Crafting a strong personal brand is extremely important for career growth, especially for those who have just entered the employment landscape or are planning to enter it soon.

It is one’s unique ability to market themselves that sets them apart from the competition and helps to attract better growth opportunities. This is probably why early career professionals must understand the importance of personal branding, how it works and how to smartly leverage it to grow consistently.

Why personal branding or self-branding is crucial for job growth and professional identity

Sekhar Garisa, CEO of foundit (formerly Monster APAC & ME), a job search platform, says personal branding is a strategic investment. It sets individuals apart by highlighting their distinct skills, strengths and experiences, and at the same time, makes it easier to build credibility and trust among prospective employers. In addition, a well-crafted personal brand can help individuals grab promotions, special projects and new job opportunities. Networking and relationship building, stark online presence and visibility, and better long-term career planning are a few other reasons why early career professionals must invest in self-branding.

Personal branding is like your professional thumbprint — it’s what makes you unique in a sea of candidates, says Hardeep Singh, President, Right Management India, the consulting arm of workforce solutions provider ManpowerGroup. In today’s job market, employers aren’t just looking for skills, but also for cultural fit and someone who stands out, he says.

Hence, it is personal branding that truly helps professionals differentiate themselves in job searches and opens doors for career advancement by aligning personal values with career goals.Challenges that can be addressed through personal branding According to Garisa, switching careers without a clear narrative can be challenging. Personal branding aids in crafting a consistent story that highlights transferable skills and showcases adaptability, making career transitions smoother. Similarly, those feeling stuck at work can devise innovative self-branding strategies to draw attention to one’s contribution and attract growth within the organisation.

In the current era of remote work, where the employment market is brimming with demand for remote work, he says individuals must focus on branding themselves to communicate their value across geographical boundaries. This will help them become more appealing to employers.

Singh says that getting noticed by employers is a huge challenge. However, through personal branding, you can cut through the noise and make a memorable impression. Putting yourself out there and showcasing your capabilities can also help connect with industry leaders, who can further become a source of innumerable advancement opportunities.

How AI is revolutionising personal branding

The incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) in personal banding ensures greater efficiency and relevance, opines Garisa. For the purpose of consistent content scheduling and posting, AI-powered tools can schedule posts and recommend content for sharing, and also offer insights into how the audience perceives an individual’s brand. Another crucial area of personal branding where AI lends incredible help is skill gap analysis and development. AI tools can assess an individual’s current skill set, identify gaps and create well-customised learning paths for skill enhancement.

It also has the capability to simulate interview scenarios, provide constructive feedback, analyse interview performance data, provide personalised job recommendations, streamline the job search process, and analyse the personal branding strategies of industry leaders for individuals to refine their strategies, he adds.

AI is a game changer for personal branding, says Singh. It can optimise your online presence, create personalised content, deliver valuable insights, expand your reach and tailor your message to specific groups.

Sure-shot ways to ace your self-branding game

Both the experts recommend a few tips to help individuals generate an impactful personal brand. To begin with, they advise individuals to define the aspects that make them an unbeatable brand — strengths, skills, qualities, values and goals. Next, craft a compelling narrative to convey the challenges and achievements that have shaped your professional journey. This will make it easier for the employers to engage with you.

It goes without saying that building a strong online presence is extremely important, say the experts. Using platforms like LinkedIn to share your story, posting content that resonates with your ideas and opinions or the way you want to project yourself, subscribing to various networks to build meaningful connections, and actively participating in conversations can help you stand strong in the crowd.

Similarly, investing in continuous learning and pursuing relevant workshops, courses, and programmes can convey your dedication to growth and development, which of course can level up your personal branding game.

Lastly, they suggest seeking mentorship to grow and improve. Connecting with mentors offers valuable insights into industry trends and guidance on how to plan your career journey. It also helps receive authentic feedback, which can further result in crafting strong personal branding strategies and improvement plans.