Personal Branding How to carve a niche and be your best

• Aniisu K Verghese • @aniisu

“Big companies understand the importance of brands.

Today, in the Age of the Individual, you have to be

your own brand.” (Brand Called You)

1. “Less than 15% of people have truly defined their personal brand and less than 5%

are living it consistently at work – each and every day” – (Glenn Llopis Group, 2013)

2. “33% of companies use social networks to research potential job candidates” (New

CareerBuilder Survey, 2012)

3. A Klout score (an online platform measuring social media influence) of 30 is bad

4. Most people develop a personal brand on Linkedin profile for careers and job

opportunities (LinkedIn and Personal Branding - Post Road Consulting, 2016)

5. “7% of US under graduates choose a major from among the humanities, choosing

instead for market focused majors such as petroleum engineering and

pharmaceutical marketing” (Time, November 7, 2016)

Context

- I can easily build a personal

brand online

- A personal brand can be

built overnight

- It just needs you to be

‘visible’

- You can network and build a

brand

Myth

- “Consumers are looking for daily, real-life reminders that they

can count on brands. In defining authenticity, they prioritize

“high quality” (66 percent) and “delivering on promises” (70

percent) - Cohn Wolfe (2016 Authentic Brands Study)1

- “45% people don’t even think about their own personal brand.

You won’t become known and respected in your company if you

don’t know the unique value you provide and how to connect

that value to your company’s overall mission.” – Monster.com 2

- “LinkedIn is for job searches but Facebook defines reputations.

35% of candidates say they use social networks to contact

potential employers” – Adecco Work Trends Study (2015)3

- “78% of recruiters find their best quality candidates through

referrals.” – Jobvite 2015 Recruiter Nation Survey4

Reality

1. http://www.cohnwolfe.com/en/news/global-study-cohn-wolfe-defines-authenticity-eyes-consumers-and-reveals-100-most-

authentic-bran

2. https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/personal-brand-at-work

3. http://www.adecco.com/industry-insights/work-trends.aspx

4. https://www.jobvite.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/jobvite_recruiter_nation_2015.pdf

Personal branding is about credibility

“Personal Branding: How we market ourselves

to others” - Dan Schwabel, author of Me 2.0

“Personal branding is becoming increasingly important

because modern audiences tend to trust people more

than corporations. ” – Inc.com (2014)

http://www.inc.com/jayson-demers/5-steps-to-building-a-personal-brand-and-why-you-need-one.html

Personal branding is critical for

careers/networking

What recruiters look for – tenure, professional

commitment, proof of work, connections

Jobvite 2015 Recruiter Nation Survey

“Specialization lines up with where the world is

going. The specialist has a chance to nail down a field

of expertise as a differentiator. It is better to be

exceptional at one than good at many things”

- Trout on Strategy – Capturing Mindshare, Conquering Markets

(Tata McGraw – Hill, 2004)

Specialization and Positioning

• The 10,000 Hour Rule — by writer Malcolm

Gladwell holds that 10,000 hours of

"deliberate practice" are needed to become

world-class in any field.

Build Expertise: being world-class

takes practice

• “Success depends heavily on how we

approach our interactions with other

people. Every time we interact with

another person at work, we have a

choice to make: do we try to claim as

much value as we can, or contribute

value without worrying about what

we receive in return?”

Add Value: giving is more important

than taking

• Purpose

• Mastery

• Autonomy

Reinvent Yourself: keep learning and

growing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drive:_The_Surprising_Truth_About_What_Motivates_Us

Strategy/Approach Clarity Commitment Consistency

Build Expertise Internal

communication

(purpose & focus)

Add Value Workshops, blog, teaching,

forums

(credibility & authenticity)

Reinvent Yourself Certifications, speaking,

social media, CSR ( learning

& growing)

Communicate Progress

- website, blog, teaching, industry engagement

3 Step Model – Clarity, Commitment &

Consistency

How do you know it is working?

• Feedback

• Listen

• Perceptions

• Do the words people use to describe you

match with your purpose statement?

“You are a brand. You are in charge of your brand. There is no single path to success. And there is no one right way to create the brand called You. Start today. Or else.” - Tom Peters (The Brand Called You)

Stay Connected

Linkedin: http://in.linkedin.com/in/aniisu

Twitter:

www.twitter.com/aniisu

Visit the book FB page:

http://www.facebook.com/ICbook2012

E-mail:

intraskope@yahoo.com

Visit my blog:

www.intraskope.wordpress.com

Resources • Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us –

Daniel Pink

• Brand Called You - Tom Peters

• Trout on Strategy – Jack Trout

• Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future - Dan Schwabel

• Managing Oneself – Peter Drucker

Articles: • Don’t Ignore Credibility Degraders – You Cannot ‘Not’ Communicate https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dont-ignore-

credibility-degraders-you-cannot-aniisu?trk=pulse_spock-articles

• Six Insights That Can Change How You View Your Career https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/6-insights-can-change-how-you-view-your-career-aniisu?trk=pulse_spock-articles

• Your Decisions Decide Your Life and Career https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-decisions-define-career-life-k-verghese-intraskope-yahoo-com-?trk=pulse_spock-articles

• Add Value To the World. Build Your Personal Brand https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/add-value-world-build-your-personal-brand-aniisu?trk=pulse_spock-articles

• Create Your Own Path. Leave An Indelible Mark https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/chart-your-own-path-leave-indelible-mark-aniisu?trk=pulse_spock-articles