I am a brand marketer, I studied marketing at degree level, I have worked on fmcg brands and I have spent over 20 years branding individuals and helping with their value propositions in the interim world.
At Career Voyage, we take on the challenge of ‘branding you’. Here, I take on the role of a brand planner in an agency (it’s what I’m trained to do). And I spend some time “assessing” you, by asking you some relevant questions, asking you to request feedback from colleagues and clients / suppliers, and you’ll need to complete some tailor-made exercises and personality tests. The results will allow me to gather insights and information and come up with a “Career Voyage Compass” which encompasses Brand You. It is very straight forward, but enlightening too!
There are many things that come out of the process which are not expected. It clarifies who you are and what you stand for, how you add value and what makes you different and you will have the language to define, evidence and articulate what you do. Your personal branding helps suppliers / employers make a decision about whether to hire you or not … It helps you be clear on how, why and what you charge for your skills which is a necessity in life outside of corporate.
But, Branding Me – that is not straight-forward at all!
Despite being a brand marketer and having worked in fmcg recruitment, headhunting and interim management in marketing and HR and I cannot brand me.
I guess it’s a bit like when a builder’s home is never really finished. It’s very difficult to do what you do for others, for yourself.
I need the help of an objective individual to validate and evidence my brand.
I did a LinkedIn piece to camera a few months ago and it was extremely uncomfortable talking to camera about my strengths (even though I do have some ….). Yet in the same interview, when asked about my weaknesses they seemed to keep coming ….
So, in short to put the “best pitch” for Brand You together, you need to do a lot of work, you need to gather insights and dig deep, but you also need someone who isn’t you to help build your showcase.
Sarah started her career in fmcg marketing working as a brand manager on Clover and as an interim manager on Clover (twice) and Quorn. She founded a start-up interim management company in Gloucestershire and that business changed the percentage of women and diverse talent in senior marketing and HR roles. Sarah specialises in attracting, onboarding, developing, engaging and retaining diverse talent into forward thinking businesses to improve productivity, performance and profit. Flexible working and wellbeing play a large part. Since covid-19 wreaked havoc on the job landscape, Sarah has a created an innovative programme to get senior experienced professionals back into work or fine-tune their current role so that it makes happy.