Is your professional brand working for you?
One of the most sought topics in career development is professional branding. The reason is that many of us are either already working on our professional brands or wonder if we need one. As I have studied personal and professional branding, I realized that they go hand in hand. With that in mind, we will focus on the impact of our brand at work.
In this blog post, we will explore the top five myths around your professional brand. In my previous post titled "My approach to building my personal brand," I shared some tools and resources that helped me to get started.
Setting the foundation: What is professional branding?
A professional brand is how others perceive you within your career field. Your professional brand can be distinct from or a subset of your personal brand. Your professional brand takes on many of your personal characteristics, including those that are relevant to how you comport yourself, interact with others, knowledge or acuity, and work activities/product in the business environment.
Your brand reflects your professional reputation — what you're known for (or would like to be known for). When your reputation is a good one, it includes marketable distinctions like positive characteristics and achievements. It's a way to stand out from the teeming masses of competition for the best jobs.
A professional brand is a brand identity that exists based on the merits and accomplishments of the individual tied into what they do and who they do it for.
Myth #1: You don't have a professional brand
The truth is that we all have a professional brand or reputation. Even if we are not doing anything additional to doing our jobs, people have a perception of who we are professionally. Especially in today's world, where we change jobs often and are out in constantly changing professional roles, our brand is crucial. Viewing your professional brand as something you are responsible for is important.
Strategies to consider
Reflect on what you think your professional brand is
Ask five people around you what they believe your professional brand is
Myth #2: You only need to have a professional brand if you want to get promoted
There are different career phases where our goals might be something other than upward mobility or promotion. Your professional brand can bring you additional benefits, such as being recognized as an expert in your field, expanding your network, and being able to give back to others professionally.
Strategies to consider
Reflect on how building or maintaining your professional brand can benefit your career
Observe people around you who have a strong brand and how they have benefited from their brand
Myth #3: You can only build your professional brand at work
Our professional brand can serve us outside of our core jobs as well as inside our companies. I had yet to learn the power of what I do outside work and how it can impact my professional brand in a great way. I did three main things outside work that elevated my professional brand. The first was starting my blog, where I share my thoughts, experiences, and expertise. The second was building a professional network by joining program management industry communities when I moved to the US. And the third one was furthering my education by doing some certification courses and learning about the new professional environment I was in now.
Strategies to consider
Think about ways you can build your professional brand outside of work
Take steps to build your professional brand beyond your current job
Myth #4: Your professional brand can only be built after you have worked for a long time
When I started my career in program management, I struggled with not seeing anyone like me, who I admired because of their professional brand. The more visible people had very different paths and had been in their careers for multiple decades. Only over the past years have I seen a beautiful niche of folks in different career stages talking about their careers and showcasing their brand. I now know that there are many flavors of professional brands.
Strategies to consider
Be a role model for others by showcasing your professional brand
Look for people whose professional brands inspire you
Myth #5: Maintaining your professional brand is hard work
The truth is that some amount of intentionality and work goes into maintaining our professional brand. Your professional brand should grow and evolve as your career changes. As with everything in life, your brand is not something you pay attention to once and then forget. I constantly seek inspiration and try different things regarding my professional brand in addition to doing great work.
Strategies to consider
Share your professional expertise and experiences
Keep maintaining your professional brand
MC's Journey: Discovering and maintaining my professional brand
At the start of my career in Germany, I did not know that my professional brand was something I should have cared about. I thought my professional success would come from my focus on doing great work, which was exactly what I did. When I moved to the US almost eight years ago, I realized I needed to build my professional brand. I started developing my brand as I worked with a coach and then took steps to maintain it over time. My professional brand has evolved as I have transitioned to new jobs, changed roles, and gotten promoted. I'm currently thinking about where I will take my brand next.
Great Resources
Sharing the books I read that changed how I think about my brand
Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future by Dorie Clark
BrandingPays: The Five-Step System to Reinvent Your Personal Brand by Karen Kang
Time for Reflection
What does personal or professional branding mean to you?
Are you actively building your brand? If not, what is standing in the way?
What three things would you like to do in 2023 to grow and maintain your brand?