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Are you tired of feeling stuck in your current job? Do you find yourself daydreaming about a more exciting and fulfilling career?
If so, you're not alone. Many people experience a strong desire to boost their careers at one point or another. According to a Gallup poll, 85% of working Americans want more out of their professional lives.
Sales training programs say building a personal brand is an effective way to jumpstart a career. Take a look at what a personal brand is and the leverage it provides. You'll also find seven tips for building a robust image to boost your career.
Here are some quotes that capture the essence of what a personal brand is:
"Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room." Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon
"Your personal brand is a promise to your clients, employers, customers, investors and colleagues about the value you offer." Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of Vaynermedia
"Personal branding is about managing your name - even if you don't own a business - in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records. Going on a date? Chances are that your 'blind' date has Googled your name. Going to a job interview? Ditto." - Tim Ferriss, Author and Entrepreneur
Here's how a solid personal brand can give you an advantage:
Showcase your expertise and accomplishments.
Open doors that you never thought existed.
Increases your value as a professional.
Assure employers that you'll have the skills and knowledge they need.
Here are seven tips from top sales training programs that can help you create and maintain a successful self-image.
Building your brand takes immense amount of time and highly focused effort. So, before going full steam ahead, ensure you're headed in the right direction. As baseball great Yogi Berra once said, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up someplace else."
To help narrow down the direction of your brand, ask yourself these questions:
What do you want to be known for?
How do you want people to remember and perceive you?
What words would best describe yourself and your work?
What values are most important to you in the workplace?
Understanding your audience is a critical first step when building a personal brand. You're trying to present yourself as the best possible candidate for a job opportunity. So, it's essential to know what potential employers are looking for.
To pinpoint your audience, you can start by asking yourself the following questions:
Who do I want to connect with?
What do other professionals in your target audience need or want?
What type of content resonates with them?
Networking is a powerful tool for getting ahead in your career. Besides building influential relationships, it boosts your visibility. A study conducted by Harvard Business Review showed that 85% of jobs were filled through networking.
The thought of networking often leaves many quaking with fear. A study by the University of East Anglia found that only 40% of respondents felt comfortable doing it. Sales programs say training yourself to become a confident networker can pay off in the long run.
Here are some tips to help get the ball rolling.
Participate in professional events and attend industry conferences.
Actively seek out collaboration opportunities.
Focus on building genuine relationships rather than making quick connections.
Openly share your ideas and experiences.
A personal brand is not a fake persona created to impress others. It's an honest, genuine representation of who you are and what you bring to the table. So, stay true to yourself and always be authentic.
Being authentic gives you the confidence to connect with others. People feel compelled to connect with you on a deeper level when you're true to who you are.
Here are a few red flags that you're not being your best authentic self:
Constantly jumping on the latest trends without a genuine connection to them.
Dismissing or ignoring constructive feedback from your audience or peers.
There's a mismatch between how you present yourself online and how you behave in real life.
Your reputation is only as strong as the evidence that supports it. Also, many hiring managers rely on references and recommendations to vet a candidate. Research by CareerBuilder found that 70% of employers rely on references when hiring.
So, make sure that your claims are valid. To cement your credibility:
Secure authentic recommendations and testimonials in written or video form.
Back up your words with relevant data and research.
Be consistent in your messaging and branding.
No matter how you slice it, crafting an impressive self-image takes heaps of time. As time seems to creep by, it's natural for your enthusiasm to wax and wane. Sadly, there's no quick fix or shortcut to success.
Be patient, keep at it, and watch your dream career soar. To keep your spirits up:
Create an inspiring vision and work on it every day.
Set small yet challenging goals.
Celebrate the wins along the way.
Work with a mentor whose guidance and expertise you respect.
Remember when Nike was just a shoe company? Today they are a colossal empire that sells everything from sports apparel to technology.
Unfortunately, brands can become stale and outdated over time. Similarly, you're also growing, evolving, and enjoying new experiences. So, don't get shackled by yesterday's version of who you once were.
To keep your brand fresh, you can:
Keep track of industry trends in your field.
Reach out to industry leaders who can offer new perspectives.
Get feedback from your peers and mentors to help you mold and shape your brand.
Develop new skills and hone existing ones.
Whether you're an entrepreneur or an employee of a company, you have a personal brand. These tips from top programs in sales training say when crafted with clear intention, your brand can help you:
Stand out in a crowded job market.
Differentiate you from your peers.
Cement you as an expert in your field.
Give your career and life a massive boost.
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