• Likely You Should Participate in Online Personal Branding

    I recently read counter-arguments regarding the relevancy of personal branding. Some of the common themes include: heavy self-promotion, blog and social media commitments, and attention hogging. My first reaction to the recent trend of “personal branding,” that it’s really just an ego-driven waste of time. (1) Still, I think most professionals benefit from projecting their… Continue Reading

  • Who Gets the Recognition?

    In Invisibles, David Zweig talks about brilliant professionals whose work goes unrecognized (“invisibles”); usually someone up the chain gets the glamour. Some examples in the book include (in parentheses who gets the credit): a structural engineer (an architect), perfumist (a celebrity whose name is on the bottle), a sound engineer (a rock band), and a… Continue Reading

  • Steps in Online Personal Branding

    Whenever possible, you should follow a logical progression as you construct an online personal brand. (I say ‘whenever possible’ because for many of us it is something we have to react to what is already out there.) But ideally speaking, you want to establish an identity before projecting it onto networks and social media. And as you… Continue Reading

  • Personal Branding and Behaviors

    In defining an online personal brand, you lay out a set of expectations so it is important that you behave according to them both online and offline. As more of our interactions move online, there are an increasing number of behaviors to consider. You want to respond to connection invitations in a particular way, perhaps… Continue Reading

  • Why Online Personal Branding Can Be Annoying

    There are parts of personal branding that might seem enjoyable such as becoming self-aware, developing a vision, continual learning and working towards mastery, and making solid connections. However, there are also parts of personal branding that might seem arduous and mechanical. And many of us cringe when told to self-promote and sell ourselves as a… Continue Reading

  • Create a Slogan for Your Personal Brand

    Finding a way to represent your emotional value in a slogan is a powerful way to reach your audience. This is what companies do frequently. A good example is with car manufacturers. Here are some examples of one word phrases car manufacturers have established with their brands: Volvo – safety, Volkswagen – economy, Mercedes –… Continue Reading

  • Survey: Millennials and Personal Branding

    In late 2013 to early 2014, I conducted a survey to understand what Millennials think about online personal branding. Millennials are digital natives and know more about social media, apps, and technology than any other generation. I targeted this segment of the population because it is the first generation that must invest in an online personal brand… Continue Reading

  • Personal Branding Clubs

    Similar to a ‘book club’, consider starting a ‘personal branding club’ where a group of professionals meet to flesh out perceptions and talk careers. It is a logical extension from what Dorrie Clark suggests in her book Reinventing You.[i] Her idea is to create a focus group to understand what close associates think of you… Continue Reading

  • Personal Branding: Be ‘That Guy’

    I am reading books on new-age methods for finding employment, essentially utilizing social media and creating an online presence to build a personal brand. (A personal website should be the centerpiece of it all.) In a difficult job market, some of these methods are useful: show career vision (skill set), add professional connections, draw recruiters… Continue Reading