How to build and live your personal brand
Category: Tips and Advice
Publish date: 01/03/2024
This month, we would like to talk about your personal brand.
It's what you're known for - how you market yourself to employers. At first, you might feel uncomfortable talking about your 'personal brand', but it's important to remember that job search is very similar to a sales process. You're trying to sell yourself as a product, and you want to stand out from the competition. Which is why nailing down your personal brand messaging will be key to a successful resettlement.
Let's explore what a personal brand is and how you can create one:
What is it? Your personal brand is who you are and what you're known for. It's your way of telling people what makes you special and unique from everyone else in the market. Ultimately, you're convincing employers on why they should buy into you as an asset to their organisation.
Why is personal branding important? As a candidate, your job is to clearly articulate what impact you would have when joining an employer, and how you would be the answer to their problem(s). Whatever messaging you decide on has to be consistent across all platforms: your CV, social media profiles, and in-person interactions. Consistency is what buys you and your brand trust and credit within the civilian job market.
How to discover your personal brand First you need to reflect on your military career and think about what it is you enjoyed, what you’re good at and what you want to do next. Ask your CTP career consultant, ex-colleagues, family members and friends what they think makes you unique, both as a person and a professional; others can often see your unique value better than you can. These external insights can be really helpful if you’re taking this opportunity to completely rebrand yourself.
Crafting your personal brand messaging Once you've decided what your personal brand is, it's time to start bringing it to life in different shapes and sizes. A compelling short story detailing your achievements; a 30-second commercial (or elevator pitch) that speaks about the value you can bring to others; 6-8 key words that define who you are and what you do well; and a personal brand statement that brings these all together in one concise and compelling sentence.
Living your personal brand With everything in place, you can begin spreading the word to the wider market. Deploy your personal brand messaging in cover letters and your CV; during interviews; on your LinkedIn profile and when networking, both online and in-person. As long as you remain consistent and clear on what your personal brand is, it can and will serve you well throughout your transitions and remainder of your career. If you can get others to corroborate your messaging on LinkedIn, through recommendations or comments on your posts, this will help to reinforce your personal brand message even further.
If you need any additional support on crafting your personal brand messaging, you can always speak to your CTP career consultant or utilise the elevator pitch builder available within myCareerPath.