Professional Personal Branding for Cynics
March 23, 2023 7:58 AM Subscribe
At my company we always get asked "what's your personal brand?" I understand the usefulness as I go to new opportunities (jobs and projects within company) but this sounds so skeevy (and just saw this South Park episode lampooning it) and icky. If you think this is BS but you've been able to define your 'brand' successfully (i.e used it to define your resume, get jobs etc), what ways have you thought about it, what ways have you gotten past the smarmy LinkedIn factor?
OP, can you give an example of a "personal brand" to show how it can be smarmy? How would it be placed on a resume or used in job-hunting? (Mods, please delete this if inappropriate.)
posted by JimN2TAW at 8:27 AM on March 23, 2023
posted by JimN2TAW at 8:27 AM on March 23, 2023
Best answer: A long time ago, I used to be a web designer and dabbled in the various programming languages involved. When that field began to switch to using built-in templates and requiring a "full stack' of skills and a CS degree in order to use maybe 4 of those skills on the job, I switched my liberal arts/communications major self into more managerial/strategic roles that worked parallel to IT/Tech. Along the way I taught myself how to pull data out of SQL databases and into Crystal Reports and other reporting / Data Viz tools. IF/THEN/ELSE is so basic, but that kind of logic can be applied to so many non-programming instances. I read help files and watch Youtube videos and somehow those skills made me an expert in typical office environment softwares.
When I boil that jumble of words down, I am very good at explaining to technical teams what non-technical teams are looking for. I am equally good at explaining to non-technical teams the capabilities and limitations of programs and reports and data. "Ask Kim if this could work." "Ask Kim what she thinks the engineer meant." "Kim can show you how to do AAA in BBB program."
When I boil those concepts down a little more and look at it with a lens of how others I work with see me, I come up with "Nerd-to-Business Translator" which is on my LinkedIn profile, my networking business cards, and has brought me opportunities as well as made people smile. And (IMO) it doesn't sound smarmy like "A++ BizDev Avenger and Motivator turning zeroes into heroes for your organization!!111!!!"
Hope this helps!
posted by kimberussell at 8:42 AM on March 23, 2023 [17 favorites]
When I boil that jumble of words down, I am very good at explaining to technical teams what non-technical teams are looking for. I am equally good at explaining to non-technical teams the capabilities and limitations of programs and reports and data. "Ask Kim if this could work." "Ask Kim what she thinks the engineer meant." "Kim can show you how to do AAA in BBB program."
When I boil those concepts down a little more and look at it with a lens of how others I work with see me, I come up with "Nerd-to-Business Translator" which is on my LinkedIn profile, my networking business cards, and has brought me opportunities as well as made people smile. And (IMO) it doesn't sound smarmy like "A++ BizDev Avenger and Motivator turning zeroes into heroes for your organization!!111!!!"
Hope this helps!
posted by kimberussell at 8:42 AM on March 23, 2023 [17 favorites]
I’ll be watching this thread - I agree with that personal brand is skin-crawling to me. It is the difference between Personality (usually denoted with the verbal equivalent of exclamation marks) versus Character - a set of communally-focused values that are acted on with consistency for the purpose of internal integrity (rather than outward recognition.)
posted by Silvery Fish at 8:42 AM on March 23, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Silvery Fish at 8:42 AM on March 23, 2023 [6 favorites]
Honestly, it’s not actually smarmy to think about and define what qualities you bring to your profession and your team. Calling it a “personal brand” is a little jargonny but it’s just words and you know what they mean, so they are words that work.
Think of it like this: if you were choosing a baseball team, you wouldn’t wave your hands and say, whatever, “I need baseball players!”nor would you choose 9 pitchers. If there’s a project at work, what are you bringing to the table? No one is bringing you onto their project because you’re “cynical” and think having a personal brand is smarmy. What do you hope people consider your best attributes and what do you want to do?
posted by vunder at 9:00 AM on March 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
Think of it like this: if you were choosing a baseball team, you wouldn’t wave your hands and say, whatever, “I need baseball players!”nor would you choose 9 pitchers. If there’s a project at work, what are you bringing to the table? No one is bringing you onto their project because you’re “cynical” and think having a personal brand is smarmy. What do you hope people consider your best attributes and what do you want to do?
posted by vunder at 9:00 AM on March 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
FWIW, I don't think it's weird to find "personal brand" an smarmy concept. Folks' advice here to focus on your qualities and values is a genuinely positive and useful approach to the question, but 'brand' is not actually equivalent to 'qualities'; it's equivalent to 'desired perception of qualities', which is very much not the same thing and may help to explain why the concept puts some people in a stance of distrust.
posted by dusty potato at 9:07 AM on March 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by dusty potato at 9:07 AM on March 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
I think of a 'personal brand' as a different format of resume--one that's more insightful and illuminating. I dislike the term because I hate thinking of myself as a product, but I can understand what people are looking for when they ask this of me: they want to know who I am and what I stand for, essentially. I can use that as an opportunity to express whatever I want about myself.
Evaluating a personal brand is far less qualitative than looking through a resume. So it could be a way to make an emotional, personal connection and find people in the world who you truly want to work with or be friends with. It's okay for your personal brand to convey that you're cynical about this whole branding thing, and/or for it to be a fairly dry list of the types of projects you'd like to get involved in, or maybe a chance to talk about your background/story. It's a chance to be open and to have fun, even.
posted by guessthis at 9:23 AM on March 23, 2023
Evaluating a personal brand is far less qualitative than looking through a resume. So it could be a way to make an emotional, personal connection and find people in the world who you truly want to work with or be friends with. It's okay for your personal brand to convey that you're cynical about this whole branding thing, and/or for it to be a fairly dry list of the types of projects you'd like to get involved in, or maybe a chance to talk about your background/story. It's a chance to be open and to have fun, even.
posted by guessthis at 9:23 AM on March 23, 2023
If it helps, 'brand' is very roughly interchangeable with public reputation. What do you want people to think about when they think of you? How can you help them think of that? How can you help them know who you are, what you can do, what you're good at - or even not good at? We used to talk a lot about how such and such as "a reputation as a great career advisor to junior people" or "a well-earned reputation for being good at this kind of work." 90% of the time, the two concepts are going to be synonymous. And "reputation" has been important to humans for a very long time.
posted by Tomorrowful at 9:57 AM on March 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Tomorrowful at 9:57 AM on March 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
I've evaluated a lot of job applicants, coached friends and family on being job applicants, and been a successful job applicant myself. The way I think about is this: what's the one phrase or sentence I want the reviewer/interviewer/HR person/hiring manager to walk away with? Then I tell my story (or my friend's or family member's story) in a way that supports that phrase or sentence.
This way of thinking about it makes sense to me and doesn't have the negative connotations of "personal branding." I know from my own experience that reviewers are often looking at dozens, if not hundreds, of applications. When I'm in that situation and overwhelmed by input, my brain copes by latching onto the most salient thing about any given applicant. "That's the one who relates everything to their sailing experience." "That's the one who's good at talking to stressed-out people." "That's the one with the great teapot industry network." "That's the one who helped launch the company I think is great."
By coming up with a "brand," you're trying to become aware of what people remember most about you, and shape it to the extent you can. It doesn't need to be skeevy or manipulative -- you're not trying to pose as someone else, you're just trying to share what is most salient about yourself from another person's perspective. BrashTech's advice on how to do this is good.
posted by ourobouros at 10:14 AM on March 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
This way of thinking about it makes sense to me and doesn't have the negative connotations of "personal branding." I know from my own experience that reviewers are often looking at dozens, if not hundreds, of applications. When I'm in that situation and overwhelmed by input, my brain copes by latching onto the most salient thing about any given applicant. "That's the one who relates everything to their sailing experience." "That's the one who's good at talking to stressed-out people." "That's the one with the great teapot industry network." "That's the one who helped launch the company I think is great."
By coming up with a "brand," you're trying to become aware of what people remember most about you, and shape it to the extent you can. It doesn't need to be skeevy or manipulative -- you're not trying to pose as someone else, you're just trying to share what is most salient about yourself from another person's perspective. BrashTech's advice on how to do this is good.
posted by ourobouros at 10:14 AM on March 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
Think about and list your strengths, as well as your goals, and add a dash of personality. Condense your brand from that. Looking at big brands, are there any that you find effective/ appealing? Think about why and how they accomplished that. A Personal Brand is a form of self-advertising, which is why we find it skeevy, but you might as well use if effectively if you must use it.
posted by theora55 at 10:50 AM on March 23, 2023
posted by theora55 at 10:50 AM on March 23, 2023
Yeah, they want your elevator pitch, your short summary of how you're great. I get why calling it your brand makes your skin crawl. It's a short hand for, "Tell us why we should hire you." Maybe it would help to reframe it in your head that way?
(Before I realized this was a sincere question, when I thought you needed your "brand" for an icebreaker, I was going to tell you to go with The Crank.)
posted by bluedaisy at 11:39 AM on March 23, 2023
(Before I realized this was a sincere question, when I thought you needed your "brand" for an icebreaker, I was going to tell you to go with The Crank.)
posted by bluedaisy at 11:39 AM on March 23, 2023
I guess it can be useful to have a quick, pithy way of summing yourself up, for others to more easily remember you by. I knew a girl in college who was getting degrees in both business education and development as well as in bosnian, serbian and croation studies, which involved a fair amount of analyzing balance sheets as well as poetry, and which often gave her a certain flexibility in terms of perspective. She used to describe herself as "operating at the intersection of humanist inanity and capitalist insanity" (die Schnittstelle von humanistischen Schwachsinn und kapitalistischem Wahnsinn). She probably didn't use that exact wording for job search purposes, but it certainly stuck in my mind. I had always enjoyed listening to her take on things when we were students together, and if I were in any position of influence, I would certainly remember that too if she applied for something within my domain.
One some level, a brand is simply a promise - ideally a promise you're damn sure you'll always be able to keep. I think it's often helpful and good to make such a promise. People need to know what to expect of you (and maybe what not to expect of you too) if you want them to trust you, and you often need people to trust you to accomplish anything of value. You can't expect people to trust a cypher. You need to make yourself a known quantity, and one way to do that could be defining your personal brand. For that, you need to know yourself well enough to know what you can and what you can't promise and thinking about that is never a bad exercise.
On another level, however, a brand is also the packaging of that promise - ideally in way that's memorable and that makes you stand apart from the competition. I know what I want to promise my students as their teacher: knows her stuff, gives a shit, doesn't take things too personally. But that's not a personal brand. That's just a reasonable standard for a teacher to have. The promise of a brand doesn't just have to be credible and reliable - it also has to be unique.
This is, where for some the perception of smarminess might come in. Knowing and clearly communicating what you're about it is one thing, and always laudable, I think, but trying to sound particularly original and unique about it can sometimes seem like trying to make fetch happen. People often do it by using something quite shallow and silly, but obviously distinctive (eg. a catchphrase, a signature outfit) and through the magic of marketing somehow manage to tie it to the deeper promise on the level below. It's easy to feel above that. But it still might work! People might be more likely to remember you, even if they think you're a bit corny! I think there's no shame in being pragmatic about these things.
posted by sohalt at 2:00 PM on March 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
One some level, a brand is simply a promise - ideally a promise you're damn sure you'll always be able to keep. I think it's often helpful and good to make such a promise. People need to know what to expect of you (and maybe what not to expect of you too) if you want them to trust you, and you often need people to trust you to accomplish anything of value. You can't expect people to trust a cypher. You need to make yourself a known quantity, and one way to do that could be defining your personal brand. For that, you need to know yourself well enough to know what you can and what you can't promise and thinking about that is never a bad exercise.
On another level, however, a brand is also the packaging of that promise - ideally in way that's memorable and that makes you stand apart from the competition. I know what I want to promise my students as their teacher: knows her stuff, gives a shit, doesn't take things too personally. But that's not a personal brand. That's just a reasonable standard for a teacher to have. The promise of a brand doesn't just have to be credible and reliable - it also has to be unique.
This is, where for some the perception of smarminess might come in. Knowing and clearly communicating what you're about it is one thing, and always laudable, I think, but trying to sound particularly original and unique about it can sometimes seem like trying to make fetch happen. People often do it by using something quite shallow and silly, but obviously distinctive (eg. a catchphrase, a signature outfit) and through the magic of marketing somehow manage to tie it to the deeper promise on the level below. It's easy to feel above that. But it still might work! People might be more likely to remember you, even if they think you're a bit corny! I think there's no shame in being pragmatic about these things.
posted by sohalt at 2:00 PM on March 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
I think what you're looking for is part of why the Clifton Strengths assessment exists. The report you get after the assessment is written in language that is, more or less, an emphasis of the strengths that you might not be aware of as skills that aren't universal and can be collectively referred to as your "personal braind." Some people cringe at this sort of thing no matter how it's packaged, but my entire department uses this and it's been helpful (since we're all a bunch of science nerds who were never given the skills needed to self-promote). It's got a Myers-Briggs flavor, but it's squarely focused on how these things manifest in your work life. There's a lot of writing at that link that you might find useful in response to your specific question, whether that assessment is a good fit or not.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 4:57 AM on March 24, 2023
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 4:57 AM on March 24, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
First, consider what you bring to the table: your knowledge, your experience, your skills, what you perceive as your strengths.
Then ask people around you (friends, mentors, coworkers) what they see as your strengths. (It is good to ask people about this in an email, or send the questions in an email and then plan to meet in person so they have some time to reflect and put together a politic answer.) You can ask things like: What are you the go-to person for? What can you be relied upon to deliver consistently? What have been your biggest areas of growth and mastery?
The answers could be surprising to you. I also think this can cut down on the smarm factor a bit by anchoring you in other people's perceptions rather than living in your own head for the whole exercise. You're not making up some bullshit, you're basing your "advertising" on the perceptions that already exist in your "marketplace." Also, you'll know that the "softer" stuff you're putting on your resume will be backed up by the folks you pick as references.
You can then exercise your own agency by thinking about what kind of work you find most satisfying, and what kind of a job you would like to have, and think about how your strengths can move you in that direction.
posted by BrashTech at 8:22 AM on March 23, 2023 [14 favorites]