How To Build Your Own Personal Brand To Grow Your Career

I’m not a big fan of tossing around corporate jargon compounded with buzzwords. When I speak with people who reference one banal acronym and insider terminology after another, it strikes me as phony, superficial and pompous. So, now I’m going to be hypocritical and trot out some jargon myself.

We think of a brand in the context of peanut butter or laundry detergent. Advertising agencies earn billions of dollars creatively building brands and helping to push their products and services. Their goals are to create a personality and aura around a product. If you drive a certain car, you will be perceived as rich, cool and sophisticated. If you buy clothing from a specific fashion line, you will be seen as cutting edge. Think of the way consumers look at Apple or Amazon; they form a positive, emotional attachment to these large, faceless, global and monopolistic companies.

Whether you work at a small company or large global conglomerate, you need to build your own personal brand to stand out and get noticed.  It is too easy to be viewed as another cog in the machine. To get ahead in your career, you need a plan to differentiate yourself from the crowd.

First, let’s take a look at all of the things you should not do when you are building a personal brand.

1. You don’t want to be known as the person who is constantly kissing up to the boss to gain attention.
2. While fellow employees may crowd around your desk, it won’t help your career by being the go-to guy who knows and shares all the juicy gossip.

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