Does your personal brand resonate?

You’re working to develop your personal brand, but have you tested whether it really resonates with others?

As the year draws to an end and you reflect on everything that has happened during 2013, spend some time reviewing your personal brand and how effective it is.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Did you get headhunted?
2. Were you offered a promotion?
3. Did you get selected for a high-profile assignment/project team?
4. Were you recognised by your peers or superiors for your contribution in the organisation?
5. Did you move forward in your career?

If you answered ‘no’ to all of these questions, your personal brand may not be resonating with other people.

What does it mean when your personal brand is resonating? Firstly, it means you are visible and that people are starting to notice you and your work. They start to notice the work you are doing in a particular area and see you as something of a specialist.

If your personal brand resonates, you also have credibility — a certain gravitas attached to your name, otherwise known as the ‘X-factor’.

If your personal brand resonates, there is an air of confidence about you and people want you on their team. They see you as adding unique value and having impact.

Personal brands that resonate also get talked about favourably. In essence, you start to build a sales force of people that are out there singing your praises.

How to build a personal brand that resonates

If you feel your personal brand is not resonating with your target market, or if you just want to do a better job at building a personal brand that attracts positive attention, start off by taking stock.

Get feedback on how you are perceived (relative to how you would like to be perceived). This could be as simple as having a few conversations with people whose opinions you value, asking them: “What do you think of me? And what could I be doing better?”

Once you understand how others see your personal brand and you have a clear picture of how you want it to be seen, take action where appropriate to ‘close’ the gap. Identify a few-high impact strategies and begin working on them so you can hit the ground running as you tackle the next year.