Personal Branding: Don’t Give It A Bad Name

After heading out of town to Delaware for a business planning retreat and to NYC for a surprise birthday party, I finally had an opportunity to catch up with my a few colleagues and friends online.

I immediately noticed one of my Twitter followers had re-branded his business and his profile.

While I was very impressed with his new look and vision, I was also very confused. You see in the past two years that I have known him, this is the fifth (yes, I said fifth) time, he had re-branded his consulting business.

Every time he did it, it was outstanding, very appealing, seemingly authentic and genuine, but five times? That’s taking personal branding to places, it shouldn’t go. Let me ask you this

• Are you at a crossroads in your career and convinced that the more “flexible” you are, the more attractive you would be to employers?

• Are you open to executive positions in different functional areas?

• Have you decided it’s time to change careers, but still want to target positions in your current field for safety?

We all have been there – in today’s fast-paced, evolving marketplace, you should adapt to change, but within reason. You see online personal branding and social media has become critical parts of executive career management.

However you cannot effectively market yourself under two or more different personal brands unless you have a split personality.

Well, don’t get nervous about your plans for changing careers or moving in a new direction, just remember be crystal clear about who you are, what your value proposition is, and how companies benefit from your expertise.

You have to communicate a consistent message and highlight the same personal brand proposition, time and time again.

Identify and promote a personal brand that will not need changing every six months.

• Can you define your target market, in other words, what industries or professions are you focused on for new employment or career growth?

• Do you know (through research or talking to others) what business challenges your industry is facing?

• What do you have to offer that would help your target companies/industries overcome some of these business challenges?

• What three top career achievements can you highlight that would convince employers you are worth your salary/investment?

• How would your current/former boss and/or colleagues describe you?

Let me know what you uncover, even you will be pleasantly surprised:)