In a borderless online world, opportunities for work are aplenty but so are the competition. More remote work means we aren’t competing locally but internationally. In this sea of talent, how do you stand out?
By having a personal brand. Whether you are a professional or a student preparing for the future, here’s how you can have a personal brand.
For professionals: Give away your expertise for free
You might think that giving away information for free is hindering you from making money. That’s an outdated mindset. Before, it was the information economy, where people with the most information excelled. Now as information is just one Google away, people’s attention is scarce. In the attention economy, you don’t sell information anymore. You sell experience and trust. Rather than let other people get that information from someone else, why not do it to gain their trust and establish expertise in that area?
For beginners/ novice: Learn or build in public
Learning or building in public means you’re showing your process and progress. It’s showing you and your work to the world before you’re ready. There are several benefits. First, you’re held accountable by the public. It’s less likely that you’ll stop working on it as it means you’re going back on your work. Second, you have proof of work. People are more likely to trust you as they’ve seen your process. In addition, doing things in public gives you more exposure and higher chance of finding people that are interested in the same things as you.
Having a personal brand is an asset that will only going to increase in value. Invest as soon as possible and you’ll get compounded benefits of it.
Do you have a personal brand? What is your biggest challenge in creating one? Comment below!
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15 thoughts on “Creating Your Personal Brand”
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Currently I don’t have a personal brand as I didn’t know that I need one. Your article has shown me how easy it is, so I guess I should start now!
Thanks Sabrina! I think it will be extremely beneficial to start early and it’s not as hard as people think it is
I think it’s really counterintuitive to give away information for free. Your insight about how we are moving away from information economy to attention economy is perspective changing! I’ve never thought about it and you’ve shown how easy it is to build my own personal brand. How exactly can I learn in public?
Totally agree, when I first learned this concept I didn’t feel like sharing what I’ve learned due to mindset of scarcity. I realized we live in abundance so I shouldn’t be afraid to share.
I think you can start by creating a socmed account and post what you’ve learned. E.g. If you’re learning design, make IG account and post your progress and thinking which led to the design outcome
Great post Sherlyn! I do agree – during challenging times such as what we’re living in right now, it’s more important than ever to set yourself apart and branding yourself could be a solid start to pave that path!
Thanks Tamanna! Exactly right, I think everyone is unique but not all take the opportunity to set themselves apart with communicating it to the public
I really find your post very helpful Sherlyn! Personal brand is indeed important especially in times like this. I agree, showing our skills and capablitity can enhance our opportunity to get a job. I will definitely focus more on building my personal brand.
Thanks Shella! Yes personal brand helps differentiate us in the sea of talents. What steps are you going to take?
I like your article very much, hope more people to read it and make them realize how important to have a personal brand. Your article is blessing many people. Great job Sherlyn and may God bless you always🙏
Thanks Trisna! I’m glad it is helpful to you 😊
Dear Sher, your article is great bcoz so far I don’t know there’s personal branding, I only know that only companies or products which need branding.
This is enlintening article. Thanks
Thanks Susanto! I think there’s a lot of misunderstanding about personal brands. I believe that in near future, there will be increase in companies of one. You are your own company and your reputation is your asset and that’s why you need personal branding ASAP 🙂
I like it! There is certainly a need for us to excel our own ‘offering’ to others to appeal ourselves in the workplace, will there be a tip about the digital implication of this personal brand concept to us? Great work.
Thanks Cindy! Can you tell me more about what you mean with digital implications?