Whether you know it or not, you have an online personal brand.
As someone who works for yourself or a company, it is crucial you are aware of your personal brand and that you invest time in developing your brand.
Why?
Because before doing business with you, potential clients or employers will research you and make decisions whether or not to consider you based on what they find online.
When Karl worked managing a team of recruiters in for a multi-billion dollar company, each recruiter had a paid LinkedIn account provided by the company so that they could see anyone’s LinkedIn profile (whether they were a connection or not) and get data on people who had applied for jobs. Since each open position received more applicants than the number of interview slots available, LinkedIn profiles were used as criteria to narrow down which applicants would get an invite.
This is just an example of how your online presence affects your opportunities in ways you may not be aware of.
In this Forbes article, you can read about 15 Practical Steps To Start Building A Positive Personal Brand Online. My advice (#7) speaks to the importance of getting clarity about your specific value to the market by communicating what your personal zone of genius is.
Instead of relying on overused language to describe yourself (team-player, influencer, etc.), get crystal clear about the one, two, or three things you are fantastic at and clearly and consistently communicate that throughout your online brand. Doing so will help establish your brand’s consistency and credibility online.