Whether you are looking for a new job, or you want to cement your current role by proving your value to the company you work for, then how you sell yourself is of significant importance. You need to create your own brand, and doing so successfully can have a telling effect on your future employment history.

Your company cannot do without you!

You need to get yourself noticed. This does not involve dressing in outlandish clothing, shaving your head or constantly cracking risqué jokes. You need to continually drive yourself to learn more and to acquire more useful skills. You also need to maintain a courteous and professional attitude. Learn all you can about your business, and establish and build networks. You’ll soon prove yourself to be invaluable.

Actions, not words

It’s all very well ‘talking the talk’, but it’s far more important that you demonstrate your abilities on a regular basis. Your advancement and remuneration depends upon your abilities and the way that you put them to use. Identify your strengths and use them for the benefit of your team. It you find you are good at motivating people, then motivate them. Your competencies, and examples of how you show them will hold you in good stead if you choose to take your talents elsewhere.

Don’t sit still

It’s very easy to become settled into a comfortable groove when you have regular employment. Unfortunately, the part of any engine that simply ‘does its job without causing any problems’ is also the part that tends to be taken for granted. To get yourself noticed you do not have to put on a huge song and dance number. Just ask to be involved in new projects, and offer to take the lead in any new initiates that arise.

Because a cog in your industry

There are probably hundreds – if not thousands – of people who perform exactly the same function that you yourself fill. How do you then get noticed? This is a two-fold process – first, you have to be very good at what you do, and second, you have to make sure people notice this. Do your research and find out who to impress. Join appropriate social networks and forums, and contribute. Attend social events and conferences. You never know what you might uncover that will be of use, and who you might ended up networking with.

Believe in your brand

No one is going to believe in ‘you’ as a brand if you don’t. Be confident, and be proactive. It can be easy to become despondent if your boss constantly ignores your successes, but there is also the option of exploring other roles with other departments or companies. Just because one person does not appreciate your talents, it does not mean that no one else will.

Building your brand takes time and it is not something you will be able to achieve overnight. Decide where you want to go, and how you want to get there.

Now, the hard work begins …