At Korn Ferry we review thousands of C.V.’s and interview hundreds of women each year, mostly for senior C-suite roles and board positions. The candidates who really stand out are those who have invested time and effort into building and managing their personal brand.
The principles of managing a personal brand are similar to managing a product brand. The reasons for doing so are also similar – you need to build equity in your brand so it is more valuable to those you wish to attract.
It is never too early to start building your personal brand. Here are five ways to get started.
- Begin by working out what your personal brand is by deciding what you want to be known for. Are you a technician, a specialist, a strategist, an all-rounder; a fixer, an innovator – or a combination of these? Are you highly agile, socially flexible and comfortable with complexity? Once you have examined your skills and attributes, determined your goals and identified your career pathway, ensure your actions contribute to your ‘brand attributes’.
- Be aware that decisions you take during your career contribute to your personal brand equity: some actions will increase it, some will decrease it and others may have little impact. Make career decisions that positively contribute to your brand.
- Carefully consider what you can learn during your career and focus on skills development and experiences that contribute to your knowledge. This may involve a sideways move, rather than always moving upwards. An upwards move doesn’t always improve your knowledge, but a sideways move to a role you have little experience in might. When assessing opportunities, do so with your personal brand in mind.
- Your brand equity is also affected by how you manage your business relationships. Just as word of mouth is highly influential in product marketing, how people you have worked with speak of you will often determine whether you are successful in getting the next promotion, next interesting project or next job. In the world of executive recruitment, the ‘ref-check’ or referee conversations are an essential part of the hiring process. Navigating business relationships also involves treading carefully in the often fuzzy line between work and social. When these worlds collide, be mindful of what you do, what you say, and what you post on social media!
- Building your personal brand will be most rewarding when you do so authentically. Don’t try to be someone you are not; it is far better to be the best you can be. If you are assuming attributes and behaviours that aren’t authentic you will miss opportunities that you are best suited to.