Career Development: Building your brand

How do coworkers and your network perceive you? What does your social profile say about you? Does it reflect your authentic personality, your preferences, or your strengths? 

Your personal brand is defined by the way you’re remembered in your circle, personal or professional. Building and cultivating it will not only benefit you but will also have an impact on your company's brand and your network.

In our panel discussion “Career Development: Building your brand" our panelists, Kassidi Sorensen (Autodesk), Maddie Suppon (360Learning), and Katie Capuzzo (WISE), discussed ways to build your personal brand authentically and to position yourself for opportunities to elevate your career.  

Here are some key takeaways to guide you in your professional journey.

Why not you?

As women, we are statistically more likely to bypass a job opportunity if we don’t meet 100% of the requirements. This is your sign to apply for the job 👏 You are so much more powerful and capable than you give yourself credit for and your personal brand, via achievements folder and LinkedIn, can help fill in any perceived gaps in experience.

Don’t be afraid to be seen trying.

Posting to LinkedIn is a great way to capitalize on your personal brand. Are your palms clammy or is it just me? The trick is not overthinking the post. Be authentic, pull from your real life, and know that your story will resonate with the audience that aligns with your brand.

Separate feelings from facts.

Knock, knock. Who’s there? Imposter Syndrome! Not joking when we say that everyone has experienced imposter syndrome at some point in their careers. Crappy sales calls happen, but don’t let your emotions speak louder than the truth, which is this… you were hired for a reason and you’re not expected to know everything. A confident “I don’t know” is never the wrong answer as long as you have a strong follow up.

Think like a marketer.

Considerations for building your personal brand:

• Who are you trying to reach? Research where your target audience is engaging. Ex: TikTok, community forums like Twitch, professional networks like WISE.
• What is your online presence? Review what platforms you’re already active in and comfortable with then lean into those as a starting point.
• Do your online profiles reflect your personal brand? For LinkedIn, craft a brand statement (one sentence elevator pitch of yourself) and use that as your profile headline. Save your job titles for the experience section. Add both hard and soft skills when possible. Don’t forget to include notable awards or project work.
• What will your content be? Content pillars are the key themes your posts will focus on, like diversity and belonging, thought leadership, and career advice. Every post should also align with one of these goals: Entertain, Persuade, Inspire, Educate.‍
• Ready to launch and learn? Don’t be too strict with scheduling at first. Play around with posting times, frequency, use of hashtags, key words and visuals. It’s important to reflect on what does and doesn’t do well as you narrow in on your audience’s preferences.

Building your personal brand starts with knowing your authentic self and embracing it. It is also a continuous process so be patient and be consistent in cultivating it.

Need some career advice? Ask our experts at advice@womeninsaleseverywhere.com.

Want to learn more? You can stream the full event recording here. Thank you to all of the WISE partners for making this event possible and our panelists for sharing their time and advice.