Adam Keable explains the importance of building your personal brand.
As we move into an age where your profile is not only built through personal relationships but also digital networks, it’s crucial that your personal brand communicates exactly who you are and what you offer. If you fail to communicate this, you are risking the chances of landing that dream job.

Here are some essential tips to help ensure you’re creating an effective personal brand:

1) Look at your online persona
It’s now common place for most of us to have a number of social media accounts which often form the first impression. It’s also increasingly common for a potential employer to research a candidate online before the first interview. They will be looking to see if your CV is consistent with what they find on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Therefore it’s crucial it matches up with your CV.
I recommend that you avoid controversial content and create a similar social media presence across all of your accounts. It is also good to Google yourself (and also try it in a private browser to see if it’s any different) and see what shows up as this can also throw up some interesting content.

2) Create a specialism
In an industry such as golf it is vital that you start to focus on a niche within your field. This can be related to either a skill such as operations or a business environment such as a proprietary golf resort. By being knowledgeable in a key area it will help you make a name for yourself as a specialist.

3) Increase visibility
Once you’ve understood what you’re keen to be known for, the next step is to get out there. This can sometimes be easier said than done as many fall into the trap of self-promotion, which actually has the opposite effect. Instead you should try to offer insightful content in your area of specialism that provides constructive opinion. By doing this you are recognised by your peers rather than yourself which is vital. Also select the appropriate channels in which to communicate any content because it’s likely that your audience demographics will vary across the platforms you use.

4) Observe
Just like the brands you aspire to buy, there will be people that you look up to and admire in the industry. Observe the qualities that they portray and review whether they are reflected in your brand. However, along with good qualities, it is also important that you look at the poor qualities some people personify as these are almost as important and something you should be aware of.

5) Be yourself
All in all people are looking for consistency in you as an individual, so it is important that you do not pretend to be something you are not. How you are in real life should be directly related to how you are online so don’t put pressure on yourself by having to act in any way, it should be very natural.

As you develop your professional career you increasingly focus in on what works for you and also what doesn’t. Personal branding is not an exact science but by taking the step to review your personal brand, you’re halfway there.