Let’s Talk About Personal Branding (And How to Create Yours)

Brenden reached out to me at a point in his life when he felt stuck and didn't see a career path that was compelling to him. He sent me this note:

I am currently working as an applications engineer in the additive manufacturing industry, but I am attempting to transfer to a more technical role where I can further my career…and fully utilize my degree and the skills that I have acquired. Namely, I am attempting to obtain either a more technical AE role, a mechanical/design engineer role, or a manufacturing engineer role.

Your services caught my eye, as I have been trying to make this transition for some time, but have not had much luck.

As we talked, there were two things that stood out for me that Brenden needed to work on:

1. Getting more clarity on what he really wanted to do next. (We utilized tools such as those in this article to help him with this)
2. Creating a personal brand that allowed him to tell his story and showcase his value.

As an applications engineer, Brenden was a problem solver who worked very closely with clients, but never got deep enough into projects to truly solve significant technical issues. Mostly, his work was focused on increasing sales of devices and software to clients.

Because of this, it was hard for Brenden to tell a compelling story and show his capabilities to do more technical work for a potential new employer.

He needed to create his own personal brand.

What Is a Personal Brand?

Everyone has a personal brand by design or by default. —Lida Citroën

What is your personal brand? Put simply, your personal brand is the way you present yourself to others that influences how they perceive you. You want others to evaluate you on your expertise, experience, and personality. Your brand is created through a combination of what others already know about you; their impression of you based on what they learn about you online, based on what they hear about you from others, and through interacting with you in person; and more.

Others will, in the end, make up their mind about who they think you are based on multiple data points. Your task is to help guide them to understanding more of the truth about who you are, and how your expertise can benefit them (especially in a career context).

For some engineers, the thought of "personal branding" might seem cringeworthy, but personal branding in the context of career development isn't the same as creating a brand you can market products for. No need for Super Bowl commercials here.

As the Citroën quote at the beginning of this section suggests, you have a personal brand whether you like it or not—so wouldn't you rather intentionally create it?

Think about it this way: The people in your life who are close to you know you well because they spend a lot of time with you. However, your personal brand is important for those who only know a little bit about you. They only know what you tell them, so what do you want them to know?

Visualizing a Personal Brand

Imagine a simple Venn diagram, like the one below. In one circle are all of the attributes, skills, personality traits, interests, and experiences that make you who you are. In the other circle are all of the ways you show who you are to other people—online materials, your resume, what you share on LinkedIn and your personal websites, others' experiences interacting with you, and more (labeled “what people know about you”). The intersection of the two circles is your personal brand—how much people actually see of who you truly are. The overlap will look different based on the nature of your relationship with a particular person. Those people who know you and love you will have a lot of overlap. Someone meeting you for the first time or just scanning your LinkedIn profile will only see what you choose to show them.

It is worth it to analyze all the material and information you share with others publicly on social media, websites, and other channels you use to communicate professionally. You can use the following questions to complete this analysis:

• Does the content you typically share allow people to get to know you? 
• If you are interested in career opportunities, does your messaging communicate what would make you uniquely qualified for the kinds of roles you are pursuing? 
• If you were a recruiter or colleague, would you be impressed after viewing your profile or posts?

It's your responsibility to curate and control the narrative you present to the public, thus creating your personal brand. 

A word of caution: As you work on your personal brand, don't try to be something you're not. Make sure what you share with others is authentic and truthful. Trust me—you don't want to be someone who creates a whole persona that doesn't even exist.

So be yourself, just the best version of yourself!

Take Intentional Action

Not sure where to start to uncover your personal brand? 

Well, maybe your genius zones, which I’ve shared about in the last 2 newsletters…

Go back and check them out:

• 3 Activities to Unlock Your Genius Zones
• Are You a Genius and You Didn’t Know It?

Starting with your genius zone can really help you know what you should communicate in a personal brand. If you identify that, you’re well on your way!

Accelerate Your Progress

This newsletter is an adapted excerpt from my new book, The Intentional Engineer. It was written just for intentional engineers like you. Go grab your own copy today at: https://amzn.to/3u6bJF2. 

By the way, the Audiobook recently became available, so go grab your copy on Audible or Apple Books!

And if you want personalized coaching or training for you or your team/organization, just DM me or email me at jeff@jeff-perry.com. I’d love to help!