Although it is sensible to focus on what a job seeker can do for a target employer or organization, whether or not our story is credible is largely dependent on the achievements and results that we have already generated, rather than on what we say we can achieve in the future.
Behavioral research tells us that the way in which an individual has performed in the past is a good indication of how that same individual will perform in the future. Humans learn and grow and acquire new skills, thank goodness, but in new situations or new jobs, it is reasonable for prospective employers to base hiring decisions in part on what we have been able to achieve in the past. What we say and do, our behavioral style, our presence, and what we have done in our lives and careers so far all make up our reputation. Organizations hire the whole person and reputation is a part of everyone’s whole person.
Our reputations are based on what we have aleady done, not what we are going to do.
What does this have to do with personal branding? Quite a bit. Three personal observations of the state of personal branding:
- Personal brands should be supported by facts. Although tempting, we cannot create a personal brand statement out of wishes and hopes of who we would like to be. Personal brand statements and materials should accurately represent reality and be supported by actual results.
- Personal brands should be written through the eyes of the reader. Although personal branding is about US, it should be written for THEM. This means the language should reflect current marketplace dialect, relevance to business and industry content, and appropriateness for the types of roles we are seeking.
- Personal brands should not be of fleeting interest. Easier said than done, but so important. We should get to the heart, the very essence, of our personal brand characteristics and build our materials around those fundamental elements. If these elements have led to success in the past, they are likely to lead to continued success in the future.
Now, ask yourself these four questions as you consider how to create and market your personal brand:
- On what elements (achievements, facts, style, strengths, etc.) has my reputation been built to date?
- What are the most transferable and pertinent of those elements to build on my reputation now and in the future?
- What verbiage should be used to best communicate these elements in a clear, consistent, concise and compelling fashion?
- How can I communicate my style within my personal brand statement?
Creating and maintaining a personal brand does require considerable thought and effort, but our career achievements and reputation already exist and should serve as the foundation of the specific words we use to catch the eye and ear of the reader, cutting through the clutter of overused phrases or jargon, and creating a compelling and memorable message that sets us apart.
Everyone already has a professional reputation: the task at hand is to define it, support it, and build on it. What made us successful in the past is likely to make us successful in the future, and our personal branding will make it come alive. We may not be able to build a reputation on what we are going to do, but we can certainly continue to enhance our reputations in the future by doing even more than we have already done.
