The importance of a brand’s value is something already widely recognized in the business world. Looking at the number of existing products and companies, the brand may be that one factor that differentiates them from its competitors, thus having a real impact on consumers’ decisions. Just consider, for one moment, how much are worth some of the most valuable brands in the world like Apple, Google, or Coca-Cola.

Anabela Possidónio, Director at The Lisbon MBA

This same rational also applies when talking about human capital. In today’s global competitive market, more and more people turn out to have very similar skills and expertise. This means experience and technical training alone aren’t enough for one to be able to achieve professional success.

It is, therefore, necessary to find out what makes us distinctive from others and learn how we can and must communicate it. This means we must define, develop, communicate and maintain a “personal brand”! To this, four essential steps should be followed:

1 – Set your brand. You may think that building a brand is about showing others how good we are. If that is the case, think again! It’s rather about finding out who we are, what we do best and how we can communicate these distinctive traits. As such, the first step is self-knowledge exercise. It would be useful to ask ourselves some simple questions: How do others see me? What am I known for? What are my key assets and why are they unique? In short: “What do I stand for?”

2 – Develop your brand. Have a think about what you should change or improve. More specifically, you may consider aspects such as your social skills, your ability to work with technology or to analyze data, your creativity, or ability to work with given equipments and materials.

3 – Communicate your brand. Nowadays, physical elements, such as a CV, cover letters or job interviews are not enough. Communication goes far beyond that, not only during informal networking events and meetings with potential employers, but also in terms of online presence. It is a regular procedure for employers to research information about potential candidates on the Internet before any hiring decision. In any of this interaction moment you should have in mind the seven Communication Cs: you should be clear, concise, concrete, correct, consistent, complete, and courteous.

4 – Maintain your brand. Building a brand is not a process that can be done in a few days; rather it is something that lasts a lifetime. Stay tuned to the market and affirm yourself in it. Establish your personal signature and make it a professional one. Be careful to add value not only for yourself but also for others. And finally, do not neglect the process of development and training. It is important to continue to enhance your brand and to update it through training, workshops or postgraduations.

Not only will a positive personal brand make you stand out from the crowd, but it can also be a confidence boost and help you achieve your goals and get your dream job.