Professional Branding platform.

Professional branding is the process of creating a "mark" around your name or your career. This is achieved by having specific strengths and messages that people remember about you. It is how you express and communicate your skills, personality, and values—in person and online. To be truly memorable and impactful, your brand should represent your authentic self. It is the culmination of what makes you unique.

Your professional brand is a combination of your reputation and the value you bring to the workplace. In a competitive job market, it's important to be intentional about creating a personal brand that clearly communicates who you are and what you have to offer.

Professional branding is the art of showcasing your skills, values, and expertise to stand out in your industry. A strong brand can open doors to better career opportunities and establish your credibility in competitive markets.

Write down your values and priorities.

Make sure that you have a clear picture of your professional values and goals. They should serve as a compass that guides you in both action and message. By identifying the most important things to you, you will spend your time and energy on what matters. This will make it easier to communicate to a potential employer, networking contact, or client who you are and what you are about.

Price Waterhouse Cooper's "Personal Brand Workbook" offers exercises to help define your strengths and values.

Your brand can only go as far as you push it. Choose strategies that you can sustain. They can be small or large scale but, just find ways to share.

You're meeting new people and working on new initiatives. Now comes the essential part: creating and sharing content. Think of it this way: People move. Projects end or are killed. If this happens, you may end up like I did early in my career, starting from scratch. Sure, you can update your resume and LinkedIn profile to reflect your work, but if you don't have content showcasing that work, no one will know what you actually did or what you actually stand for.

Block an hour or two at the very end of your day or week (or whenever is most convenient) to dedicate to content creation. An easy way to start is by reposting articles or news that align with your brand on social media channels like LinkedIn and Twitter. Don't just hit "retweet," though. Add your perspective when you post. Over time, you'll grow more comfortable putting your thoughts into words, and may even be inspired to produce your own think pieces, social posts, or videos on those topics.

Of course, creating original content will require more time and effort. But if your perspective is thoughtful, ethical, well-researched (backed by evidence), and fresh, people will respond. Your personal brand will grow, slowly, but organically. Be prepared for people to provide you with feedback — positive, negative, and critical. Just as you're able to share your thoughts freely, others will share theirs. From this feedback, aim to learn, get inspired, re-examine your perspective or ideas, think of new angles, and create something stronger the next time.

Identify your strengths.

Think about the characteristics and strengths that you've built during your career. Are you a thought leader? Volunteer? Expert at evidence-based practice? If you are stuck, think about that "one thing" that everyone remembers about you. It is essential to know your strengths off the top of your head so that you can talk about them. If it has been a while since you thought about it, ask a coworker or colleague. It is important to think about what impressions you are putting out there.

When we work for corporations, it's easy to get sucked into the culture and blend our identities with that of our organizations. I've always been very proud of my employers. I enjoy wearing corporate colors and using the company jargon. If this is also the case for you, how do you develop a personal brand that lives within that larger corporate identity?

You need to identify three things:

1) Your uniqueness. What unique perspective do you bring to the organization? Think about the vastness of your intersectional identity: your background, culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class, caste, religious beliefs, and so on. Considering these factors, ask yourself: How does my identity impact my understanding of the world and this business? What can I bring to the table that no one else can? Your differences are your superpowers.

2) Your values. What do you stand for? What problems — global, domestic, or at the community-level — concern you? In which causes do you believe? To get inspired, have a look at the UN Global Issues or PWC reports. Climate change, equality, health, human rights, disruption, sustainability — these are just a few examples of causes that may drive your actions or give you a sense of purpose at work.

3) Your contributions. Given your business experience or studies, what can you bring to the table in your industry? For example, perhaps you studied psychology and have insights into human behavior that allows you to offer valuable feedback to marketing teams. Maybe you're a UX designer who understands how to create more accessible products. Or maybe your talent is analytics, and you know how to tell data-driven stories about why a business strategy is or isn't working. Whatever your area of expertise, how do you use it to add value to your individual work, team, or field at large?

The combined result of these three elements make up your personal brand.

Now that you know the focus of your brand, you need to find ways to exercise it. Make it a part of your professional development goals. This way, it becomes a part of your regular workday.

Take a look at the projects your team is currently carrying out. Do any align with your personal brand? If so, raise your hand to participate. If you don't find what you're looking for dig deeper, and see what's happening at the organizational level. Big corporations often release annual reports around sustainability, DEI, workforce development, and other specialty areas. Read them, and connect with teams working on the issues that pique your interest.