 10 years—and the attributes you want to be

known for—can help you better determine what steps you need to take in order to get

there.

3. Define your audience.

Before you start crafting your personal brand, you also need to determine who you’re

trying to reach. Is it other industry thought leaders? An individual at a particular

company? Recruiters? The sooner you define the audience, the easier it will be to craft

your story, because you’ll better understand the type of story you need to tell (and

where you need to tell it.)

For example, if your goal is to reach hiring managers and recruiters, you might start by

creating or updating your LinkedIn profile. Why? Because 92 percent of recruiters

leverage social media to find high-quality candidates and, of those, 87 percent use

LinkedIn.

On the other hand, if you are a graphic designer trying to impress existing clientele and

attract new customers, you might choose to tell your story via a personal website or

portfolio, where you can better express your wide range of talents.

4. Research your desired industry and follow the

experts.

As you start mapping out the careers you want, Gresh recommends compiling research

on experts in those roles.

“Find out who the thought leaders are in whatever field you’re interested in, and don’t

just follow them,” he says. “Go online and find out if they have blogs, or where they

contribute their thinking. Look for people who are successful and examine what they’re

doing. Imitate them, and then do one better.”

In building a personal brand, your goal is to stand out—but you can’t rise to the top

without taking inventory of who’s already there.

5. Ask for informational interviews.

As you start forming a list of companies you aspire to work for and industry leaders you

admire, consider reaching out to these professionals to ask for an informational

interview.

“They take 20 minutes, but are of high value,” Gresh says. “Don’t be afraid to ask

anyone you’re interested in learning more from. You’d be surprised by how genuine and

generous people are.”

When you meet with these individuals, ask questions that can help you garner new

insights about your desired field, such as:

• How did you break into the industry?

• What steps would you take if you were to make the transition all over again?

• How do you see the industry evolving?

• How do you stay up-to-date with industry trends?

• Are there any professional or trade associations I should join?

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