Personal Development How to Improve Your Personal Brand At Work

Personal Development How to Improve Your Personal Brand At Work Todays article is written by Kobie, a Classy Career Girl reader and writer of another great career blog ~  wannabe | employee. Kobie works in HR and lives in South Africa (which I think is really cool!) Welcome Kobie! How do your co-workers see you? What is the first thing that comes to mind when they talk about you? Every company has to decide what they would like their corporate brand to look/feel/sound like, why not try it on a personal level? While companies brand themselves using logos, business cards and advertisements, you can brand yourself by fine tuning  your behavior and appearance. Here are few factors to consider about your personal brand What does my outfit and style say about my personal brand?   First impressions go a long way, but after youve aced the interview, do you make a continuous  effort to show your colleagues that you take your role seriously by putting some thought into your everyday presentation? What is their impression of you? Positive: She always looks well put-together, He is so well-groomed or She never wears anything that would put the companys name in a bad light. Negative: When was the last time he had a shower?, Her low necklines always draw a lot of attention or He looks like he doesnt own a razor. [Related Post:  What To Wear To Work: The Top 5 Most Trendy and Affordable Stores] What does the way I speak say about my personal brand?   People pick up trends in the way you communicate very quickly. What are the things people will pick up in your communication after working with you for a while? Positive: He always keeps things relevant and to-the-point in meetings, She is always friendly or She knows how to express herself well. Negative: She is usually very negative, She is always the first one to spread a rumor or He is always criticizing people around him. What does your work ethic say about your personal brand?   Even if you are constantly pleasant and look  smashing in your professional wardrobe, if your work is sloppy or you are unreliable, you might as well kiss your personal brand goodbye. What are  you known for? Positive: Her work is always on time, You can always count on his accuracy or Her spreadsheets are always so neat. Negative: He tends to wait until the last minute to do what I ask of him, I always need to make corrections to her documents or His paperwork always has coffee stains all over them. [Related Post:  5 Ways to Ensure Your Attitude Isn’t Hindering Your Career] Thinking About Personal Brand The goal of this exercise is not to advertise ourselves as being without flaws, but instead to set aside a little time to evaluate the kind  of message you are sending on a regular basis, and see if there is room for improvement. Remember, your personal brand is often about the features people notice first. What  does your personal brand say about you?