Your Image and Your Career

image of mannequin in suit with the caption: your image and your career What does an employer want from you? Several things, actually, including a positive attitude, dependability, continuous learning, initiative, and co-operation. They also want you to be a part of the company brand.

What is Branding?

Simply put, branding is the entire image a business presents to the outside world. We expect branding to include things like company logo, slogan, and advertising, but today it goes further than that. Today branding also includes a company's employees. Think about this: a company employee, whether on the phone or in person, is often the first impression a customer gets of a company. An employee may also be the last impression a customer has of a company if the employee is rude or inept. Because of the impact an employee can have on company branding, the company should take several steps to help the employee represent their brand.

Market the company and its brand to prospective employees just the way you would to customers. This will insure that you will attract the kind of employee you need.
Be clear to your employees about the brand you are trying to portray and what you expect of them in representing the brand.
Make your brand a part of the company culture and represent it realistically.
Consistently remind all employees that they are a part of the brand.
Pay attention to those points in the company where there is interaction with a customer whether on the phone, in person, or online.

Achieving Your Personal Brand

When you represent a company's brand, you have to "walk the walk and talk the talk" not only in your professional life, but in your personal life as well. For some of us, that may mean doing extensive renovation on our personal image. Here are some tips on improving your brand image. The good news is that any changes you make to help your company's branding will likely help your personal brand also.

Clean Up Your Social Media Act - Employers watch for certain things in social media that can be harmful to their brand. Go through your social media sites and remove any provocative or inappropriate posts or pictures. Remove any content about drinking or using drugs. Make sure you haven't bad-mouthed or revealed confidential information about a previous employer. Check also for comments that could be construed as discriminatory as to race, gender, or religion and remove all foul language. Remember, however, that even after all of this you still might not be safe if someone has re-posted something that you said or did.

Dress for the Job You Want, not the One You Have - A well dressed and well groomed employee team always appears to be knowledgeable, organized, and professional. Well groomed employees tend to show improved performance which leads to higher salaries and promotions.

Brush Up on Etiquette - An employee who is appropriately dressed, well groomed, and has business etiquette savvy is more confident. Customers find confidence attractive.

You are on 24/7 - Remember you are representing your brand and your employer even when you are not at work. You could just as well meet clients in the grocery store as you can in the office, so pay attention to how you look and how you conduct yourself in those situations too.

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