Employees are “products” – if you don’t invest in your personal brand, you will fail in the marketplace
I've spent quite a bit of time working in and consulting for consumer products companies. These businesses invest a great deal of capital – both human and dollar based – into the brand equity of their products. They want to associate their drink or snack with a good time and happy memories. If they have a product that is languishing, they must be disciplined about either pulling it from the market (least it destroys the value of their other brands), or reinvesting to revive its brand equity.
As an ambitious, enthusiastic financial professional, you too need to be investing in your personal brand equity. Most modern employees are mobile and educated, happy to change jobs every few years to move onwards and upwards and keep their career on track. This is all made significantly easier in the digital age, with online portals for job searching and CV uploading.
Modern professionals are permanently in the spotlight, whether they like it or not. Their brand is always on the shelves, and they need to make sure it is a product that consumers want to buy. A spotlight highlights any strengths, but unfortunately it also wedges open any cracks.
If you are just starting your career, it is important that you launch your brand in the best possible way. If you are a new graduate, establish a reputation for being that person who gets in early, is impeccably dressed and is hungry for work. Be someone who completes 100 per cent of your tasks, and the value of your personal brand will rise.
Investing early generates the highest returns in any asset class, including your brand. After all, you will only get a few opportunities to meet the managing director for the first time, or present your first few pieces of work. A great deal of value can be created or destroyed in these moments.
If you start your career by always getting in a little bit later, not quite delivering on time, and not appearing as enthusiastic as the other “products” in the marketplace, you will find your sales plummeting, and you’ll quickly be pulled off the shelves.
We’ve just taken on a new batch of graduates at my firm. It’s surprisingly clear who will be promoted at the end of the first year, and who will be struggling to progress. First impressions count. The new grads are quickly sorted into the desired brands – those you want your own work to be associates with – and the not so desired ones.
If you find yourself unsure about whether or not your personal brand has equity, then it’s time to invest. Buy a few new shirts, put on a tie, get in 10 minutes earlier each day. Smile, look for work, and always think about how you could be adding value to your personal brand.
The writer is a financial services professional in Australia. The views expressed are his own and not those of eFinancialCareers.
