Crafting A Personal Branding Statement

Think of your favourite company’s tagline. Or that catchy value proposition which encompasses what a company does and is still easy to understand and remember. That is a branding statement. A personal brandings statement is basically a value proposition which communicates what you bring to the table, or what your strengths are.

A succinct personal branding statement enables any person who has not met you to get a glimpse of what you can do. Crafting a perfect statement is much like coming up with a company’s brand statement, only that this takes a personal approach. While coming up with a personal statement, here is what to consider;

1. Determine What Personal Attributes Define You

The first step is to understand what adjectives best describe you. They include things like a team player, problem solver, flexible, diplomatic, and ethical. These adjectives should align to the kind of person you are and how you behave in the working environment. Use the most accurate adjectives, which relate to your personality. Choose one or two adjectives, don’t overdo it.

2. Identify Your Passion

Be clear about what fascinates you, challenges you, or excites you. They should converge with things that you can do at work. Your passion lets the person reading your statement know what kind of work would best fit you within the organization, or what kind of duties and responsibilities will help you be the most productive person in the company. This is often what makes you unique, as your passion is not something that the next person will necessarily be passionate about.

3. What is Unique About You?

Each company prides itself in having an ability to do something better than everyone else. For example, Safaricom prides itself in having the widest network coverage. What can you do better than the next person? It should be something unique but adds value to the company that you are trying to get a job in. For example, you may have the unique ability to sell an idea to top management. Make sure, it is something that you can also demonstrate. Remember, every person applying for a job has the same basic skills. Even if you are starting a business, there will always be someone else in the same business. So, go beyond what can be found in anyone.

4. Highlight Your Goals

To tie the personal branding statement into a succinct one, highlight what you aim for, professionally of course. Think about how these goals tie to those of the job you are looking for. Your goals anchor you in the position you are applying for and having a common purpose with your employer makes it easy for you to align yourself properly and achieve your target with ease. Additionally, how will these goals help you in making a difference within the organisation? Better yet, do they show something unique about you?

5. Let it be Clear and Precise

While all this may seem overwhelming, make sure it is not an entire paragraph because no one has the time to read through it. Make it short and concise. Something that a person can quickly scan through and tell what you are all about.

Example:

A disciplined designer with a passion for all things that the mind can imagine. I bring to life the most complex ideas in the simplest way, using every available tool at my disposal. My laid-back nature brings life to the workplace and my sense of humour gels even the most diverse team together.

Bottom line

At the end of the day, a personal branding statement should sell you before a person even reads through your CV. It should be as brief but detailed as possible. Keep it succinct.