As we get ready to turn the page on another calendar year, you may be thinking about (or even planning) for your retirement or separation from the military. Maybe you’re 90 days out; perhaps it’s a couple of years. Wherever you are in your separation plans, now is the time to turn your attention to how your personal brand will support your transition and future career.
What Is a Personal Brand?
Your personal brand is how you’re known: It’s the culmination of how you act and communicate, and the relationships you hold. The people you interact with (online and in person) form perceptions around you that drive how they feel about you, the opportunities they want to offer you and whether they see you as valuable.
As a personal branding professional for 20+ years, my experience tells me that everyone has a personal brand, whether they’re focused on it or not. While your focus has been on your military duty, you have been building your reputation and brand, even if you’re not paying attention to doing so.
Why Does Your Personal Brand Matter?
If people can perceive you incorrectly and then withhold an opportunity (think new job, promotion, client introduction), then you can see the power of personal branding. When managed correctly, your personal brand puts you in the driver’s seat of how others see you. It gives you that sense of control often missing in career plans.
When your personal brand is clear, confident and consistent, the people you seek to influence will understand who you are, how they can help you and will be inclined to support your career goals. They will want to bring ideal opportunities and situations to you.
How Does Personal Branding Work?
Personal branding is a very inside-out process. It starts with truly understanding your values, principles and goals: What do you stand for, believe and hold dear? Your values drive your choices and behaviors, and when we understand which ones are most important to us, we can then communicate them to those around us, earning us credibility and trust for them.
Next, think about where you want to go: What is the brand you’d like to be known for, and how do you want to be known? By thinking about the future -- to your ideal end state of identity -- you can craft your legacy and reputation. You don’t have to have a granular level of detail, but you should have a picture in your mind of how you’d like others to see you and what they should feel about who you are.
Then, identify your people -- your target audience. Not everyone’s perception of you matters equally. Some matter more. For example, your boss should perceive you correctly, but a guy you pass on the street might not have any bearing on your future. Think about what your target audience needs, cares about and how you can serve them.
Use Your Personal Brand
With those elements understood about yourself, then you can go and market yourself. This is the part most veterans find uncomfortable! Self-promotion is highly valuable in the civilian world because this is where you control the narrative around who you are, what you can offer and who should find you relevant and valuable.
Personal branding is not a “check the box” process. It’s a fluid, growth-oriented strategy that helps you clarify where you are, where you’re going and how best to get there. Ready to get going? Learn more about how to build and grow your personal brand and career here.
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