Having a strong personal brand is beneficial on many levels. At its core, personal branding differentiates the designer, developer, marketer, from the rest of the pack within crowded disciplines.
Why is Personal Branding Important?
- Personal branding is essentially your reputation, or the perception that other people have of you, or your company
- It functions as a self-promotion agent that works for the practitioner 24/7/365
- It ensures that you become a magnet for new and interesting work opportunities
Pieces of your professional PIE
The foundation of a personal brand is initially created by consistently doing good work. Unfortunately, working hard or having great ideas is rarely enough these days. No matter what you do or what your goal is, the key is to be in control of your P.I.E.:
- Performance: You need to deliver quality results in your day-to-day work
- Image: Image is about what other people think of you—your (very important) personal brand
- Exposure: Exposure is about making sure that people know who you are and what you stand for
Personal brand & career go hand-in-hand
- Your personal brand is what lands you the job
- It’s how you carry yourself, how accurately you display your level of expertise, and nowadays, it’s what you post online
Use your personal brand as an icebreaker
- When you showcase your strengths and values through your online and offline presence, others are able to get to know you better
- They can find common ground, or discover interesting aspects of your life and work that they want to talk to you about
