How to build your personal brand as a newcomer in Canada
Credit to Author: Margaret Jetelina| Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2019 20:37:50 +0000
Trying to establish your professional or business reputation in Canada? Himanshu Narang shows us how with two steps
One of the most powerful insights I developed after years of failing and optimizing in Canada is, “Your brand is to you as location is to real estate.”
Working on your personal brand as a professional or entrepreneur is the single most powerful thing you can do, toward your career growth.
Personal branding is a very broad topic and people have different perspectives on it. Here, I have condensed it down to two very simple and practical steps that you can use, starting today.
1. Defining your brand
Your brand message defines you. It is what you want people to think about you. The goal of the brand message is to position you effectively as a credible professional in your domain of work.
Your brand message intends to position you as somebody who people want to work with, somebody they can trust and somebody who is good at what they do. This positioning is critical for us immigrants, as it creates new opportunities and the right people open up to collaborating us.
Your brand message components include:
- Your WHY. Why do you do what you do? Why did you choose this specific profession? What do you love about it? What fulfills you about what you do? Why should somebody be interested in you? Why should they work with you?
- Your strengths/unique selling proposition. What is it that sets you apart from everybody else? What do people compliment you on? What do you think makes you effective?
Here are two examples of effective brand messages:
- For a data analyst: “The core of everything I’ve done in my career has revolved around bridging the gap between IT and business with the right data, so executives can make informed decisions and guide the business in the right direction. I’ve done this by leveraging my expertise in programming and analytics coupled with my strong leadership and collaboration skills.”
- For an operations manager: “The driving force behind what I do is my passion for setting up and managing business operations that deliver excellence, so that the business is efficient and profitable, through my skill set and training in engineering, team leadership and business management.”
2. Communicating your brand
Next is communicating it. There are three ways that you can communicate your brand.
The words you would use might vary depending on the scenario, but the core of the message would stay the same. Here are the three ways:
- Live it. Best communication is action. You need to live your brand on a daily basis, to assure people of your credibility and authenticity. Remember, people can easily detect if you are faking your brand message.
- Post it. There are different forums you can post your brand message in. These include your LinkedIn profile, website introduction and maybe even a condensed version in your email signature.
- Say it. Every day, you have the opportunity to communicate your brand in different conversations. When someone asks you: Tell me about yourself? How did you end up in this job? What have you done in your career so far? Even in a presentation you are delivering.
Defining your message and communicating your brand will differentiate you in the market, as most people don’t focus on it. As a result, you will gain more respect, you will open more opportunities and you will achieve high levels of excellence and growth in your career.