The 2 Parts You Need to Craft a Personal Brand

Just like two sides of a coin – there are two sides of a personal brand.

When you craft your brand – either for your elevator pitch, executive summary in your resume, or LinkedIn byline – consider framing it with these two components in mind:

Your domain of expertise and Your personal flair.

That’s how Executive Coach, Susan Bernstein advises clients to think of their brand.

To truly stand out from your peers, it’s not enough to simply state your job title and industry experience. It is the second half of the equation that creates truly memorable brands.

Think of your personal flair as the modifier that separates what you do from the thousands/millions of other people who share your field – it shares how you approach your job from a different and unique angle than everyone else.

Bernstein cites a client who is an expert in the IoT (Internet of Things), and specializes in mentoring teams on the subject.

Ultimately, your personal brand should evoke an emotion or feeling when someone thinks of you. For example, it might make someone feel empowered, or smarter. In the case of the IoT mentor, he brings a sense of stability and composure to an industry that is trying to find its feet.

If you are unsure about what your own flair might be – ask your colleagues or peers (the ones you are comfortable with)! They are often able to point out the extraordinary things  which might seem like second nature to you.

So think about your brand. What personal flair do you bring to the work you do?