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Is Your Personal Brand What You Believe It Is?
Ever had your kid swear in front of you? Mine did a few times
. (Not at me. Just in front of me.) He claimed it just slipped out because that is the way he talked with his friends. At the time I warned him that if it "slipped out" like that in front of the wrong person it might jeopardize a job, a relationship or his reputation.Maybe I exaggerated then but today with the Internet, social media, cell phones that take pictures and inexpensive video cameras, you need to be really careful. Now it is not just about swearing but about any behavior that could damage your personal brand.
Personal brand? Who thinks about such things? It is something for Proctor and Gamble or Johnson and Johnson. That was my feeling until very recently.
Why am I concerned about this now? Because I, like my clients and you, am using the Internet in many different ways to get the attention of others. I want to be noticed by others in a good way - in a way that attracts my target market. (If you are looking for work, you will want to attract recruiters and employers.)That means I want my brand to represent the best of me.
How are you perceived by others? It is an issue for all of us or least those of us who want to continue to be hired either by an employer or clients.
Clients, hiring managers, and recruiters are constantly researching people on the Internet. Today more than ever you need to be aware of what your current brand is and what you want your brand to be.
How do you begin to determine what your current brand is? One way is to ask your friends, colleagues, and work associates what qualities they see in you and what unique value you offer.
Much of what you communicate is done without your even knowing it. That is why it is interesting to ask others. You will be surprised what they say about you. It is often quite validating.
If someone gives you negative feedback however, then you know that your brand needs some repair. Usually people are kind when you ask them.
Getting the negative piece is important because that is probably where you want to make changes. Using an assessment like the DISC behavioral assessment is a good way to get to the core of how others see you.
The DISC report actually has a section on how you behave under stress. If you are in a stressful work environment this could be the way others know you. It may not be the way you see yourself however and probably not the way you want to be seen.
People get an impression of you from what you write too. Remember that clients, managers, and recruiters may have access to what you have put on FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter etc. If you've got a popular video on YouTube, that will come up in a Google search too. Embarrassed by that video? Take it down!
It has been said, "You are who Google says you are". Have you Googled your name lately to see how you show up? If you haven't I recommend you do it today and once a month from now on. If something shows up that you don't want, ask the webmaster on the site to remove it.
Sometimes however you will find that there is no way to remove something. Then your only recourse is to get enough good articles to come up to get the bad buried on a back page. Ideally like my son you will make a real effort to avoid embarrassing yourself so nothing is available on the Internet except material that supports your brand.
Take Action
1.Ask a few friends, colleagues, and/or work associates (or former associates) to give a few adjectives that describe you. Ask them too about the unique value you add. Write down your ideas too and compare your responses with the others.
2.Google your name and review what comes up. If you have a common name, check the listings that are about you. If you share a name with someone else who has a questionable reputation, you can at least be aware that it exists and distance yourself from that person by letting people know of that person's existence.
3.Take the DISC assessment to learn what your behavior says about you
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