What Is Personal Branding How To Build Your Personal Brand and Why You Need One - Your Career Intel

What Is Personal Branding How To Build Your Personal Brand and Why You Need One - Your Career IntelBeyonc. George Lucas. Justin Timberlake. The list of celebrities whose names evoke distinct and memorable brands goes on. But you dont need a star on Hollywood Boulevard to create your own brand. In fact, whether you know it or not, you already have a personal brand. So its a good idea to be deliberate about the brand that you are building.What Is a Personal Brand?Lets back up for a second. What is a personal brand? Put very simply, someones personal brand is his or her reputation. Think about your work colleagues. You know who you can count on in a pinch, whos going to leave you in the lurch on a team project and who has the best snacks in their desk for that 3 p.m. blood sugar dip. And they have a pretty good idea of what makes you unique, too.So think of your personal brand as your M.O.the style and characteristics that are specific to you and you alone, and give some thought to what you want to be known for.How to Build a Personal BrandIt can be daunting to imagine yourself as a brandyou are not a Kardashian after all. But thankfully, there are lots of tips and tricks out there to help you focus on who you are and what you want to be known for. Here are some steps to get you startedBe honest with yourself. Your brand can be aspirational, but it shouldnt be out of touch with who you really are. Nobodys perfect, so dont be too hard on yourself if youre not a rocket scientist, a three-time gold medalist or fluent in French. This is about building a brand that celebrates your strengths. Think about why you do what you do, what you do better than others, your core values and passions, things people compliment you on frequently. These can all be important parts of your brand.Put pen to paper. After giving some thought to who you are and what sets you apart in the crowd, write it down. You can even find workbooks, like this one, that will help you zero in on just wha t makes you unique. Writing something down to refer back to will help you stay focused on what brand youre building.Walk the walk. Once youve identified your brand, its time to live it. People who are really committed to their personal brand regularly act and speak in ways that reinforce that brand. Youd never catch Paul McCartney, a famous vegetarian and PETA supporter, sporting a fur coat while snacking on a Big Mac. This is another reason its important to hone a brand you can be comfortable with. Everything from your choice of clothing to your Instagram profile can reinforce the brand youre cultivating.Why is Personal Branding Important?So why is personal branding so important? Just ask Taylor Swift. When her reputation was famously damaged by a feud with Kanye West, she had to reinvent herself, crafting a more mature brand and owning up to perceived mistakes in her own way.In fact, when you think of athletes, business leaders or even celebrities, the ones that are fruchtwein mem orable might not necessarily be the most talented, but they probably are individuals who have invested time and energy to creating a brand.Developing a personal brand shouldnt feel like creating a phony persona. Done right, though, it can help you get focused about your personal and professional development, and if you are precise about the brand youre building, it can help you rise to the top when it comes to being a memorable player in your chosen field.Looking for a few more tips to bring your personal brand to life in interviews and on your resume? Check out our piece Your Personal Brand in 280 Characters or Less. If you want to share your thoughts on memorable leader brands or your very own brand, please comment below.

Why the Equity Gap May Be Way Worse for You than the Pay Gap

Why the Equity Gap May Be Way Worse for You than the Pay Gap Its no secret that Silicon Valley has a lot of gender disparities women are underrepresented and underpaid. But new research finds a perhaps even more diregap than the pay gapwhen it comes to wealth a gap in equity packages.Ablog deutsche post ag in Marchfrom the Angels, six women who took on angel investing as a sideline after meeting at Twitter Inc., prompted the study by equity management platform Carta. The post delineates the ways in which people can actually start companies and invest in others and that largely has to do withgood equity packages, which disproportionately go to men.This isnt just about wealth creation, says Chloe Sladden, the Angel who formerly oversaw Twitters media partnerships. This is about the ability to influence Silicon Valley, the products, and the people who, more and more, are shaping the world.While equity in a risky startup typically ends up worth zero, when a startup goes public or gets bought, that equity can end up being worth far more than whats written on ones paychecks. But, according to the research,which looked at data from almost 180,000 employees at more than 6,000 companies, womenhold only 47 cents for every dollar of equity men do.This means that women hold only 20 percent of employee equity, though they make up 35 percent of equity-holding employees.The Carta study also found that women make up 43 percent of employees at companies with more than 400 people on average, but they only comprise29 percent of employees at companies with 10 people or fewerwhich means that theyre already underrepresented in startup culture.Research suggests that the gender imbalance fuels a systematical bias against female entrepreneurs. According to a2016 report from CrunchBase, which examined the gender dynamics at top venture capital firms and how their money is distributed, only a mere seven percent of VC partners are women. Companies pitched by men were about 40 percent mo re likely to receive funding than those led by women.While female founders tend to hire more women (they make up 13 percent of founders), they are far less likely to get funding (they hold only six percent of founder equity).While venture capitalists invested more than $58 billion in startups last year, for example, women only got two percent of that money, according to a study published in the Harvard Business Review.But a good equity package can ersatzdarsteller or even triple ones earnings.During the salary negotiation process, equity (including when additional grants of stock are used as bonuses) adds another layer to the conversation. Its information asymmetry squared, Mary Russell, a lawyer in Palo Alto, California, who helps workers negotiate compensation, told Bloomberg. You have to have the confidence to put the responsibility on the company to give you enough information.That women only make, on average, 80 cents for every dollar a man, is dwarfed by the potential wealth g ap a lack of equity can create. Because women receive fewer investments and less equity, it can leadto less money for them in the long run.A wealth of research shows that women already do ask for raises just as much as men, and theyre just not given them. This research suggests that women ask for better equity packages, too.--AnnaMarie Houlis is a multimedia journalist and an adventure aficionado with a keen cultural curiosity and an affinity for solo travel. Shes an editor by day and a travel blogger at HerReport.org by night.