Sarah Burness's Blog: How Building Your Personal Brand Can Affect Your Job Prospects

You may not realize it but you’re already building your personal brand. From your social media profiles to how you interact with the people around you, you’re already creating a reputation. Because of this, it’s only essential that you take a step back and see how good or bad your personal brand is.

Your Personal Brand

Personal branding is about creating and maintaining a good reputation. It’s about paying close attention to how others perceive you, particularly if you are still searching for a job prospect.

People around you should know if you are kind-hearted and open-minded. Your employer and your customers should not find you lazy, unreliable or dishonest. Any of these traits can affect your success.

A reputation is made over time and you have to work hard for it. A lot of people find it challenging to balance the energy they put into getting a good reputation in public with the energy they put into simply enjoying their private lives.

If you are one of those people, remember this:

If you can never say anything good about yourself, it would be impossible to accept compliments that come from other people who do see how hard you’re working.

External and Internal Personal Branding

If you see a disparity between how much you want others to appreciate you compared to how much you appreciate yourself, you need to make some changes.

Too Much External

If you are always asking other people what they think about you, try listening to what they want to talk about instead.
Try to be consistent with wearing clothes that best fit the situation/environment.
If you think other people are insulting you or putting you down with their words, try to respond only if you have to.

Too Much Internal

If you say you don’t care what other people think about you, try to make a short list of people who you do respect and who could be an exception to your rule.
During those times you feel isolated, unwelcomed or left out, you can try joining mentorship or public speaking groups to receive (and implement!) honest feedback.
If you are painfully white-knuckling through social situations, try accepting some personal boundaries that will allow you to make positive, life-affirming connections.

Personal Branding: Values in Context

Building a personal brand is easier said than done. The person you are today is the sum of all the thoughts, actions, and interactions that have come before in your life. The person you are becoming is based on your choices today.

Therefore, your personal brand is your true self. Building a personal brand is about having satisfaction with yourself with an eagerness to develop good character traits.

Personal Branding on the Job

job interview personal branding

The main person you need to bring to work with you or to an interview is your best self. Here are some common questions to help you establish your personal brand.

Question 1: Can you describe yourself professionally or do you prepare a long-form resume in case it’s needed?

Answer: Both are important but you don’t have to present them together at the same time.

Question 2: Do you include some hobbies, interests or passions with your business qualifications so you present as well-rounded and personable?

Answer: A great professional summary tells a robust story showing who you are and not just what you’ve done.

Question 3: If your employer requires you to present your picture, a video or even a live stream to colleagues or customers, do you use non-verbal cues to convey personality and mood?

Answer: It’s not enough to be highly skilled at what you do. You should also be able to relate what you know through other forms of communication.

The fun thing is that nobody’s perfect but you can always do your best in building your reputation. Learn more about personal branding from this infographic!

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