DISCOVER YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

There are many ways to establish professional connections, both online and in person. No matter where you network, knowing your PERSONAL BRAND will help you because you’ll already know who you are, what you can bring to a company, and what you’re looking for in an employer. 

The following questions can help you brainstorm and develop your personal brand, as well as tools such as Clifton Strengths, Focus 2, O’Net Interest Profiler, and the Strong Interest Inventory.

WHO ARE YOU?

The first part of discovering your personal brand is to dig into your personality and think about the characteristics you have. What are you known for? What would make people say, “Oh that’s so you”?

WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL VALUES?

What makes you tick? What are you willing to advocate for? What do you value in a friend or co-worker? What have you liked about a previous job or volunteer experience? What kinds of problems do you want to solve someday?

WHAT ARE YOUR SKILLS & ABILITIES?

What are you good at? Are you naturally creative or analytical? Do you always get projects in by the deadline? In what ways do your friends depend on you? What technical expertise do you have? Do you haev skills in communication, problem solving, leadership. creativity. or critical thinking?

WHO IS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE?

Who are you trying to reach? What challenges do they face? What values do they have, and how do they align with your values? How can you uniquely help them? What benefit or impact would you bring to their organization?

IMPORTANT NOTE

Keep in mind that what you sell yourself as needs to be reinforced by what else can be discovered about you—especially through social media. Make sure that you promote a consistent message about yourself and review your content in accounts such like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snap Chat etc. Googling yourself to see what comes up is another helpful practice. As a rule, do not post content that a potential employer may find offensive or unprofessional.