How to Improve Your Personal Brand At Work

How do your co-workers see you? What is the first thing that comes to mind when they talk about you? Every company has to decide what they would like their corporate brand to look/feel/sound like, why not try it on a personal level? While companies brand themselves using logos, business cards and advertisements, you can brand yourself by fine tuning your behavior and appearance.

Here are a few ways to look at it:

What do I look like?

First impressions go a long way, but after you’ve aced the interview, do you make a continuous effort to show your colleagues that you take your role seriously by putting some thought into your everyday presentation? What is their impression of you?

Positive: “She always looks well put-together”, “He is so well-groomed” or “She never wears anything that would put the company’s name in a bad light”.

Negative: “When was the last time he had a shower?”, “Her low necklines always draw a lot of attention” or “He looks like he doesn’t own a razor”.

What do I sound like?

People pick up trends in the way you communicate very quickly. What are the things people will pick up in your communication after working with you for a while?

Positive: “He always keeps things relevant and to-the-point in meetings”, “She is always friendly” or “She knows how to express herself well”.

Negative: “She is usually very negative”, “She is always the first one to spread a rumour” or “He is always criticising people around him”.

What does my work say about me?

Even if you are constantly pleasant and looking smashing in your professional wardrobe, if your work is sloppy or you are unreliable, you might as well kiss your personal brand goodbye. What are you known for?

Positive: “Her work is always on time”, “You can always count on his accuracy” or “Her spreadsheets are always so neat”.

Negative: “He tends to wait until the last minute to do what I ask of him”, “I always need to make corrections to her documents” or “His paperwork always has coffee stains all over them”.

The goal of this exercise is not to advertise ourselves as being without flaws, but instead to set aside a little time to evaluate the kind of message you are sending on a regular basis, and see if there is room for improvement.