Inside Out

Personal branding is the idea of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands. Success comes from self-packaging.

You probably have a LinkedIn profile that highlights your education and professional accomplishments—your favorite life moments posted on Facebook. But, I’m not asking about your online presence—I’m talking about you. The person who IS the brand— inside—are you content? Or, privately, do you wish you felt less unsettled—more relaxed. Less driven to be perfect, succeed or find love.

What do you think of yourself?

Asking what adjectives you use to describe yourself is a great starting point for understanding your own personal brand. Start by listing out adjectives you feel represent you. Be honest with yourself. This is not who you want to be, this is how you see yourself right now. Write down the things you tell yourself about yourself everyday.

What is your personal brand? 

In other words, how do you want others to perceive you? This is different than brand image (what others really think of you.) Much like a logo and key messages are for a business, this is how you want to be identified by others. This can include physical attributes, character traits, values, passions, motivations, etc. Make a second list of the adjectives that describe who you want to be.

Does your inside match your outside?Now, compare the two lists and identify areas that are different?  When your self-impression matches how you want others to perceive you, you’ve become more genuine with your personal brand and taken a big step in the development of your image.

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