Personal branding and soft skills

Many of the hiring managers I have spoken with over the years have mentioned that soft skills are a key part of the ideal candidate. In this section, we will discuss how personal branding and soft skills can help you achieve your goals. Your personal brand can help you develop more confidence, provide better job security, and increase your earnings over your career. When I developed my personal brand years ago, I went from living paycheck to paycheck to having financial freedom.

Personal branding

"Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun" was a commercial jingle from McDonald's in the 1970s. I first heard it years later and I still remember it now.

That's the power of proper branding.

You are a brand, and you have value. Your personal brand brings value to any organization and helps them make more money.

Let me ask you a question. If you work hard for your brand and a company makes more money because of your brand, wouldn't it make sense for you to earn more money as well? Hopefully, you answered yes.

There are many books on personal branding and many ways to build your personal brand. I typically would tell you to focus on LinkedIn and show what you know through videos/screen recordings, posts, or articles/whitepapers.

Your personal brand can help you get jobs.

Imagine the no spray and pray resume and job application approach—no we have a few more candidates to interview type of stuff and no real pushback on the salary you want. All of this is made possible by your personal brand.

Soft skills

You might hear of many companies that advertise they need people with soft skills. Some of the key soft skills I think someone needs to have are the ability to communicate effectively across different stakeholders, the ability to work in a team, and customer service skills.