Building an Empire: How to develop your personal brand

By Jennifer Glime, July 5, 2024 You’ve earned your degree. Now what? Dream job offers should start flooding in right about…(crickets).

Truthfully, if you have not considered how you intend to promote yourself in today’s job market, you are likely missing out on potential leads—and the bigger picture. If you haven’t already, you owe it to yourself to carefully consider how you want to be perceived, how you’re being perceived right now, and steps you can take to bridge those perception gaps. It’s going to require a deep dive, but stay with me. The information you uncover is key to your long-term fulfillment and ultimate success. Sound important? It is.

Where to start

If it’s overwhelming to think about how others see you, a terrific way to learn is to ask! By interviewing friends, coworkers and acquaintances with trusted opinions, you’ll gain insight on how others see you. Be sure to ask for honesty; this isn’t the time for flattery or receiving what others think you’d like most to hear. Ask interviewees to be candid in their responses, understanding that constructive feedback is often wonderfully valuable. Take note of any trends in the information you collect.

From there, you’ll need to do a lot of internal work and soul-searching. Here are three areas to focus on to help you think about how you’ll shape your personal brand.

1)      Define your purpose. What is your mission? What ideas excite you? What drains you of energy? Where are your passions? Your strengths? What do you feel you can do uniquely better than anyone else you know? What is your why? If you need help locating your purpose, Simon Sinek’s book, Start with Why is a great launchpad toward discovering what matters most to you.

2)      Develop key messages. What do these messages say about you? How do they bring your story to life? Consider personal anecdotes that define your journey; challenges you’ve overcome, pivotal moments that have helped shape the person you are today. Be genuine when considering these ideas. Sharing your authentic self is a sure-fire way to build trust and deeper connections.

3)      Be consistent. Once you know what you’d like to say, determine how you’re going to share it with the world. There are many ways to share information. Maybe you’ll start a blog, or develop content for social. Maybe you’ll take what you’ve learned and share it in your community or where you work (or would like to work).

Finally, allow your brand to evolve as you do. Building a personal brand is a very intentional journey that requires understanding of self, honesty, consideration of your values, and strength of conviction that allows your unique gifts to take center stage.