The obvious question arises – What is Personal Branding?
Most products or services we avail of today has a particular Branding i.e. a certain unique name, identity and property that we remember them for. Take Amul, which has successfully branded itself as India’s very own product available throughout the country and beyond. Or Tata’s Nano which is the first car you think of in terms of affordability.
Similarly in a scenario where the job market is bursting with hospitality graduates, there’s a need to establish our very own Personal Branding. Your Branding is the best that you have to offer in terms of your strengths, your best skills and the value that your next employer can expect from you. This isn’t something you need to create, but rather something you already own but need to recognise.
Your Personal Branding is your strengths, your best skills and the value that your next employer can expect from you.
Do not sound clichéd. Your Personal Branding needs to stand out from everyone else’s, not sound mediocre and typical. Being hardworking, punctual and positive might count but these are already expected from you. Be truthful in finding your own speciality – be it ambition, enthusiasm for learning, passion for baking or impressive knife skills.
Your Personal Branding does not stop there. You will need to reveal this branding across various sources. The need for Social Media accounts such as on LinkedIN and Facebook is hence a must. Both networks are used across the world and all applicants are searched on these irrespective of whether it’s a personal account or professional one. Hence make sure both are updated with less clutter and more of posts relevant to your branding. Post images of the cakes you bake or videos of your knife skills or even testimonials of your job performance. Share articles and posts relevant to this so that everyone understands your passion.
Apart from your online branding, your Resume or CV needs to highlight this branding enough to be obvious to whoever is reading this. Your work and career will need to demonstrate this enough so that your references are able to confirm this.
For example, if you are a passionate baker then update your Social Media profiles with pictures, videos and posts to reflect the same. Make sure that any awards, testimonial and recognition is highlighted in your CV. Make sure you hone these skills at your jobs too, so your managers, co-workers and guides are able to testify rightly. In this way you’ve established your Personal Branding.
Personal Branding takes effort, but pays off. It will help you understand your strengths and best skills so you can focus on these and use them well. Finding your own Branding is nothing but understanding the part of your work that you’re most passionate about and accordingly informing other about it so you can build a career around it.