4 Identifying the aims

As personal branding can be applied in so many different ways, it is important to be clear about why you want to develop yours at this point in your career.

Figure 4 Be clear

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A hand holds a camera lens in front of an image of woodland. Around the hand the image is blurred, but through the lens it is clear.

Figure 4 Be clear

For example, you might be looking for:

• a clearer sense of who you are and what you have to offer – the process of understanding and developing your personal brand will help you to gain that, increasing your clarity and confidence
• a chance to rebrand – if your priorities have changed and your current personal brand no longer reflects what you want from your career, a rebrand could help you to progress in a more fulfilling direction
• further development in your workplace – a strong personal brand can maximise the chances of your name coming up when opportunities or vacancies arise
• a clear and consistent message to share with your networks, both off and online – this can make networking easier and more effective, leading to interesting connections and opportunities
• ideas about how to promote yourself effectively to new employers, e.g. through job applications and interviews – having a clear brand to promote, and knowing how to promote it, can make a significant difference to your success rate.

There are many benefits to developing your personal brand. Executive Career Coach, Susan Chritton’s blog (n.d.) lists ten of them:

1. Permission to be yourself – express your authentic self, be the person you are meant to be
2. Gains in confidence – look at your strengths and know you have something of value to offer
3. Building credibility – through consistent actions that align with your brand
4. Showcasing your specialty – use your unique combination of work experience, life experience and personal characteristics to determine your niche
5. Leaving your mark – people will remember you through your actions, your expertise and the emotional connections that you make
6. Connection to your target audience – a strong personal brand helps you interact with your target audience in a clear, consistent way that quickly becomes familiar
7. Distinguishing yourself from the competition – make sure your target market discerns something different about you
8. The support you need – be clear about what you need so you can ask for support with clarity
9. Focusing your energy – use your brand like a filter to help you decide what to focus your energy on
10. Letting yourself be lazy – a personal brand thrives on consistency, so once you’ve got it right, you don’t need to re-invent yourself.

A key element of personal branding is finding the time to do it properly. In the next section, you’ll look at ways to identify and protect that time.