Investing in yourself 4

Build your personal brand

Your personal brand is what other people think of you. Whether you realise it or not, everyone has a personal brand, and it is your job to take ownership of it and manage it.

The ABCD of personal branding

Your personal brand is influenced by four things: Appearance, Behaviour, Communication and Digital Footprint.

Appearance: How you show up both virtually and face-to-face. This includes:

How you dress
How you show up on work calls, including what's in your background and what you wear

Behaviour: How you act in professional and social settings. This could include:

Being reliable, dependable and responsive
Treating colleagues respectfully
Taking responsibility for your work
Maintaining a positive attitude

Communication: What you tell the world about yourself, both through your words and your body language. This could include:

Listening carefully to others
Speaking clearly and professionally
Asking thoughtful questions
Looking at someone when they speak and maintaining open body language

Digital Footprint: How you portray yourself online. Consider:

What you post on social media
How you interact with others online
Whether your profile reflects the image you want to project

Activity: Define your brand

When starting to think about taking ownership and managing your brand, a great place to start is to take the time to reflect on:

How others currently see you
What you want to be known for
How you want to be seen

The following steps will help you define what you would like your brand to be.

Step 1: Gather feedback

Ask three people you know well: "When you think of me, what three words come to mind?"

Person 1
Person 2
Person 3

Step 2: Reflect on the brand you want to build

Think about the personal brand you would like to develop.

What would you like to be known for?
What strengths do you want people to recognise?
What are you passionate about?
What impact would you like to make?

Write down five words or short phrases you would like people to use when describing you:

1
2
3
4
5

Step 3: Building the brand you want

Now compare the feedback you received from others with the personal brand you would like to build.

What similarities do I notice?

What differences do I notice?

What qualities am I already demonstrating?

Which qualities would I like to strengthen?

Step 4: Create your personal brand statement

Using everything you've learned so far, write a short personal brand statement. This should describe who you are, what you are passionate about and how you would like to be known by others.

Your statement doesn't need to be perfect. The goal is to create a starting point that you can continue to refine as you gain more experience.

What are the key strengths and qualities you want to be known for?

What are you passionate about?

Write your personal brand statement in one or two sentences.

Example:

I am a dependable and hardworking person who enjoys learning new skills and helping others. I want to be known for my positive attitude, willingness to learn and commitment to doing my best in everything I do.

Or:

I am passionate about using mobile technology to solve problems and create opportunities. I want to be known as someone who is reliable, innovative and always willing to support others.

Remember, personal brands are not built through words, they are built through consistent action over time. Be visible with it, actively communicate your brand, and build your network to enhance your reputation (more tips on this in Section 5).

The next section talks more about establishing your brand online and LinkedIn specifically. If you don't have regular access to LinkedIn, feel free to skip forward to section 5.

Establishing your brand online

Consider using LinkedIn if you don't already. It can be a valuable tool for building your professional reputation and growing your network online.

To create a compelling profile, use the guide below:

Profile photo	Use a high-quality photo Frame your head and shoulders so your face is clearly visible - don't use a full body shot (your face will be too small) Wear work-appropriate clothing Don't use a selfie or photo from a social occasion Don't have other people or distracting items in the photo Avoid using a school or graduation photo Make sure your photo reflects how you look today
Banner image	Use an image aligned to your company or professional interests Ensure the image is professional and correctly proportioned
Headline	State your current role and company Add a short differentiator if relevant, e.g. "Entrepreneur helping clients with marketing needs"
About	This is your personal brand statement. Write a short paragraph about who you are, what you're passionate about and what you want others to know about you.
Experience	Add experience from companies and voluntary organisations Provide a short description using a sentence or bullet points
Education	Add your education details and qualifications.
Recommendations	If LinkedIn offers this feature in your region, ask colleagues, managers or mentors to write recommendations for you.

Top tip

Building your first LinkedIn profile can feel overwhelming. Follow along with this beginner-friendly tutorial and pause after each section to update your own profile:

LinkedIn Tutorial for Beginners: How to Use LinkedIn & Set Up Your Profile

What is one action you could take this month to strengthen your personal brand?

No matter where you are in the world or what you're doing, people like people. And people like people they like to work with. So you need to realise how you're showing up. Sometimes we as people don't actually see how we're showing up because we don't look in the mirror. We don't ask people, "Am I coming across right? Am I engaging right?" Sometimes we're so stuck in our mindset that we don't actually see how the world is seeing us. So my advice would be to remember to ask for that feedback.

Marcus Stockl, Africa Client Account Director - Natural Resources and Utilities Practice, Accenture

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