Your brand is the combination of tangible and intangible characteristics that make you unique. Branding is developing your specific image with an eye toward specific results in your relationships.
If you do not choose the specific language to describe your skills, competencies, educational background, experience and overall contributions, it will be chosen for you. It’s as simple as that. Be active and choose your brand or be branded. The next part of watching your brand is in the absolute necessity of then repeating your specific chosen language. When you educate those who you work with on the quality and uniqueness of your work – that is your brand. When you allow others to label and assign language describing your work – that becomes your brand.
Because if you don’t brand yourself, others will for you.
Most professionals are not proactive in establishing and building a career brand. You hope your actions speak for you when you are seeking promotion or a new job. It is necessary to take the time to implement some very basic marketing practices to help build a career brand and to make you a more attractive professional: choose your language and repeat.
Over the years, I have worked with more than a few outplacement career transition management and/or consulting firms. Brand is almost exclusively discussed only when a person is seeking employment and it can simply be too little, too late. Your brand is a day-to-day reality, an on-the-job personal challenge. Don’t delay in establishing your brand.
