Personal Branding

IACC VISTA May 2014 Webinar | Monique Ellefson

What is personal branding? How to talk about yourself “elevator speech” Networking Resume & cover letters What to share, what not to

With whom? Which platforms?

How to present yourself Professional vs. casual

Personal Branding

• How well do you know yourself?

1. Know Yourself

• Self-reflect and make changes

2. Grow Yourself

• What do you want to say?• Who is your audience?• In what way are you communicating?

3. Show yourself

How? Create presence (on- and off-line)

Self-reflect (learn from successes and mistakes)

Set goals; create a timeline

Network

Know Yourself Values and beliefs

What do you love?

Motivations What is important to you? What are your financial needs?

Strengths & skills What are you good at?

Aspirations Where do you want to be? Who do you want to be?

Strategies Personal reflections

Personality: thinking, feeling, sensation Passion

Professional reflections Purpose: mission, vision, values Potential: education, experience, expertise

SWOT analysis Strengths/weaknesses Opportunities/threats

Weakness vs. Strength

Weakness fixing – wrong assumptions All behaviors can be learned The best all achieve success exactly the same way Weakness fixing leads to success

Strengths building – the right assumptions Some behaviors can be learned; many are nearly

impossible to learn There is a difference between talent and skill The best all achieve success in different ways

Remember: Nobody can be the best at everything!

Strengths Finder Assessment Based on positive psychology

Focus on what is good with a person instead of what is wrong or dysfunctional

Not about making your weaknesses a strength! Focus on talent development to achieve excellence

Strengths Building Equation Talent * Investment = Strength

Talent – natural way of thinking, feeling, behaving Investment – time spent practicing, developing your skills,

and building your knowledge base Strength – ability to consistently provide near-perfect

performance

Why is this important? Becoming aware of your strengths builds

confidence and provides a basis for achievement

Each of your strengths can be applied in different ways to relationships, learning, academics, leadership, service, and careers

As you develop and apply your strengths, your achievements will increase and you will experience greater and more frequent success

Grow Yourself Evaluate where you are and where you want

to be. Personal growth Professional growth

Show Yourself Process: discover, create, communicate,

maintain

Marketing strategy Performance: what are you really selling? Packaging: visual representation Promotion: on- and off-line

Personal marketing Social Media: Facebook, Linked In Business Card Online Resume/Website

Networking “Friendraising”

Let people know who you are and what you want to do

Networking = planting seeds

Collaborate with others

Have an elevator speech prepared

People you know

People who know

people

People you don’t know

Personal Branding Strategies Network/Informational Interview

People: who are your customers? Partners: who can work with you or support you?

Barriers to Personal Branding Being unaware of yourself.

Values, beliefs Career aspirations Personal goals Timeline

Imposter Syndrome Fear that you are incompetent Mental/personal barrier Common in the workplace

Major life changes Affect your personality, your world views, your values

Imposter Syndrome Cognitive distortion that prevents a person

from internalizing any sense of accomplishment

Also referred to as imposter phenomenon or perceived fraudulence

Belief that success is attributed to luck or good timing; thought to be accidental

Mostly prevalent in academic but can apply to any person in any area of life (e.g. work)

Can be characterized by generalized anxiety, depression, no self-confidence, and frustration from the inability to be perfect

Imposter Syndrome Capable people feeling self-doubt

Humility

“fake it ‘til you make it”

Rethink risk taking Become comfortable with the uncomfortable Chase growth and seek challenges Honest self-assessment

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome Work to develop a positive self-image Write down concerns & evaluate them Accept praise and thank you’s Don’t feel guilty about success

Now What?! Strengths Finder (or something similar)

Great to use in interviews Great to use with other staff members or team

members

The more you know about yourself, the better you will be able to brand yourself!

Resume building Reassess your resume Have one copy that includes everything you have every

done Depending on what you need it for, customize your

resume to fit

Talk about yourself with others! Ask your supervisor/mentor for feedback Network Informational interview

Resume

Specific Objective or Accomplishment

1 New Skill Developed

1st Descriptive Bullet Point

2nd Descriptive Bullet Point

1 Strength utilized or broadened

3rd Descriptive Bullet Point

Plan! Plan your approach Organize content accordingly

Targeted message: if a person remembers one thing, it is…

Determine Your Objectives•Short

term•Long

term

Analyze Listeners•Backgrou

nds•Needs•Concerns

PLAN

Questions? Comments?

Resources http://prezi.com/nhkg0-8hcbbn/introduction-to

-strengths-finder-20/ http://prezi.com/lp9i3bzbwf13/impostorimpost

er-syndrome/ http://prezi.com/xaxvuhces0jo/personal-brandi

ng/ http://prezi.com/nad8gy8-twwn/personal-bran

ding/