So personal branding has been a popular topic in career talks and just about any industry. If you haven’t heard about personal branding yet, maybe this is the time to stop watching cat videos on Youtube, and *sighs* start adulting. Just kidding. Anyways, off to the golden question: why is personal branding so important?
Because nowadays, it is crucial to your career growth.
Let’s go on a time machine for a moment. In the past, companies used to have long-term plans for its employees, like pension plans and corporate loyalty is a thing. Now, it has been replaced with individualization, self-promotion, and job security is not as available as it is in the past. People start to jump from companies to companies more often, are either thinking of a career change or looking for another job. Lay offs are also starting to become more common, sadly. This new corporate culture also means tighter competition for jobs, not to mention overpopulation means more people to compete with. *sigh*
In the age of tight competition and rapid changes in the corporate world, those who want to get or keep their jobs must stay current and differentiate themselves.
So how do you differentiate yourself when the job you want, is also wanted by dozens or hundreds of other people with similar qualifications, experience and skills as you? A visually appealing CV just doesn’t do the job anymore, since everyone is doing that. You, another job applicant, has just became another statistic number in the pie chart of everyone looking for a job.
Or if you are employed right now, how do you convince your employers that you are the right one for the job? How do you convince your employers that you are not so easily replaceable or will not be the first to be laid off?
This is where personal branding comes in. Everyone is equipped with a unique combination of traits, skills, and experience. Only you have the traits that make you different to other people you are competing with. Why not utilize that to be your superpower, embrace yourself, and market that uniqueness to differentiate yourself from other people?
Personal branding gives a reason for us to stand out. By standing out, it means you won’t be so replaceable or be the first one to be laid off because you have a strong reason to why your employers should keep you. Or if you are looking for a job, you are giving your future employer a strong reason to pick you, a strong reason that only you have, giving you advantage over other people applying for the job. And that, is why personal branding is crucial for career growth.
