Does Your Personal Brand Need a Bailout?

Today, you don’t have to look too far to know that people across all walks of life are looking for some form of assistance. For some it is government assistance to get back on their feet, for others it is mortgage assistance to stay in their homes, and for others it is unemployment assistance to get through hard times.  Whether or not you fit this category, you know that hard times make us forget about the times in our life when no assistance was required.  Those were the times when our brand, our accounts, and our roof were in order.

If you have lost your job you know the identity crisis that comes when you are forced to define yourself without a paycheck.   If you are in a job and trying to keep it, you also understand the importance of delivering value.  Today, your sense of self is valuable currency and how you manage your brand during a downturn will impact your career and define your life outcomes.   The most overlooked bailout program today is the one that you need most.  It is the bailout of your personal brand. Your personal brand is defined as who you are, what you are known for and your true sense of purpose.

So whether you are a “job seeker” or “job keeper” here are 10Ks to bailout your brand and give you back your sense of purpose.

1. Know thyself
Always remember that what you tell yourself becomes who you are.  Pick three things you are good at and let them become your unique strengths. Use them as conversation starters when others ask what do you do?

2. Know what you want to be known for
What do you want people to say about you when you are not in the room? Including the interview room? Your answer to this question reveals the behaviors and actions that must now become a part of every encounter you have with others.

3. Know how to be consistent
You will be known for the things you do consistently.  Your ability to consistently deliver value, help someone overcome a challenge, or improve the bottom line will add a line of sight making it easy for you to be the one kept when others are told to leave the building.

4. Know how to accept failure as part of building your personal brand
Don’t check your failures at the door rather let them open new doors for you to shine. One of the most powerful stories you can tell about yourself in an interview is how you learned from failure, how you picked yourself up when you were knocked down or how you took a “setback” and made it a “setup” for success.

5. Know how to communicate your personal brand attributes
When someone meets you an impression of your capability is made in six seconds or less.  Have a statement of your value, “your elevator speech“, that tells others who you are, how you can make a difference, and why they should buy into what you deliver.

6. Know how to create your own opportunities
There are people who wait for things to happen and there are people who make it happen. What type of person are you?  What are you waiting for to go after your goals?

7. Know and master the art of connection
Relationships are far more effective than resumes when you are looking for your next opportunity or looking to keep your current position.  Use the internet and professional networking websites to build your reputation so your network is as strong online as it is offline.

8. Know that silence is not an option
If others do not know you exist they can’t help but help the next person. Don’t just look for a job, let others know that you are available. Don’t just show up to the meeting.  Have something to say. You will only be as good as how memorable you make yourself.

9. Know your expectations, not your limitations
Manage your personal brand so what others expect from you is what you also know you can deliver. If you others don’t know what to expect from you, you may not get the call when opportunities become available.

10. Know why you are doing what you are doing today and how it will shape where you are headed tomorrow.
If you have a roadmap for where you are going it will be harder to get lost along the way to your treasure.

Your Personal Brand Bailout is now available.
Get your copy of the 10Ks of Personal Branding Today!