CAREER SPECIAL..Build your ‘personal brand’

The ability to sell one's ideas to others has become an invaluable trait in the professional world today.

Apart from the knowledge of a subject, this skill proves to be the most important factor in making one's proposals work. In the cut-throat competition haunting the workplaces today, selling oneself provides the much needed edge over other colleagues fishing in the same pond. Be it your superiors, your juniors or customers, the impression left behind by you on them decides whether they take you seriously or not, and whether they feel that you deserve success or not.
Ashish Bashin, chairman India and CEO South East Asia, Aegis Media, elaborates on the significance of this skill today, "Throughout our professional lives, we are always selling our thoughts, ideas and ourselves to not only our colleagues and bosses, but also clients and business associates. In today's world, where information is aplenty but time is short, how one puts across a thought or an idea is of paramount importance and very often, whether you are successful or not depends on your ability to be able to sell the same. Selling oneself includes not only the physical and outward appearance, but also the ability to convince other people about your extraordinary skills."
What are some of the setbacks that an employee may face while developing the skill of selling himself/herself? Bashin answers, "The biggest setback that an employee may face is the lack of self-confidence.  Most people have the ability, skills and knowledge, but they lack the requisite confidence. This lack of confidence may be due to previous experiences, background, the person's nature, stage fright, shyness, introversion, fear of speaking in front of a group of people, etc. All these are barriers that a person faces at some stage with varying degrees of severity. But the challenge lies in believing in you."
Whatever may be the problem, it is essential that an employee learns to overcome them. Manuel D'Souza, chief human resource officer, Intelenet Global Services, gives us tips to develop the ability to sell oneself,  "If we look at it from a bird's eye view, we'll realise that selling oneself is about ‘communicating' your work and having, developing and maintaining a personal brand. The mental tattoo that our persona and reputations create in people's minds is the essence of our personal brand.
Hence, every professional should strive to inculcate this skill, so as to always have the upper hand at the workplace.

- Palak Bhatia TASC 111129

Here are some tips that could help build a great ‘personal brand': Know yourself - know your strengths, weaknesses and differentiators; Maximise your strengths - be the jack of all trades, but master one; "Google" yourself - know and manage your online reputation; Ask for feedback – when in doubt, ask! Ask your parents, colleagues, superiors and friends for feedback on your achievements and respect their criticism; Be a connector - make sure people see you as the nucleus in every organisation you're helping to grow; Think big – dream big, act fast and smart; Never be content with things as they are. Be a lifelong learner; Define your own crowd - know your competitors, so that you can use your uniqueness to stand out.