4 Ways to Improve Your Personal Brand

You might not realize it, but everyone has a personal brand. It’s what you represent. In many ways, it’s a manifestation of your values, beliefs and how you show up in the real world. It’s what separates you from the next person.  It’s hopefully how you express yourself at interviews.

You either explicitly have one or your personal brand evolves implicitly by default. Because of that, it could reflect either positively or negatively on you.

So how can you improve your brand in a way that can help you improve your career?

Sell Yourself On Social

You don’t have to be an “Influencer” to package your brand on social media. It’s important to put across a cohesive and coherent picture of yourself in the online world, even if you live in London but are targeting a role in Hong Kong.

Having a cutting-edge LinkedIn profile would be a start. But it’s more than that. You may think that this is the only social media platform a recruiter would look at. No, it’s your broader social media footprint.

For example, I’ve come across some pretty incriminating Facebook pages of graduate clients I’ve coached. And some of the tweets I’ve been able to access were pretty shocking as well.

You may think I’m being a bit over the top. Or infringing on privacy. Well, firstly, I was proving a point to the clients in question. Secondly, banks will always do some form of background check, sometimes looking at social media platforms. After all, they’re chucking a lot of money at you and it’s only right to know whether you’re a disaster waiting to happen. 

If you are going to have stuff on your profile that might not sell the best version of you, at the very least make sure your privacy settings are watertight. It still amazes me as to what I can see on the Facebook pages of complete strangers. Let’s not forget the story of the BNP Paribas staffer in Hong Kong that got into trouble venting his opinion on China.

Dress to Impress

You don’t have to splash the cash on top of the line brands. It’s about being well turned out. Clean shoes. Shirts that fit. Rips that have been repaired. Classic cuts. Simple stuff.

I used to work with a guy who always had frayed shirt collars. It was if he’d had them for a decade and had never bothered to replace them. He also had a habit of only partially tucking in his shirt. It was as if he was a grown-up schoolboy.

Did it affect his work? No. He had a very sharp and astute investment mind.

Did it hurt his career advancement? Don’t know. It’s hard to tell whether the fact that he spoke well overrode his often-scruffy appearance.

Did it affect how a few of us saw him? Definitely. It most certainly impacted how I viewed his personal brand.

Dressing to impress is really not about spending lots of money.

For example, how much does it cost to get socks without holes at the end? A few dollars. Ok, people are unlikely to see your toes sticking out inside your shoes. But it’s those basic elements of attention to detail, and respect for what you’re wearing, that often permeate across how you carry yourself.

Network In the Real World

This is not everyone’s cup of tea, as we like to say in the UK. Every introvert’s nightmare. Small talk to people you don’t know, about stuff you don’t really care about.

But that’s part of the process. You need to get yourself known. You need to express your personal brand. That will help you in your job search.

So, get out there and press some flesh. You never know when business connections made today turn into tomorrow’s client, supplier or boss.

One way to do that is to join associations aligned with your part of the industry. For example, if you’re a Chartered Financial Analyst, track down your local CFA chapter where you can regale your deep insights on discounted cash flow and such.

You never know – you might like it. And don’t forget, job hunting is still a lot about who you know rather than what you know. Keep that in mind.

Model the Best

So, you’ve sorted out your online and offline networks and spruced up your clothes.

What next? Keep going.

Firstly, keep working on yourself, whether that’s through courses, training or reading. How do you know what to do?

Model what others have done. There’s nothing wrong with observing someone you respect and adopting some of their approaches.

Now, this isn’t some Single White Female kind of thing. It’s about standing on the shoulders of others that have already been successful.

If you feel uncomfortable taking on the traits of people you know, take on the traits of people you don’t know. That’s what the internet’s for. An endless supply of information about all manner of people.

Obviously, there’s a risk you take it too far. Elizabeth Holmes and her thing for Steve Jobs shows that. Her personal brand was a little bit odd.

Still, if it’s done right your brand can go places.