This document discusses the importance of personal branding and creating a brand called "I". It suggests developing a clear understanding of one's strengths, goals and skills in order to effectively brand oneself. Some key steps outlined are identifying 1-2 specialties, visualizing a 5 year plan, getting relevant training, updating one's resume and online profiles to reflect this personal brand, blogging to share knowledge and experiences, engaging on social media like LinkedIn and Twitter, developing business cards and signature emails, and looking for opportunities to give trainings, speak at conferences or write eBooks to further promote the personal brand. The overall message is on the need to continuously brand and market oneself in order to survive in one's career beyond just relying on

1. The monkey called personal brandingNote- What ever I have covered in the subsequent slides is just the tip of the ice berg and there is lot more to it!

2. If this happened to you…Many of us work for branded companies and feel quite elated when we think back….Just think for a second, what would happen if your company chucked you out? Or if the company went bankrupt?Will you survive with just the mention of a brand in your resume? Or will your chances of survival be better if you had created a brand image called “I (or Me)”?

3. Brand called “I”; Discover your own selfIn our career span we wear many hats- developer/ designer/ tester etc..(not all of us are given options….)An average individual spends very little time trying to understand his/ her long term goalUnderstanding what he/ she wants to becomeVery few tend to visualize “who am I”, “Where am I”? “Am I doing the right thing!”

4. When in doubt Ask!Ask the following questions to your own heart (I say heart, because heart is creative than head as it has “art” in it )Where do I see myself 5 years down the lane (I am sure 90% of us do not have an answer to this ..still at least think in those lines)What are my core strengths- Development/ testing/ people mgmt/ conflict mgmt

5. When in doubt Ask!Is my current job utilizing my potential to the fullest? If yes, good, if no, talk to you RM and explain how your skills can be utilized better! (unless you are lazy and do not want to be bothered!)How do I increase my strengths and negate my weakness?If you got an answer to the above four questions, you are on your way to Brand Building!I know myself, now what?Ok good, that you understand your potential and know where to goSo now start creating your own self and branding the “I”Identify 1or 2 specialties/ strengths of yours (you might be good at 100 things…but remember brands have just few specialties…remember Maggi “2 minutes noodles”, see my presentation on some famous brands- http://tinyurl.com/yf8rj3j

6. Get startedSay you are good at “X” technologyVisualize where you can go with this (remember the 5 year cap)Start hunting for courses which could hone your competency

7. Start Branding (and marketing too)Start with your resume, change the headline to say “CRM consultant”. Brand the way you would like to be called!Your resume should talk of your brandIf you are a CRM consultant, along with the COTS products you specialize in, add some jazz…use the company logos instead of mentioning the names, represent the domain pictorially

8. I have got my dream job, now what?Ok good, lets assume, you have identified your skill, and have been place (either within an organization or outside)Now people outside the company walls should know you too!Start blogging– now be careful, do not just copy and paste a news article  publish your thoughts, write tutorials, share your experience…do some good to the community (be careful, do not breach the SLA between you and your employer)

9. Linkedin?Now again, word of caution…social networking sites allow people to invade and see through your personalityLinkedin is a Must!Be on linkedin. Paste the blog link in your profile and again your profile should reflect what you intend to become!Answer to queries and do ample social networking

10. TwitterI just love it…simple and easy to readBe careful, do not mention about your break ups…keep your personal and professional messages separated by a firewall!You can use twitter to paste your blog links too…now of course twitter and linkedin are linked!

11. Facebook/ OrkutIts advisable to have a separate id (non identical name) for facebook/ orkutThis is just to make sure your personal messages do not hamper your professional careerSocial media is a boon, but you got to know how to use it

12. Where are you now?So you know what to do in lifeYou have started bloggingYou have created an online resume You are connected to multiple folks from your industry and are well known within and outside the companyIf the answer to the above is yes, you have created a Brand image….people should know you by name as well as your brand- CRM Consultant

13. Next steps?Brand, Brand and Brand the “I” in you. Brand whatever you doCreate a personalized business card, with just your name, photograph and the Brand (CRM consultant). Whenever you attend conferences, circulate this card Signature emailsGive training sessions/ WebinarsParticipate in conferences and be a speaker Write a small e book and circulate it for free!

14. So, that’s it for now…start your journey towards Personal Branding!Please email your comments/ suggestions to shripriya.subramanian@gmail.com