Personal branding - how to get noticed

 23 Aug 2021

Personal branding has never been more relevant. If you are asking yourself how it will help you and why you should bother, it’s because:

• You are putting yourself in the frame for the most interesting work projects.
• You are increasing your chances of promotion at work.
• You make good and lasting impressions on current and potential clients.

There are various ways to increase and improve your personal branding, making sure you are getting noticed.

Speak up

Contribute during meetings whether in person or via video call.

You want your voice to be heard, but you want to leave the right impression. Plan ahead, thinking about the proposed content of the meeting and how you can add to the discussion. If you deliberate in advance, you will have time to properly formulate your contribution, and assess the pros and cons of any suggestion you may make.

Go the extra mile

Know what the expectations are for someone in your role and always deliver.

Then take it a stage further and start operating at slightly above that level. In the majority of cases, promotions are made to employees who are already comfortable with chunks of the next role up. Volunteer for different projects. A good tip though is not always to volunteer for the most interesting projects. If you take on board something which your bosses know is a bit of a hassle and not that stimulating, but you do it with good grace, effectively and efficiently, you’ll certainly be remembered.

Upskill

What additional training can you do? If there is a course you would benefit from and you’re looking to your employer to fund, put together a mini business plan, quantifying how your firm will benefit from your extra skills.

Do also think about extra training which doesn’t cost anything. There are plenty of resources available for soft skills training which are free to access.

Your network

Focusing on your network is one of the surest ways of improving your personal branding. This isn’t all about external networking. It is essential to expand your network internally. It is really important to know your part of the business, but it is equally important to understand the other areas of business your firm is involved with.

A good way to develop wider links is by putting yourself forward for projects outside of your technical area. This could include volunteering for the social events committee or specific discussion groups eg diversity, social purpose etc.

Focus on your LinkedIn profile. Connect with or follow people who you admire and respect in your specialist area, and/or whose content you enjoy or find useful.

Show your colleagues, potential colleagues, clients and potential clients that you understand your market well, are good at what you do and have thoughts to contribute. Share interesting news articles, making sure you comment.  Adding your own voice is really important. You don’t always have to post; it is just as important to add your opinion to other people’s posts and share in the conversation.