PERSONAL BRANDING
Whether you like it or not, you have a personal brand. It is up to you whether you create it consciously or unconsciously. A personal brand is an impression you leave, your mark. We cannot capture the brand as such. These are the qualities or associations that come to people with your name. It is essential to leave an impression when choosing a job. And personal branding can help you with that. We’ll give you some advice on how to get started.
Find out who you are
Initially, it is good to determine how you want to look in front of others. What opinions do you hold, where do you want to go in life, and what kind of work do you want to do in the future? Maybe you don’t know the answers to these questions, and that’s okay! Try to collect all the information you know about yourself.
HOW TO DO IT?
Find out how your closest people see you. Ask them to describe you with one noun and one adjective. It can be an excellent phrase that represents you well enough. There can be several of these words, e.g. an orderly worker, a purposeful critic, a witty gluer…
For each phrase, try to write down what it could mean on a work level. For example, a purposeful critic can mean that if you set your mind to something, you are not afraid to communicate shortcomings and look for solutions to these problems.
Don’t forget that a brand is not only about how people perceive you but also about what they see, how you dress and how you communicate on social networks. Make sure that your resume is not just a blank white paper. Today, you can already find several tools that will help you give it the right colours or font that sufficiently characterise you. You don’t have to be a professional graphic designer. You can use, for example, the Canva program or the Resume.io website, which was created specifically for these purposes.
Who and what is your goal
Before you start working on your brand, you must decide with whom you will communicate. Let’s say you study marketing communication. Although you don’t know exactly which direction it will take you, it’s still good to determine who is important for your work. In this case, it could be all marketing enthusiasts and professional marketers. If you study the hotel academy, you can proceed similarly, but your target groups will be chefs, hotel managers or food enthusiasts.
Be on the lookout
In today’s online world and space, it is more than desirable to be visible to everyone. Especially if we are trying to do something. Be active in the online environment. Choose the right communication channel and the topic you are dealing with. Don’t be afraid to post, share and comment. Write about topics that interest you and have the potential to interest people in your field.
Don’t forget social networks. You can choose LinkedIn, which is a professional network. Thanks to him, finding contacts for professionals in your industry has never been easier. If you’re thinking about starting one, it’s never too early. It is recommended to begin with LinkedIn in the last year of high school. This way, you will demonstrate responsibility. In 2022, it still works on the native posts line. Those are the ones we don’t need to support with money. Don’t be afraid of your friends, the so-called “circles” to add people from your industry. If you like a company, try to contact its HR managers via LinkedIn.
Use Instagram. Especially if you do creative work. One photo is worth a thousand words. It’s good to share your successes, don’t be afraid to brag about them. However, you can also share what you just learned or what you came up with.
However, keep in mind that social networks can help as well as harm. If you decide to send your resume for your dream position, expect that the HR manager will click on your Facebook. Be careful what you share with the public.
Create your story
Think about what is unique in your life. What makes up your life story? What makes you different from others? People love stories, and in many cases, they are the key to success in the labour market. The stories are interesting for the media, which you can contact and arrange an interview later. It creates a trustworthy impression. Or you can upload a website where you tell your story.
Look for opportunities
Your brand is not only made up of your strengths and weaknesses or what you wear. A personal brand also comprises your experience and references from former employers. Therefore, try to intern at an exciting company that will help you get started. Or you can try volunteering. Many companies consider it a big plus during interviews.
Plan strategically
Create your brand strategy. Try to fill in each item from the table. It will help you find out where you stand. What are your strengths, and what can you build stories on? At the same time, it will show you what you still need to work on. Do not forget that in this table, you solve your work, work experience and the qualities you use for it. Fill in the most specific answers.
If you can’t figure it out, move the mouse over the individual questions. You will see a hint – an example of how you can answer the given question.
VALUES
COMPETENCIES
PERSONALITY
Brand
WORK
Create your brand strategy. Try to fill in each item from the table. It will help you find out where you stand. What are your strengths, and what can you build stories on? At the same time, it will show you what you still need to work on. Do not forget that in this table, you solve your work, work experience and the qualities you use for it. Fill in the most specific answers.
If you can’t figure it out, move the mouse over the individual questions. You will see a hint – an example of how you can answer the given question.
VALUES
COMPETENCIES
PERSONALITY
Brand
WORK
We created this text in collaboration with expert Silvia Skalicka, who offers a lot of advice on this topic through her platform Interview without stress. You can also listen to our podcast.
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