Once upon a time branding was a term used solely to refer to businesses and products.
Nowadays branding has taken on a far more varied meaning. Whether you know it or not, you are the owner of a personal brand. A personal brand encompasses who you are – both online and in the flesh – and involves your reputation and how others perceive you.
Your personal brand can become a powerful tool.
A good personal brand can mean the difference between getting that interview or promotion. It’s your personal story – how you stand out from your competitors. How are you presenting yourself and how does your target audience perceive you? Are you sending a consistent message? Are your clothes, social media profiles, CV, and body language sending the right message? Now, I know what you’re thinking – this seems like a lot of effort.
But, not to fear – creating your personal brand doesn’t have to be a burden. In fact it can actually be a lot of fun.
If you are a bookworm like me, you’ve probably heard the term archetype before. For the rest of you, don’t worry it’s a pretty simple concept – an archetype is a mould by which other characters are modelled. Take for example the damsel in distress, always having to be rescued by a hero – or the evil genius, whose main goal in life is to seek revenge. These are examples of classic archetypes around which many stories are based.
However, we’re not encouraging you to go out and don a cape or tiara – that probably wouldn’t work out too well in an interview.
But there are far less dramatic archetypes around which to base your story’s foundation. Traditionally, there are twelve main archetypes used for personal branding:
- The Innocent – Optimistic, supportive, collaborative.
- The Everyman –Down-to-earth, relaxed, genuine
- The Hero – Hard working, confident, resourceful.
- The Nurturer – Compassionate, generous, and loyal.
- The Explorer – Bold, courageous, and innovative.
- The Rebel – Non-conformist, bold, resilient.
- The Lover – Passionate, considerate, proactive.
- The Creator – Imaginative, creative, perfectionist.
- The Jester – fun, charismatic, energetic.
- The Thinker/Sage – Complex, interesting, balanced.
- The Magician – Confident, unique, creative.
- The Leader – Determined, calm, practical.
There are many different variations of these archetypes out there online – if you’re motivated enough to look – however, if you want a simple straightforward version, Curtin Challenge offers an online personal branding module that aims to help you discover your perfect archetype.
And, if you take the quiz and find that you resonate or are drawn to one or two particular archetypes, you may discover something about yourself that you were previously unaware of. Hidden within may be clues about your key strengths and weaknesses – your motivations and passions.
In the 21st century landscape of social media networking, and increased competitiveness, personal branding is key to standing out from the crowd.
And hey, life’s a lot more interesting when you’re part of a story.
