Your Personal vs. Professional Brand

 Written By: Sandi MacCalla, Founder - LifeSkills Academy ~ 8/19/2024

What is a personal brand versus a professional brand and why do you need them? There is an important difference between them:

1. Personal Brand:
   • Definition: This is the unique combination of skills, experiences, and personality you present to the world. It encompasses who you are, what you stand for, your values, and your passions. It includes both professional and personal aspects of your life (travel, interests, and personal stories).
     
     
   • Examples: Social media posts about your life events, blogs you're passionate about, personal achievements, et al.
     
     
2. Professional Brand:
   • Definition: A professional brand focuses specifically on your work, professional skills, and career. It highlights your expertise, accomplishments, and professional values.
     
     
   • Examples: LinkedIn profile, a professional website, resume, portfolio, and work-related social media updates.

In essence, a professional brand is a subset of your personal brand. A personal brand is more holistic, encompassing your entire identity, while your professional brand zeroes in on your career and professional life only.

With the daily demands of our time, energy, and resources, it is easy to overlook ways to define ourselves, and where we stand in the flow.

Following are curated resources to help reveal your distinct brand, how to delineate these two categories, why create them, and what to give your clear attention.

Personal Brand Resources

• Personal Branding: What It Is and Why It Matters (hbs.edu)
  
  
• Nine Common Mistakes People Make When Building Their Personal Brand (forbes.com)

Professional Brand Resources

• Building a brand — a step-by-step guide (adobe.com)
  
  
• 8 Common Branding Mistakes to Avoid: A Guide | DesignRush

Through the help and challenge of technology, it has become important to let your audiences (all of them) know who you are before we even connect. As has been poignantly said:

“Personal branding is about managing your name — even if you don’t own a business — in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records.

Going on a date? Chances are that your “blind” date has Googled your name.

Going to a job interview? Ditto.” – Tim Ferriss

LifeSkills Academy educators are professionals, some with academic backgrounds, and all have proven success in the world of commerce. We feature online learning in:

• Etiquette/Social Intelligence
• Financial Skills
• Adulting Practices

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