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Posted by Niche Recruitment
8th September 2023
How Personal Branding Can Help Boost Your Career
Most of us have heard of the term ‘personal brand’, and there’s no denying that it’s a hot topic in 2023. According to Google Trends, the search term in England over the past 12 months has a value of 100, meaning it has the maximum search interest possible. That’s a lot of people curious about personal branding! So we thought we’d give our readers some insight into how a strong personal brand can help you boost your career.
Previously left to Hollywood stars and top athletes. Today, personal branding isn’t just useful for celebrities, it can help anyone simply looking to promote themself and their work.
What is Personal Branding?
At its core, your personal brand is your reputation; it’s the way people think of you and how they perceive your skills and qualifications. From the way you engage with people over email, to the values you hold in your professional life. People struggle to invest in people and their services if they don’t know or trust you. So how do you build trust with potential employers? You build a personal brand that gives them insight into who you are and what you can do.
You can build a personal brand simply by creating a LinkedIn Profile and posting your work and qualifications to your profile, you could also create a website, or portfolio, write a blog or have an Instagram dedicated to your work. Decide where your desired audience is and how you want to reach them.
If you’re still not convinced that a personal brand is worth your time. Here’s how personal branding can help boost your career.
1. Promote Yourself Online
A personal brand supplies you with a platform that allows you to promote the work and skills that you have. It allows you to share your portfolio with new networks, display your successes to potential employers and share professional insights with a community.
Sometimes you really have to be your own cheerleader and lead the conversation. Having a personal brand allows you to reflect on the great successes of your career and how far you’ve come. Employers will see your skills and achievements and take note of how much pride goes into what you do. Not to mention they’ll actually be able to see examples of your work, which continues to develop that all-important trust.
2. Networking
Having a profile and developing a personal brand on LinkedIn is particularly useful for this. The professional networking app now boasts 930 million users and more than 58 million companies. Being on the social media platform allows you to follow companies you’re interested in and to connect with professionals in your sector. Building this online community helps you to be involved in conversations happening in your sector and to reach a community of like-minded individuals.
3. Tell Your Story
We’ve all worked hard to get where we are, and that story is a big part of what defines your values and passions. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable, and share the ups and downs of your career. It gives employers a better understanding of what drives you and why you’ve chosen the path that you’re on. Authenticity is key when building trust, so this is your chance to let future employers and your professional community get to know you.
4. Stand Out
Having a strong personal brand will allow you to stand out to potential employers. It goes beyond a black-and-white CV with bullet points, you can add pictures, colour, and personal interests and let your personality shine! It gives that human touch and lets employers get to know the real authentic you, that they’ll remember.
5. Develop Confidence
The more you share the more confident you’ll get in your professional ability, it might be a bit nerve-racking to click ‘post’ for the first time, but each time it will get easier. Before you know it, you’ll gain more confidence in your abilities and the value you bring to a business. As a result, the next time you step into an interview room, you’ll go in with your head held high.
Looking for job hunting support? We can help!
