How to Make Your Mark in the Office with Personal Branding

Consider that most people want to interact with people they like. Therefore to succeed in your career, it's critical to establish strong personal and professional relationships. One way of building relationships is through personal branding.

But what is personal branding? I believe it covers three areas...

1. Personality - communicating the inner essence of you - your uniqueness, qualities, strengths, skills and passions

2. Package - your visual communication. How you appear through dress and personal presence

3. Promotion - building recognition and reputation

Before you set off on the path of building your career it's a good idea to really think about who you are - work out what your stand for. As an executive or manager at work, you are an integral part of the team. But wouldn't it be a good idea if you really matched the CEO's you work with to your own personal style. How can you do this?

Do a personal audit to determine your values and vision, your strengths, look at your goals. Does your vision align with that of your company? Do you need to acquire new skills to contribute more value? By understanding your values, life and work skills and how to apply them to your role, you will have a strong foundation for exhilarating work.

Consider also that YOU are a package. What does your package look like? How are your design, colour and look? What message does your personal image send? Your clothes, appearance and grooming are the external image of your brand.

At the office, every email, voice mail or phone call you make creates impressions that build your business brand. In person how you shake hands, make eye contact and how you conduct yourself in social situations all go toward your personal brand. You need to take care of the details. High standards of personal presentation and presence will help you stand out as a well regarded employee.

Some organisations have a uniform that reflects the company brand and image, but even if your company does not, there is definitely an underlying code of dressing particularly in a business environment which is smart, polished and professional. By understanding the brand qualities you want to project with the work you do, you can create a look that is suitable, creative and stylish to help make your mark.

Write down some adjectives of the type of person or brand you would like to be or project. Think of yourself as the product you are designing a package for. Cut out and collect some words, images and colours from magazines. Cut out images of clothes and shapes that appeal to you and reflect the words you have chosen for yourself. Create a brand portfolio of ideas and visual examples. As you do this exercise you will begin to discover your style and what appeals to you. This is your logo - your own personal brand.

Time now to think about how to promote yourself - get noticed. First and foremost we need to be good at what we do. But what else can give us that extra edge?

Volunteer to help or organise a special event such as lunch or after work drinks to help build relationships with colleagues. Network either formally through business or industry associations or informally by meeting someone face to face. Have lunch with colleagues in the canteen or meet for coffee rather than email all the time. It is important to network and get to know our peers. Send thank you notes or items of interest internally or perhaps to suppliers that have gone out of their way to help you.

Being actively involved in your work community will help you make an impression and build those all important relationships to ensure your career success.