Just because you love your job doesn’t mean you won’t have to change it someday. Maybe you like your current position, but the company is going through some restructuring and layoffs are on the horizon. Or maybe you’re ready for a career change entirely—a new industry or position that better aligns with your long-term goals or interests.

If this sounds familiar, don’t worry! You can create a personal brand that will attract the RIGHT employers and clients, and help you pivot if you ever want to.

What is your personal brand?

Personal branding is the act of presenting yourself as a brand. It’s about creating a unique identity that reflects your true self, so people can identify and connect with you.

Why is personal branding important? Because it helps you stand out from the crowd and makes it easier for others to recognize what you do or offer, which in turn makes it easier for them to hire or buy from you.

What is your personal brand? Think about these questions:

• What makes you different from others?
• What kind of things do you like doing?
• How would you describe yourself in three words or less?
• What do you believe in?
• What matters most in life?
• What do you want out of life?

Now, create content around those topics. This could include blog posts, videos, podcasts, TikToks, LinkedIn posts—depending on what type of career paths interest you. Also, take into consideration where your ideal clients would consume information. For example, I mainly create content on LinkedIn, because that’s where I want to create my client’s content, and that’s where my ideal clients will be.

Creating a personal brand statement

A personal brand statement is a clear, concise statement that defines your values, interests and goals. It may seem similar to your elevator pitch or resume summary, but it’s actually more than that. A personal brand statement should be something you can easily repeat in person or on paper at any time.

The best way to create a personal brand statement is by thinking about what aspects of yourself would be valuable in the workplace. These could include:

• Your personality traits
• Your skills and ability
• Your ideal clients/company

Your statement should capture the essence of your unique skills, values, and personality.

Your personal brand statement can help people see you as an authority in a specific area, so they’ll be more likely to seek out your advice or hire you for projects. You can also use it to refer back to when creating other marketing materials like social media bios and websites.

Ideas to get you started

Here are some prompts:

• Why did you pick the career you picked? Why are you passionate about it?
• If you’re an entrepreneur, share your journey about how and why you become one.
• Share a story about a time you failed. How did you react? How did you use it to better yourself?
• What type of employers/clients are you looking to work with? Share what values you want them to align with.
• What gets you out of bed in the morning? What are you most passionate about?
• What makes your days better? What makes you smile brighter?

As always, when creating your content, focus on storytelling.

You can build a personal brand that can help you pivot into another career if you need to.

Personal branding is a way you can distinguish yourself from other people in your field or industry who may have similar job titles and skill sets. It’s not just about how you describe your role, but also what kind of lifestyle you aspire to have and the projects that matter most to you professionally. Personal branding is more than just a resume—it’s about how you present yourself both online and off.

So if your personal brand aligns with the position for which you’d like to apply, it will help make sure that potential employers notice what sets you apart from other candidates. Personal branding is also invaluable in this regard because it gives potential employers or clients another dimension of who they might hire (and why), beyond their resumes—which often get quickly scanned before an interview takes place.

You are not just your “professional self.” In fact, creating a personal brand that encompasses who YOU are—beyond your work experience—can help you easily attract the right employers and clients, and it can help you pivot when you want to do something new.

Don’t create content only about what you do. Create content about WHO YOU ARE.

And don’t be afraid to be unapologetically yourself.