Being outstanding at your work isn’t necessarily enough to stand out in today’s accountancy and finance roles. Instead of simply doing an exceptional job as a mid-level accountant and finance professional, you should give some consideration to your personal brand. Especially if you are looking for a promotion, exploring other career options, and generally succeeding in your career. I like Jeff Bezos’s definition of personal brand being “what others say about you when you’re not in the room.”. Determining what you want people to say about you and then taking consistent actions to support this is critical.
We start this article by discussing the importance of personal branding before outlining 8 actionable ways you can be known for your personal brand.
Why Your Personal Brand is a Great Tool for Your Career Success
Technical proficiency is frequently considered a given within finance roles and will rarely allow you to stand out. What can set you apart is your personal brand. It’s important to express your knowledge, establish connections, and establish yourself as a reliable professional in addition to your finance knowledge. Gaining a leadership position, changing careers, or becoming the authority in your field are just a few of the opportunities that can arise from having a strong personal brand. It’s your opportunity to communicate your distinct vision, values, and strengths in a way that managers, coworkers, and other stakeholders will find compelling. You can find out more about how building a great personal brand impacts your career from our post here.
How Your Personal Brand Can Open Doors You Didn’t Even Know Existed
Like a master key, your personal brand has the power to open doors along your career path that you were maybe unaware of. It’s natural for mid-level accountants and finance professionals to become mired in their daily jobs, but having a strong personal brand can help you to be discovered for new opportunities. Imagine getting contacted for a role you’re interested in because someone saw your expertise on LinkedIn or getting approached for an ideal position in your workplace because your managers observed your thought leadership. Your personal brand is also about where you could be, not just where you are right now. More than just another finance professional, you become a respected voice in your industry by demonstrating your special abilities, principles, and vision. Read more about how personal branding helps you succeed in your career in our article here.
8 Ways to Become Known for Your Personal Brand.
Identify what you want to be known for
If personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room—what do you want people to be saying about you? Being authentic is important, so our personal brand is often not a million miles away from who we are today. But perhaps it’s a more intentional, clearer, and consistent version of who we already are.
Ask 3-5 people for 3-5 words on how they perceive me
This is a great way to find out what people think about you. Ask 3-5 people (choose those who a. know you well and b. who you trust) to give you 3-5 words that describe you. Ask them not to overthink it, just the first things that come to mind. Look at the patterns—the same or similar words—as well as the differences if people know you in different contexts. What do you want to maintain from this current view? What do you want to change?
Work on visibility—presenting achievements
It can be tempting to stay hidden, especially if we’re humble, introverted, or both. But as challenging as it can seem, this could be a huge mistake (or at least a missed opportunity). We do great work and we should first recognise and feel proud of our achievements and strengths, to be able to make them visible. If people don’t know the value that we’re capable of, it will be hard for us to become known for these things.
Work on networking—sharing and supporting
Networking is all about building and nurturing relationships, not necessarily attending events. It can be focused and targeted, or more informal and natural. Becoming comfortable sharing who you are, what you do, and how this can benefit others can be important for our network, and ultimately our personal brand. Getting curious about others and extending your support to them is also a key part of building your network.
Forward positive feedback to management
Our managers may be aware of all the great work that we do but don’t always assume this.
As much as we’d like to think that a good thing should speak for itself, it’s not always the case. As and when we do something well, or if we receive positive feedback from others, don’t feel we have to keep this quiet. Remember to share with your manager or other influential leaders. If not, we can’t paradoxically get frustrated if they don’t know our value and achievements and reward others instead.
Focus your resume—build on key skills consistently
Remind yourself what you want to be known for (see step one above). How closely are you living up to this today (step two)? Identify what you need to do to align this and look for opportunities to bring this alive. The interesting thing is that everything we do either supports, strengthens, or dilutes our personal brand. Make sure you’re acting with consideration and intention until it becomes natural.
Find areas you’re interested in and explore opportunities for enhancing/demonstrating skills and getting exposure
In continuation of the above, keep your eyes peeled for relevant opportunities to grow and/or to shine. If you’re particularly good at identifying opportunities or you have limited time, you may need to be selective or prioritise accordingly for the ones that are most valuable for you!
Build LinkedIn / other online presence
Love it or loathe it, these days it’s hard to be completely anonymous. Some people embrace this wholeheartedly, while others prefer to stand in the shade. Whatever your natural preference, online preference is important and can speak volumes. As a minimum, it’s important to have an up-to-date, clear, and accurate LinkedIn profile that explains your career history and how you add value today. While you’re at it, it could be worth googling your name (other search engines are available) to see that you’re showing up in all the right places for the right reasons.
For mid-level accountants and finance professionals looking to advance in their careers, developing a strong personal brand is not merely a nice-to-have. You can take charge of your professional life by implementing these eight practical steps. But why stop here?
To enhance your personal brand and accelerate its development, sign up for our online course, Build Your Personal Brand – it’s full of useful advice, resources, and techniques to make you stand out.
Or contact me for a Career Discussion to learn more about Authentic You, a 1:1 session that helps you to identify and refine your personal brand with ease.
