From the course: Administrative Professional Tips

Personal branding

From the course: Administrative Professional Tips

Personal branding

- Why is your personal branding important? How you are seen as part of your team and the credibility you build is imperative to your role as support staff. Once you become aware and shape your personal and professional image, you will have more control over how people see you and, ultimately, how they respect you. A book titled The Brand Called You written by Peter Montoya and Tim Vandehey call a personal brand a clear, powerful, compelling public image. The question is no longer if you have a personal brand, but whether you choose to guide and cultivate it, or to let it be defined on your behalf. Your brand is made up of many different aspects. First is your physical appearance. Ask yourself, what do I want people to see from the outside? Is your clothing, hair, and grooming representative of who you are? If it's not, it's time to make some changes. It doesn't have to cost a lot of money in order to have an appearance that is reflective of you as a person. The next area to be mindful of is your personality and behavior. Ask yourself, does how I interact, speak, and relate to others reflect the very best of me? If you are like me, some days it does and some days it doesn't. That's not something to be embarrassed about. That, instead, shows that you are human and not perfect. However, we should be striving so that what we say is actually what we do. People will judge us by that. We will also be known by what our competencies, skills, and talents are. Ask yourself, am I clear on what my strengths are? What am I really good at? You need to know what your competencies, skills, and talents are, or at least be in the process of figuring that out. As we grow into our strengths, they will become something that people recognize in us. I am always looking to spend 80% of my time using my areas of expertise. Lastly, what is the thing that differentiates you from others? There are unique gifts and abilities that we all have. In a world where everyone is following the crowd, what makes you stand out? Ask yourself, what have you always been recognized for? What do you do better than most other people? What skills do people seem to notice in you? After you have established your brand, it's important for you to share your brand by being seen. This is how you would be considered for special assignments, put yourself in line for that upcoming promotion, and ensure that your performance evaluation and raise will be reflective of who you are and your contribution to the organization. Here are some opportunities to present your brand. On your biography and professional resume, through networking and professional organizations, through any volunteer efforts you may be a part of, through public speaking events, or on your social media accounts. After creating a brand you are proud of, you want to ensure you maintain your brand by being committed and consistent to it. By having accountability partners inside or outside of work whose opinion you respect, you can be guided and regularly assess your brand. Remember, it's not whether you have a brand or not; you are your brand. Now it's up to you to determine how you will build your brand, share it with the world, and maintain and perfect it for years to come.

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