Personal Branding: Pathway to a Successful Career
Before consciousness about the essence of personal branding was raised by Tom Peters some two decades ago, the power and potential of branding was mostly utilised by corporate organs, evidently expressed in the way organisations told their stories in a manner that positively influenced people to perceive them in a desired way. That was reflected in how companies acted and served people, the values they shared and how they projected those values. Without gainsaying, a strong corporate brand stands out from the competition — and earns more awareness, better customer experiences and increased sales as a result. However, branding is not (or should not be) the reserve of companies. According to Tom Peters, “Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding…. To be in business today, our most important job is to be a head marketer for the brand called, ‘You.’” This is because every professional has their own stories to tell and their unique values, goals, knowledge, skills, and expertise to share, through personal branding. It is an ongoing process which communicates your unique identity — portraying who you are, what you stand for, the values you embrace and the ways in which you express those values — thus establishing a professional image which distinguishes you from competitors and gives your potential employers or clients reason(s) to associate with you. This is very significant in establishing a new career or in boosting an existing one.
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