3-Step Formula for an Outstanding Personal Branding Statement

Career Advice / April 2, 2012

Your resume is an amazingly important document; it not only speaks to your past accomplishments but acts as a predictor of your future capabilities. However, your resume can’t successfully complete this task if it isn’t packed with quality information. This includes an outstanding personal branding statement.

What is a personal branding statement? It is a statement that communicates who you are in the workplace. Borrowed from the marketing world, it reflects your professional reputation. On your resume, the statement is used to summarize, in just a few words, who you are. This is why it’s so important to take formulaic steps in order to develop one that gets the job done.

Personal Branding Statement Example and Formula

To get started, take a look at a branding statement that delivers the goods:

COMMUNITY AFFAIRS MANAGER with 10 years of experience visualizing, developing, and organizing companywide philanthropic events, maintaining connections with hundreds of nonprofit organizations, coordinating diverse employee volunteer opportunities, and creating dynamic external and internal event communications.

Why is it successful? It gives a snapshot of your history in the field while providing branding attributes that describe what makes you successful. Also, it gives examples of previous accomplishments that offer insight into how you can help an employer succeed.

So which formula could you use to create your own?

1. Consider Your Outlook on the World

It may seem a bit far-reaching to say that your overall outlook on life can create a great personal statement, but in actuality, it is your outlook that has guided you to your profession and has helped you develop your talents.

So take time to write down your vision. Do you want people to communicate better with one another? Do you hope to expand the breadth of our already-expansive technology? Think about what it is that can help you create the broad umbrella encompassing all of the specific goals your branding statement will incorporate.

2. Think About Your Individual Goals

Again, a branding statement is all about showing an employer that you have goals—and that you not only intend to achieve them in the future but already have in the past. So what are your career goals? How do you want to make a difference? Write down what you’d like to achieve—along with those skills you possess that can help you attain your goals.

3. Look at Your Attributes and Professional History

Finally, it’s important to recognize your brand attributes, then apply them to your professional history. To identify your attributes, come up with at least three nouns to describe yourself as a professional. Are you a great communicator, leader, visionary, or organizer? Then drum up three sentences that round out your professional history in relation to those attributes (e.g., I have 15 years of experience leading groups through philanthropic efforts).

After completing these goals, you’ll have enough information to create a truly outstanding branding statement that not only gives an employer confidence in your ability to succeed but boosts your own confidence as a top professional.