Alexis Senge JohnsonOnce you’ve figured out your secret sauce (who you are) and your bun (physical impression), you can start working on pulling it all together with your toppings (brand alignment) and write your jingle (brand statement). What is the value proposition that you’re offering to the world? Now that might seem like a lot to sum up about yourself all into a neat little spiel, but if products can manage to sell us on their items in 15 to 30-second ads then we can surely do the same for ourselves. What’s the chance you were born before 1990 and remember the jingle for the Whopper? I can still recite it to this day, so clearly that was memorable!
I’ve been with you for three posts Alexis, but why am I going through all this hard work? I’m so glad you asked. In most interviews or possible future employment situations, the first question is usually something along the lines of, “tell me a little about yourself.” Instead of panicking on the spot, or launching into some long-winded explanation that starts with you being born on a dark and stormy night, you could be prepared with a statement about the value you bring that makes you stand out from others. Consider this as your personal elevator pitch.
You know those movie-worthy situations where the elevator doors are shutting and someone only has that one shot to quickly say something that’s incredibly imperative to the plot? It’s a very Hallmark worthy moment usually. That’s what we’re talking about. Your elevator pitch should be between 10-15 seconds and, in theory, you should be able to say it confidently and effortlessly to someone as those doors are closing. When you have this little piece of magic already in your mind and ready to be used at a moment’s notice, you’ll never have to panic when asked to tell someone a little about yourself again.
Now that you have formed your personal brand and have your elevator pitch standing by, the last step is the ensure that your in-person and online presence are all aligned. Especially as we continue to be in a heavy digital world in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, your online profiles need to demonstrate the same professional presence that you’d want to be able to show if you were able to attend interviews in person. Ask those you trust to give you feedback on what they see online and how they would feel about it if they were a hiring manager.
Consider this, if I was a hiring manager and I Googled you what would I find? Are all your social media profiles public, private, or a mixture of those two? Are there items you wouldn’t want a potential employer to find? If so then that raises a more important question about whether those items you wouldn’t want to be seen go against your current personal brand and if they should be removed for all human consumption in the digital sphere.
Don’t forget that you can adjust or even reinvent your personal brand as you grow through your career. Your skills, experience, and value proposition change over time so it’s natural that you would grow and evolve as well. In a couple of years, take the time to sit back and walk through the exercise again. Some answers will likely be the same, such as those related to your deep-seeded values, and others will probably have changed because of your experiences over time. It will be the perfect time to craft an updated elevator pitch for your personal brand so you’re once again ready for any opportunities that might come your way.
While each of these steps takes time, I can assure you that it will be worth your while in the end when you find yourself right where you wanted your career to take you. I wish you luck on your professional adventures ahead and would love to hear more about your personal brand once you’ve developed it, so never hesitate to reach out and let me know how the process went for you.
