How to build your personal brand

Shaping a personal brand is a great way to boost your career. Brand building isn’t just for celebrities – it’s something everyone should take advantage of. A strong personal brand is key to successful networking and will help you when looking for a job. Having a clear idea of who you are builds self-confidence, and a confident candidate will always appeal to employers.

To help you start your branding journey, we’ll answer:

• What is personal branding?
• How can I build my brand?
• How can I communicate my brand?

Soon, you’ll understand the importance of a personal brand and be well on your way to curating your own.

Personal branding is all about how you market yourself. It’s the words you choose, the actions you take and the way you present yourself – whether that’s in person or online. Curating a personal brand involves consistently emphasising what you want people to notice. Think about influencers and their outward-facing personalities – your work persona is similar.

Scroll through LinkedIn and look at the way people market themselves. These posts are great examples of personal branding within professional spaces. You won’t know everything about the people you see in your feed. Still, you feel like you understand what’s important to them professionally. And that’s because you’ve got to know their brand.

Once you’re established in a field, a strong personal brand means you’ll sometimes get work offers without applying for a role. If people know who you are, they’ll come to you when they hear of relevant opportunities. So, it’s worth taking the time to build your brand. It offers lots more rewards than likes and comments.

Companies use marketing strategies to attract new hires – and it's a two-way process. So, like how businesses want to appeal to applicants, job-seekers want to appeal to recruiters. As a student or recent graduate, it’s unlikely you’ll have enough experience or contacts to rely on your brand alone. But the earlier you build your brand, the stronger it’ll be.

Your brand is your opportunity to shape how others see you. If you’ve never thought about your brand before, it’s understandably overwhelming at first. But building your persona is in your control and the effort will be worth it.

To build your personal brand, think about what you’re already doing – and what you need to do to be the best version of yourself. It’s not about creating an image; you need to live up to your brand.

Our tips for getting started are:

You’ve already achieved things you should be shouting about. So, make a list of your strengths, accomplishments and obstacles you’ve overcome. Take a moment to reflect on what you’re proud of and how you’ll communicate these things to others.

Think about your story, why you like the things you do and what words you want other people to associate with you. Knowing which version of yourself you want to be will help you present yourself in a way that’ll become your brand.

What’s your unique selling point (USP)? What do you want to do and why should employers hire you to do it?

Whether it’s an industry specialism or ability, think about what makes you unique – and why employers will value this. If you haven’t decided what sector you’d like to work in, focus on your transferable skills and personality. So, if you love helping people, make sure your brand is approachable. Or if you’re searching for a creative role, draw attention to your artistry.

A great way to build your personal brand is to have something that you own. Start a club, organise an event or write articles on an area of interest.

By taking ownership of something, you begin to take ownership of yourself. Plus, activities like this are great for gaining relevant experience that’ll impress employers.

You don’t have to run the club to build experience. Extra-curricular activities are a great way of exploring who you are.

So, what are your main interests outside of uni or work? Do you go to any events or have a hobby? And how do these feed into who you are in your career?

If you want a job working with animals, your volunteer shifts at the local cat shelter are an important part of your personal brand.

It’s important to know what’s going on in the world and how this impacts your work. Having commercial awareness and an opinion on related current events shows your professional personality.

You don’t need to insert yourself into every conversation but there are plenty of topics that’ll be relevant. Not everyone will agree with what you’ve got to say, but that’s OK. Part of building a personal brand is being confident in who you are and what you believe. Of course, you need to keep any disagreements professional but it’s fine to have different opinions. And by being true to yourself, you’ll build connections with the people who align with your goals.

Your ‘work you’ is still you, even though your professional persona will be different to your everyday self. It doesn’t mean you’re pretending to be someone you’re not – you’re just presenting a version of yourself.

A big part of building your brand is working out how to communicate as your work persona. Find a way of writing and speaking that’s true to your personality while staying professional.

Establishing your personal brand is the first step. Making others aware of it is the next.

Just like any brand, you need to promote yourself. But how do you do that? Your personal brand should be consistent through everything you do that’s work-related, including:

Social media is an essential part of your personal brand.

Use your LinkedIn to sell yourself. Every post you make is an opportunity to put yourself in front of professional peers. So, think before you post. Be consistent and stay on-brand whenever posting or engaging on the platform.

Don’t forget about the importance of creating connections on LinkedIn, too. When you meet someone you want to stay in touch with, connect with them on LinkedIn. Always send a personal message referring to when you met them or something they mentioned that you found interesting. Connections are all a part of your social media presence. So, don’t be shy and put yourself (and your brand) out there.

Don’t forget that some employers will also look at non-professional social media platforms. If your personal social media doesn’t match your professional image, consider making those accounts private. For some industries, like teaching, it’s wise to keep a low profile and avoid being found easily. Like any brand, there are some behind-the-scenes things you don’t want everyone to know.

When you’re applying for a job, your CV, cover letter and job application form will be the first impression you give employers. Make sure everything matches with your brand.

While you should always tweak a CV and cover letter for every role, you still need to be happy with how they look and how they read. It needs to suit the company you’re applying to, but it still needs to sound like you rather than the potential employer. Check that every job application feels natural to you and gets the right message across before you send it.

Your personal brand doesn’t just exist online. It should be a natural expression of yourself that’ll come across in real-world scenarios – including job interviews.

To show who you are in interviews, talk through your unique way of thinking. What kind of problem-solver are you? Creative? Methodical? Data-driven? Let your way of working shine through. Don’t pretend to be someone else. Your experience, skills and personality are what the employer wants to hear about. Remember, nobody else will have your personal brand.

Networking is where people will get to know your work persona – whether at industry events or in the workplace.

People will remember what you were like to work with or talk to, so always make a good impression. Start how you mean to go on, so you’re representing yourself truthfully. If you’re honest and reliable, people will be keener to work with you in the future.

Putting yourself out there is a brave thing to do, and it’s worth the effort. Building connections and relationships will help you discover new opportunities. So, get out there and attend networking events in your industry and make people remember you for the right reasons.

It’s hard to have a strong personal brand if you jump from job to job. While it’s understandable that you’re still finding yourself at an early stage of your career, ask yourself what you want to do in the long term. And then ask whether the roles you’re applying for reflect that.

While you can’t expect to walk into your dream role on day one, it’s worth keeping a long-term focus. So, if you want to work in sports management, a part-time role in a gym will still show your passion.

It’s OK to take a job that doesn’t relate while getting started but emphasise any transferable skills you’ve learned when you put it on your CV. And, if possible, avoid any controversial roles that will negatively reflect on your personal brand.

Your personal brand is your work persona. It’s how you come across online and in person. It’s not a character; it’s the professional version of yourself you present.

To build your personal brand, you need to be self-aware, know your USP and understand how to express your ‘work you’. Shaping your brand will be easier if you take ownership of something, form opinions on industry issues and get involved with relevant activities in your free time.

Once you know who you are, it’s time to show that version of yourself – on social media, in job applications, during interviews, while networking and when choosing relevant roles.

Defining a personal brand starts as an act of self-discovery. After that, it’s about making sure everyone else knows who you are too.