If you’re trying to grow your career, a great way to help accomplish that is by creating a personal brand on LinkedIn. (Whether you work in recruitment or not.)

The platform helps you open yourself up to more opportunities through networking with the right people while helping you showcase your skills in your area of expertise.

In this blog, we’ll cover why you need to create a personal brand on LinkedIn and how you can do it effectively too.

“Personal branding is how you distinctively market your uniqueness.” —Bernard Kelvin Clive

Where to begin?

The first step is to think about your personal brand values. These are the things that matter most to you and are the traits you want people to recognize you for. Once you've determined what matters most, come up with a few adjectives or phrases that describe who you are and what sets you apart from others. You'll build your profile from here, of course including all relevant experience and details where necessary.

Your personal brand is likely to evolve over time, as you learn more about yourself and what you can offer in various settings. But by taking an intentional approach from day one, you’ll start from a solid base and maximize your chances for success.

How building your personal brand can help your career

A personal brand opens up your world to so many more career opportunities that you would never have been exposed to with just your resume. Your personal brand helps you build your network with the right people in your industry. It can help you get hired for a job and of course achieve the professional success you want.

Building your personal brand takes time, but it's worth it because it can make all the difference in how you're perceived by others in your industry.

Ideally when people think about your industry, you want them to think about you too!

What makes a strong Personal Brand?

A strong personal brand is like a resume in the sense that it is about what you can do for an employer, your skills and your experience. It's also important to be authentic and show your personality. Above all, people need to know who you are and what you stand for. If someone takes the time to read your profile then they will know if they have any common interests with you or if they share similar values.

When they read your LinkedIn posts they can also find out a lot more about you. Especially if you're authentic in your approach, as you should be. People will feel comfortable getting to know you initially through your content, if they like it they will connect and who knows where it will go from there!

The importance of consistency

Consistency is key when it comes to building your personal brand. If you want recruiters, colleagues and potential employers to take you seriously, make sure that all of your social media accounts are up-to-date with accurate information. Also, please ensure your headshot is up to date! You want everyone to recognise you when they see you.

Your LinkedIn profile should include all relevant work history and your summary should accurately describe your current work situation and potential goals honestly.

Summary and next steps

A personal brand is the first impression people will see when they search for you. It opens up your world to so many more career opportunities that you would never have been exposed to with just your CV.

Your personal brand is essentially your ticket to networking with the right people, getting hired for a job, or just even being noticed in today's society.

However, please remember: Check your spelling and grammar on your profile!