How to uncover your personal brand

Been on LinkedIn lately? You’ve witnessed the delicate balance between authenticity and over-eager self-promotion. What you may not realise is that you’ve also witnessed all the missing voices. Women can’t take up space hiding in the shadows.

Last week, we met a highly accomplished Powrsuiter whose LinkedIn profile was gathering dust. We challenged her to write one post about the event we were at. After very articulately delivering numerous reasons why she couldn’t, she went ahead and did it. Of the six comments (and one repost) she received, our favourite was a request for her to share more. After a quick stalk check this morning, we can confirm, she has.

If you’re afraid of being judged for promoting yourself, that fear may be well-founded! Long-lasting social norms expect women to be friendly, warm, and nurturing. We’ve learned to avoid being ‘too assertive’ and have witnessed women leaders get publicly criticised for being too angry, too aggressive, and too cold. 

Personal branding matters more than ever

You’re no longer competing against the handful of people who saw the same newspaper ad as you did for a job. LinkedIn alone has one billion users, 65 million business decision makers, and 10 million C-level executives. The opportunities are exponentially bigger, but so is the competition.

If you’re anything like us in the past, you probably think your work can speak for itself. We’ve started quite a few companies, and every single time we moved to starting a new one, we found it was equally hard and painful. We were effectively starting at the start line again because we had to go out and re-prove who we were. Personal branding gives you the advantage of taking a step forward from the start line rather than constantly having to reintroduce yourself to the world.

Deconstructing the myth

Personal branding is far from narcissistic or selfish; it’s a strategic tool to convey your unique identity. Endless studies highlight personal branding as a key ingredient in a more satisfying career. It also increases our chances of being hired. 

A strong reputation can put you on the radar for interesting projects, clients, and career opportunities. You’re more likely to be tapped for relevant work when your talents are understood. A bonus: Your brand is also a hedge against professional bumps. If there are layoffs or cutbacks, being recognised increases your likelihood of being snapped up quickly.

In a world dominated by faceless corporations, people want to engage with relatable individuals – and that’s where our personal brand can take centre stage.

Two key ingredients

Be yourself: There’s no point pretending to be someone you’re not. If you can get through the wall of noise created every time they’re together, you’ll notice Kristen and Nat are very different – and unashamedly themselves. Nat’s always five seasons behind the latest TV fad or jumping on a new bandwagon. Kristen careens towards any dog within 100 meters and gets far too involved in whatever sporting World Cup is on. The things that make us who we are are the things that attract people – it’s ok to be loud, funny, sarcastic, quiet, geeky, or shy. It’s actually a key part of your personal brand, so flaunt it.

Context: We love the wine bottle analogy someone told us very early on in Powrsuit. You want to keep that authentic wine – if you are a bottle of wine, you never change the wine. But you can change the label on the wine. You may be able to pivot or change small things about how you express the value you add to tailor it to the situation without changing who you are.

Uncover your personal brand

Purpose: As Powrsuiters, you’ve probably defined your purpose. It’s part of your unique value and captures the difference you want to make, what you stand for, and how you want to show up. Your purpose is the cornerstone of your personal brand. Knowing what it is helps you differentiate between opportunities and more unnecessary work. 

Mastery: What are you good at? Think about your skill sets, credentials, and experiences. If you don’t know, ask your ‘truth tellers’ – people you surround yourself with who want to see you succeed. And quit being too humble; your sporting experiences, travel, volunteering, and career gaps only strengthen your unique brand. They can be a big part of what sets you apart.

The truth about control

There’s one thing we really want to highlight: if you are not owning your story, someone else is filling in the blanks. A perfect example of this is Wikipedia – it’s not that person writing their narrative, it’s the community. The world is filling in the narrative of this person, and there are numerous examples of when we got it wrong.

If you don’t control your own narrative, others will! People are always forming opinions about you, so consider the message you’re putting out in the world. Your goal is to ensure that the narrative about you is accurate, compelling, and unique. Personal branding isn’t about showing off – it’s about making sure people know what makes you exceptional, because when you own your story, the right opportunities find you.