Authenticity has become a rare and valuable commodity in an age where personal images are carefully curated and identities crafted for likes and follows. As we hunt for more career opportunities, we are tempted to present an idealized version of ourselves on resumes, LinkedIn, and other social media to increase our chances of success. The same can be said for when we engage online. It’s tempting to only share our best parts, our happiest moments, our greatest successes, while masking our vulnerability, authenticity, and everything else that makes us special.
The truth is that most people unwittingly become inauthentic due to their past experiences. Attempting to meet the expectations of parents and mentors, companies not being transparent about their policies, the rise in ghost job postings, and societal pressure are enough to predispose individuals to a lifestyle filled with alter egos.
Yet, while the reasoning may be justifiable, the reality can be frustrating, leaving us lonelier than we can imagine, all while trying to fit in. This is because when we try to be someone we’re not, we end up attracting opportunities and people to us who aren’t a match for what we truly want. Being the real you and letting your unique qualities shine through attracts the right people and opportunities for you, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling career.
What is an Authentic Personal Brand?
Personal branding is critical in today’s world, where online presence and personal connections play a crucial role in almost every facet of our lives. Our personal brand is a combination of our strengths, core values, skills, experiences, emotional intelligence, and even weaknesses that make us who we are. Personal branding involves crafting and presenting a unique and consistent image of oneself, especially in relation to the job market.
When you’re in a job search, it’s important to think of yourself, and more importantly, promote yourself as a brand. Your personal brand is a way of reflecting your personal and unique identity and distinguishing yourself from the competition. Authenticity is key here, so it’s imperative to establish a strong and positive reputation that aligns with your true self. Being authentic is a key way to advance your career and it fosters trust and credibility with co-workers and employers alike.
For instance, when there is an alignment between your portrayed competencies and actual abilities, you earn the respect of your colleagues. Generally, people are more likely to collaborate with you, support your goals, and even refer you to better career opportunities when there’s established trust and an authentic relationship.
Establishing An Authentic Personal Brand in The Workplace
The first step to establishing an authentic personal brand is identifying your unique value proposition. What are your passions? Your beliefs? Your strengths? Discover what makes you unique and use that to your advantage. After all, we are at our most confident when we are being our true selves. Allowing yourself to be who you were meant to be helps you synchronize your wants, needs, and purpose so you become valuable to those around you.
When curating an authentic personal brand, it should be consistent everywhere. There should be coherence between your external image and your internal values and character. Your messaging online should be congruent to your personal interactions at work and with your family and friends. This is how authenticity is built, by living your values and branding with intention.
Authenticity and professional growth are inseparable. However, it all starts with finding opportunities that align with your values and goals. When reaching out to a company, make sure their work culture, values, and other incentives excite you and align with your values. Since the environment feels supportive of who you are authentically, you will be more willing to show up as the authentic you while will in turn allow you to be more genuinely interested and fulfilled in your work, leading to greater work-life harmony and impact.
Why An Authentic Personal Brand Is Important
It differentiates you:
Having a degree is great, but how do you stand out in a marketplace crowded with qualified individuals like you? Research proves that 66% of employers rely heavily on insights from your online presence to make hiring decisions.
To get the edge over others, create a well-defined personal brand that sets you apart—one they won’t forget, and one that aligns with who you are in person. This creates trust and a memorable experience that only enhances your skills and qualifications.
It gives you credibility:
As you build your authentic personal brand, complete with your unique industry expertise and authority in your field, you build trust and credibility. Employers who see that you’re connected to or collaborated with respected industry leaders and follow your content closely are more likely to hire you when a position opens up.
What people say about you plays a big part in your brand, so make sure your authentic brand and positive reputation across your social media platforms aligns with who you are offline.
It leads to more opportunities:
Authentic personal branding helps you build more relationships. People are naturally drawn to those they perceive as genuine and relatable. By attracting like-minded individuals, you’ll build a strong network, leading to valuable collaborations, partnerships, and opportunities.
How to Curate a Successful & Authentic Personal Brand
Define your values and goals
Take some time to self-reflect in order to discover your expertise, skills, values, and other unique qualities. Take inventory of your past accomplishments to reveal where your strengths lie. What values resonate with you and become guiding principles? What projects or skills do you find you may be lacking? What experience has stood out to you to be critical in your current career path?
Doing this self-analysis lays the foundation for building your personal brand, helping you to get closer to who you truly are and what you want to communicate with the world online or when connecting with people.
Once you’ve defined what you’re great at and what makes you unique, define your goals and where you want to take your career.
Identify your target audiences
Gain clarity on who would benefit from working with you. This includes employers, potential partners, teammates, and industry influencers. Understanding your ideal audience will help you shape a brand messaging that resonates with them and select platforms where you establish an online presence.
When identifying target audiences, identify the need for specialists like you. Does your brand need a slight tweak to highlight a specific differentiator? What companies and industries could you excel in? This will help you define the types of people you will align with and the paths forward.
Be Original
When creating an authentic personal brand, originality is key. Think of career-defining moments that shaped your decisions, experiences, aspirations, and, overall, your journey so far. These experiences make up the unique path that has gotten you to where you are now, a path that no one else has walked.
Your thought leadership, online content, and interactions can come from the standpoint of this unique perspective and allow you to stand out from the crowd. Those that stand out and differentiate themselves tend to be more memorable to potential employers and clients.
Network to Find Your Opportunities
Networking, both online and offline, is pivotal to establishing a strong personal brand. Speaking with people at companies that seem ideal will give you the inside scoop as to whether the organization just talks the talk or if it walks the walk. Additionally, offering to speak at industry conferences or publish guest articles, can increase awareness of your expertise among new people and extend your brand to new circles.
Curating an authentic personal brand doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. In fact, perfection is quite the opposite of authentic as none of us are perfect. An authentic personal brand requires self-awareness to understand your weaknesses, strengths, motivations, priorities, values and make a conscious and consistent effort to communicate them effectively through your online presence, interactions, and career. When you stay true to yourself, you stand out, gain credibility and career advancement opportunities, allowing for a fulfilling career that’s aligned to who you truly are.