If you want to set yourself apart from the competition, it is essential that you start building your personal brand immediately. In my latest episode of Work Mom Says, I interviewed Bob Cargill about his new book “Twenty Jobs, Twenty Lessons.” During our conversation, we discuss the ways he has successfully built his personal brand.
Here, I break down Bob’s top tips for building your personal brand and the platforms you should use to do it.
One of the easiest ways for young professionals to start building their brand is with LinkedIn. I talk about LinkedIn a LOT, but that’s only because it is so essential. We typically think of using LinkedIn just for networking purposes, but it is a great tool for branding yourself as well.
According to Bob Cargill, you can and should begin building your LinkedIn presence as early as your freshman year of college. You can add your internships and special projects, and you can connect with your professors, classmates, alumni, and companies where you want to work someday.
If you don’t have much work experience, you can build your presence in other ways. You can share who you are, what you’re learning in class, what trends or industry news you’re paying attention to. I recommend that you start engaging and sharing things. Over time, you start building connections and an audience, and by the time you get out of college, you’ve got a little bit of a head start.
The bottomline is “if you have a visible, conspicuous presence on social media, you will be found by others and get opportunities you wouldn’t get otherwise,” Bob told us.
Podcasting
Another great way to build your personal brand and establish yourself as a thought leader is by podcasting. It allows you to communicate your knowledge and expertise and build your credibility.
Getting behind a microphone can help you build confidence in your ideas and skills. Your podcast doesn’t need to be formal or polished right off the bat, so don’t be afraid to just get started. Use podcasting as a way to improve your technical skills and get comfortable behind the microphone until you get your footing.
Blogging
Blogging is another great, simple way to build your brand and become a thought leader. Even if you aren’t a strong writer at first, blogging can help you improve your writing skills while establishing your authority.
On social and on the internet where you’re trying to create connections and relationships, writing like you speak is an excellent approach. Don’t be intimidated that you have to be a perfect writer. You just have to be interesting and you want to be compelling. You want to have some interesting ideas, but don’t worry about having to be perfect.
Practice makes you better. According to Bob, if you write consistently, “you’ll find your groove, your rhythm, your cadence, and your zone where what you say will resonate with people. Suddenly you find yourself with all these followers and fans, and the rest is history.”
For more career wisdom from Bob Cargill, check out his new book.