Your personal brand is how you present yourself to others much like that of a corporate brand. Your personal brand centres around you as an individual – the way you want to be seen and the way people see you.  The key elements that make up your personal brand include your:

• personality
• values
• passions and interests
• strengths
• goals
• image
• associations and connections

You first need to understand each of these elements as they will form the foundation of your personal branding. Once you have established your foundation you can begin to build on and make changes. Building your personal brand allows you to control the way in which people perceive you. Today with our ever-growing presence on digital and social media platforms, it is vital to cultivate your brand.  So how do we do this?

Your personal attributes

Start by listing your personal attributes – those qualities and characteristics people recognise in you. 

• What makes you stand out from others?
• What are you proud of about yourself?

Your professional attributes

Think about your professional skills, qualifications and experience. 

• What sets you apart from the rest?
• What value do you add to your team and others?
• What is your unique selling proposition?

Ask trusted friends, your people leader or mentor

Asking your peers or people leaders how they view you will give you incredible insight.  You may be surprised by some of the strengths they recognise in you that you do not see in yourself.  They may also be able to give you constructive criticisms that enable you reflect and make changes. 

Audit your digital presence

Check out all your online social and professional media platforms.  Remember every tweet, post or share contributes your brand. 

• What is your image?
• Is it consistent?
• Are there things you want to delete or change?
• Going forward – be strategic.  Ask yourself if what you are adding or sharing is adding value.

Putting it all together

The next step is putting it all together. A personal branding statement is best if it is one sentence, but no more than two. The job of your personal branding statement is to "grab" the attention of others, not to tell your entire story.