Personal branding is that eternal quest for excellence and the search in our journey of life to unravel the true merit of character. It’s like a treasure hunt where you explore the inner depths of your character to discover the wealth of knowledge, wisdom, intelligence, charisma, panache, and other positive qualities that would have otherwise lain dormant. It is the sheer chutzpah to take charge of your own destiny and make the journey of life worthwhile.  

The first step in that process is introspection. First things first, make an inventory list of your positive qualities and figure out your high points or what you do best.  Basically identify your USP (Unique Selling proposition) that will define the exclusivity of your personal brand and make you stand out from the crowd. Competition is tough and there are millions of contenders like you out in the market who are vying for that one job, one order or one deal. 

After identifying your strong areas, what you need is effective communication of your personal brand. Communication is a major aspect in the process of Personal branding. All of us brag about our ‘excellent communication skill’ in our CVs. But the role communication does not end there. Communication includes a whole gamut of variants viz. Inter-personal communication, Group communication, Verbal and Non-verbal communication which includes body language, sign language, gestures, postures etc. 

All these are extremely crucial aspects which we tend to ignore but they play a very important role in judging an individual’s character. For e.g. if you are nervous during an interview, fidgety attitude, stooping shoulder, shifty eyes are some of the signs that will inadvertently expose your lack of confidence and create a negative impression in the minds of the recruiter. 

Also, with the online medium gaining ground as a major form of communication, personal branding would help brush up your social skills in the virtual space. If a potential recruiter comes across your personal blog or Facebook profile and spots the usage of unsavory comments, then you might be in a spot of bother! Without even meeting you, he would have made some preconceived notions about you. So, you need to be ultra-careful about all such elements that can create a dent in your personal brand. The different aspects of communication have different dynamics and an understanding of each of them will give you an edge over your competitors. 

But competition does not mean dishonesty, hypocrisy, resorting to malpractices, flouting norms and regulations or stooping to any levels to get your job accomplished. An integral part of the process of building your personal brand is your integrity and self-esteem.  Ethics, fair-play, sportsman spirit, self-righteousness, basically a strong value system forms the rock-solid foundation of a credible personal brand. 

So, have you started the journey of self-exploration?