November 2022 www.womanthismonth.com 92 BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BRAND NOW! One of the key messages I’m keen on conveying to my mentees of young professionals is to start building their personal brand early on. According to Personalbrand.com, “Personal branding is the conscious and intentional effort to create and influence public perception of an individual by positioning them as an authority in their industry, elevating their credibility, and differentiating themselves from the competition, to ultimately advance their career, widen their circle of influence, and have a larger impact.” In simpler words, your personal brand is the way you define yourself to the public. It’s how you express what you stand for, it’s the approach you’re adopting to influence people and make your voice heard. Needless to say that the exponential explosion of Social Media (SM) contributed in one way or another in strengthening and accelerating the process of building personal brands – be it positive or negative. However, just to clarify, building your personal brand is not equivalent to being famous on SM – though it’s powerful, it’s just a tool/mean. In fact, it’s quite easy to become famous on SM in absolutely no time; the simplest way is to be awkward and provocative, doing awkward deeds and saying awkward words! Eman Deabil Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP) and Accredited Chartered Manager (CMI) is a regular contributor to Woman This Month and has written invaluable articles including ‘Women’s Path to The Boardroom’. This month, Eman shares her insights on the importance of building a personal brand for young professionals, and shares her three essential steps for getting started. LIFESTYLE | opinion
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