5 Questions to Build a Standout Personal Brand

In today's competitive job market and professional landscape, building a strong personal brand is no longer optional—it's a strategic necessity.

Your personal brand is the unique combination of your skills, experiences, values, and reputation that sets you apart from others.

It's not just about self-promotion; it's about authentically showcasing who you are and what you bring to the table. A thoughtfully crafted personal brand can open doors, attract opportunities, and provide the foundation for a successful career journey.

If you don’t have one yet, now is the time to start thinking about your personal brand.

It will give you leverage and help you future proof your career.

How to build a standout personal brand?

Building a brand doesn’t mean being an influencer on social media. There are different ways to establish your authority inside or outside of your organization, but it starts with self discovery.

You need to do some digging to find out what you care about and what makes you unique.

Here are 5 questions that will help you define your brand:

1. Self discovery

Q: What is your vision for yourself? Who do you want to be?

Building a brand is an intentional process. Start by exploring how you want to be perceived.

2. Story

Q: How did you get here? What challenges have you overcome and what did you learn from them?

Your journey is what makes you special. You can’t build a standout personal brand if you are following the herd and trying to fit in. Embrace your origin story and everything that got you here. Use it as motivation and inspiration for the person you want to become.

3. Unique value proposition

Q: What unique intersections do you represent? Is there anything you’re known for doing better than everyone else?

The easiest way to be the best at something, is to be at the intersection of a few different skills. Instead of being the best marketer in the world, where the competition is fierce, you can be the best marketer with a technical background in the personal banking industry. The intersection of these skills or experiences are where your unique edge exists.

Don’t try to be like everyone else, create your unique value proposition.

4. What is your spikey point of view?

Q: What do you believe that other people don’t? How do you see your discipline or industry?

Fitting in means blending in. If you want a brand that stands out you need to stand for something. Hold a strong opinion or perspective that is a little different.

Part of my personal brand as a marketer was the belief there is no playbook. While every Mar-tech company claimed to have the”perfect playbook” I was very vocal about the idea that there was no recipe for good marketing. Every company, industry and product required a different playbook, but good marketers knew how to use the basic ingredients to make a tasty meal.

5. Positioning

Q: What do you want to be known for?

If you don’t build your brand and shape people’s perception, that doesn’t mean you’ll have a blank canvas. The default is not neutral. The default is whatever people want to think, and whatever perception they have of you.

To own the narrative, decide how you want to be perceived and what kind of impression you want to leave. Then, reverse engineer what actions are required to back up that claim.