+91-80-42023484 contact@sincera.in
What they Say about Personal Branding – 10 Best Quotes

What they Say about Personal Branding – 10 Best Quotes

by | Sep 15, 2017 | Motivation, Personal Branding, World of Work

This week, we have introduced to you our series of posts on Personal Branding. If you haven’t already read our introductory post, which also serves as a crash course on personal branding, you can read it here – Personal Branding: Why it Matters and How you Can Get There. While our previous post was more on the fundamental and technical know hows of personal branding, today’s is to fetch you some inspiration. Wondering if other people felt the same things you may have felt at different points in time, regarding personal branding? Only one way to find out! Here are the 10 best Quotes on Personal Branding by some very successful personalities.

1. Because you represent brand ‘You’.

All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You. – Tom Peters in Fast Company

2. Whether it’s a blind date, or a job interview, remember you live in the Age of Google.

Personal branding is about managing your name—even if you don’t own a business—in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records. Going on a date? Chances are that your “blind” date has Googled your name. Going to a job interview? Ditto.– Tim Ferriss

3. One of the golden rules for personal branding is getting to know your audience.

Focus on identifying your target audience, communicating an authentic message that they want and need and project yourself as an “expert” within your niche.– Kim Garst

4. The basics of starting well, when it comes to personal branding.

Start by knowing what you want and who you are, build credibility around it and deliver it online in a compelling way. – Krista Neher

5. The greatest promise you can ever make to yourself is to work hard, and work true – for the brand called ‘You’.

Your brand is a gateway to your true work. You know you are here to do something—to create something or help others in some way. The question is, how can you set up your life and work so that you can do it? The answer lies in your brand. When you create a compelling brand you attract people who want the promise of your brand – which you deliver.– Dave Buck

6. …And the greatest promise to your clients is your Brand!

Your personal brand is a promise to your clients… a promise of quality, consistency, competency, and reliability.– Jason Hartman

7. All good things take time. Including establishing solid foundations for your personal brand.

Building a profitable personal brand online is not a sprint, and something that happens over night. Don’t aim for perfection early on. Instead allow your brand to evolve naturally over time and focus on providing massive value and over deliver to your target audience. Then you will get more clear over your message and brand as well. Always remember that!– Navid Moazzez

8. Regardless of what background you come from, and where you aim on going, your personal branding matters!

Even individuals need to develop a brand for themselves …. Whatever your area of expertise, you can take steps to make people think of YOU when they think of your field.– Accelepoint Webzine

9. Maintaining transparency about your brand is what contributes to the reputation of your brand.

It’s important to build a personal brand because it’s the only thing you’re going to have.Your reputation online, and in the new business world is pretty much the game, so you’ve got to be a good person. You can’t hide anything, and more importantly, you’ve got to be out there at some level.– Gary Vaynerchuk

10. And our favorite from the literary genius. This one goes out to every body out there regardless of whether or not you are interested in personal branding!

Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken. – Oscar Wilde

Have some favorite personal branding quotes? Bring them up here!

Personal Branding – Why it Matters and How you Can Get There

Personal Branding – Why it Matters and How you Can Get There

by | Sep 13, 2017 | Communication, Communication Skills, Managing Yourself, Personal Branding, World of Work

Today, personal branding matters more than it ever did not only because of the significant market value it carries with it, but also because of the opportunities it offers. Personal branding done right can open more doors for you than you ever imagined.

The business dictionary defines branding as: “The process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumers’ mind, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme.”

And for a long time, that’s exactly what branding entailed. However, with the advent of social media, branding has become everybody’s business. Today, we’re all acting as our own ambassadors. Whether you are an entrepreneur, an artist, a social worker, a writer, or even a job seeker, paying attention to and working on your own personal brand can be rewarding in multiple ways.

In the age of social media, it matters to be visible. Whether it is you, or your homegrown business, without visibility it is impossible to gain traction. Personal branding is a method of making yourself visible. Of putting out there your unique, authentic self through the work you do. It is true that the stiff competition might act as a deterrent, but your mode of personal branding should be aligned with your personality and belief – and that is how competition will not really matter in the long run.

Personal branding is nothing but using the forms of social media (which you already use) with the specific purpose of promoting your interests and outlook. If you are doing it for your homegrown business/ initiative you would have a very clear purpose. Similarly, in case you are doing it only for yourself and not a specific initiative, it would be more of your views and ideologies about things you believe in. For example, if your personal branding is for a small organic pickle business, your marketing strategies and ‘posts’ would have to include how and why you believe that these small businesses are important. You could speak about how this generates employment for women from several villages who would otherwise be unemployed. Or how it brings back the focus to local, hand-made produce. It could even be simply about the difference in the taste of something packaged with love rather than in a factory.

How would your personal branding strategy differ if you were doing it just for yourself? And not for any entrepreneurial purposes? Not very different. Except in this case, your personal branding is for “you”. Which means, in this case things like your ideologies, your views, what you associate yourself with, who you associate yourself with – all of this becomes central to your personal branding. In which case, LinkedIn is a great platform for you.

How are we able to distinguish between most famous personalities we may be aware of, without ever having met them? Because of their personal branding. Because we are constantly reading about them. Today though, one doesn’t need a PR person to fix this for them. All you need is a platform, and a voice – both of which you have free access to. Like all opportunities, this is one that gives you a lot of power, and along with it a lot of responsibility. How you choose to use it is up to your discretion.

The 5 Golden Rules for Personal Branding

1. Remember it is not about the product, it is about you

Or rather, not just  about the product. Above, we gave examples of two kinds of personal branding – one for specific initiatives and the second for yourself. However, even if it is the first kind of personal branding you are aiming for, remember what you are marketing should be seen as an extension of you. And that itself becomes the unique selling point (USP) for the service or product you are putting out. Your branding strategy should have a voice, which should be no one else’s but yours. It should speak about what you believe in, and what you don’t believe in. And how these ideologies connect with whatever you are trying to sell. Sounds like a challenge? Well, nothing comes easy!

2. Be responsible

Your constitution entitles you to a number of rights which includes freedom to speech. Being able to use your own, authentic voice which promotes the ideas and ideologies you harbor is a benefit of that right. Being responsible about what you speak and choose to put out is a ground rule for not just personal branding, but any form of social media interaction (and otherwise!). Remember that when you put out or say certain things on interactive platforms, people listen to it and engage with it in a conscious as well as subconscious manner. That is the power of personal branding and social media. In the recent times however, we know of way too many examples where these liberties have been abused. With power comes responsibility – it serves well to always remember this!

3. Social media is everything for you

Personal branding demands a judicious use of any and all resources that are available for free or minimum cost. The most powerful resource at your disposal is social media. Teach yourself as much as you can about all forms of social media, and mark the differences between each. How would your interaction/ voice vary on Facebook from LinkedIn? Understand the kind of audience that uses specific platforms, and mould your strategies accordingly. You can’t ever learn enough about the ever evolving forms of social media. Being in ‘sync’ and ‘updated’ (pun intended!) about how each form of social media works is a huge advantage for personal branding. Find out how stories make a difference to your brand on Instagram, how you can use Facebook live, and what’s new on Twitter. Learning and evolving with the market is a strategy that will always come in handy.

4. Network

Always a big bonus. Reach out and network with others who are doing personal branding. Take note of what works and doesn’t work with these brands. Learn from their mistakes and their success stories. Even short collaborations where there is a match of sensibilities is a fantastic way to go about personal branding. Networking allows you to step beyond narrow frameworks and visions and brings you a far greater reach and exposure. Being active on platforms such as LinkedIn, and creating valuable content is a great way to go about networking. Organizing, or being a part of meetups which discuss the concept and forms of personal branding is also a dependable way for meeting like minded people and making connections.

5. Invest

Wherever there is a need for growth, there needs to be investment. In the case of personal branding, even though you may have a very limited budget, make space for investments. Take up courses on specific marketing strategies that might add to your knowledge pool. Maybe one on understanding the forms and functions of social media better? Here is a great course on Coursera to help you get started with – “Introduction to Personal Branding”. If you have a small team, consider investing in sessions for them on how they can adopt and adapt to the vision for your brand better. Most importantly, invest “time”, into understanding how you envision your brand to grow, and what you see it standing for. Focusing on change helps you keep away the fear of being stagnant. And being stagnant in any business or career – big, or small,  is toxic.

Creating and nurturing a personal brand for yourself can be truly empowering. Besides all the factors we have mentioned above, consistency is also a keyword for personal brand. Your efforts and your vision need to be consistent, which in turn reflects in your strategies. One way of making sure of this is always reminding yourself to keep in mind who your audience is.

All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You. 

Tom Peters, Fast Company

Have a personal brand and want to share the ups and downs of working on it? We are all ears!

The 5 Most Effective Job Hunt Hacks

The 5 Most Effective Job Hunt Hacks

by | May 19, 2017 | Career, Job Offers, Recruitment

Yes, we know! There are no shortcuts to success. But if you are on a job hunt, this post is something you cannot miss. Based on our years of experience helping job hunting candidates like you land their dream jobs, we have put together some insider tips (or hacks as the current trend is) to help you on your job hunting journey. What are some of the best and most effective Job Hunt Hacks that can fast-track your job hunting process ? Read on to find out exactly what they are, and why they make such a big difference.

Job Hunt Hack #1 – Use “Keywords”

Go through the job description carefully and pick up on the keywords. Remember that when sending in your application online, in all probability, the first screening is going to be mechanized. In which case, you need to ensure that your application uses as many of those phrases/ keywords possible (in a relevant way of course) as possible. It is only after the initial sorting (the first two stages, at least) that your application will reach the higher-ups in the management. In order to ensure your job application gets there, be as specific and comprehensive as possible. Using keywords is a great way to go about it.

Job Hunt Hack #2 – Use both online and offline platforms

Don’t stop once you have finished applying through the online sources. Start networking and spreading the word about your job hunt. Networking is one of the most effective techniques of offline job hunting. Reach out to your old and new contacts and have casual conversations with them about your plans. You never know what opportunities may come your way simply through those conversations. Also, make sure to avoid these 5 social media mistakes when you are job hunting!

Job Hunt Hack #3 – Modulate your applications

What really hampers your job hunt process is using one stock application and cover letter for all the places you apply to. When you do that, your application depicts an acute lack of interest and enthusiasm. Even if the job profiles you are applying to are similar, there are some fine differences between each of these profiles. Mark them and customize your applications accordingly. This will be possible only when you are truly serious and enthusiastic about the job hunt process. Pay attention to details, and remember that that’s probably the only thing that will give you an edge over the others.

Job Hunt Hack #4 – Your LinkedIn profile matters (most)!

Your existence, and activity on LinkedIn is crucial for a successful job hunt. You could reach out to scores of potential employers, and correspond with them about opportunities simply by making sure you are active on LinkedIn. By being on LinkedIn, you are not only “visible”, but also vested with innumerable valuable resources which you just need to know how to use. Still not convinced about why you need a LinkedIn profile? Here’s why. Have a LinkedIn profile but wondering how you can make it better? Here’s how.

Job Hunt Hack #5 – The magic word is “Thank You”

Incorporating the practice of gratitude into everything you do is the best thing you can do for yourself. Including when you are job hunting. It makes a huge difference when you send in a personalized note, even if it is just two lines, after you finish interviewing (no matter the stage of the interview), to the relevant people. Just acknowledging the time they invested, saying that it was a pleasure having had a chance to communicate and that you look forward. These small things are what set you apart from other candidates, and make you the more like-able, and obvious candidate. However, do it genuinely. It isn’t very hard to tell when the candidate isn’t being genuine – which will just end up making things worse for you.

And the most effective job hunt hack of all – work closely with a great recruiter. A recruiter starts work every morning with one objective – find the best candidate for his/her client and fill the open position ASAP. A candidate hunting for a job wakes up with this thought – may today be the day when I land my dream job. Notice the similarity between the two objectives – so why not work together with mutual respect  to achieve this common goal? Here is how you can help her help you.

If you’ve been looking for job hunt guidance and a lot of material has been coming your way, all of that is bound to be similar in one way or the other. Through all your efforts, remember that you can go a long way by just being yourself. Take your own self to the interviews, and let it reflect in your applications and conversations. Because you’re the best when you’re nothing but yourself!

6 Free Courses that will Add Value to your CV

6 Free Courses that will Add Value to your CV

by | Apr 26, 2017 | Career, Communication Skills, Resume, Skills

2017 has just begun, and you still have a lot of time to accomplish everything and more you imagine ticking off that checklist. We are taking for granted that one of them is learning new skills, and doing what you do better. To help you pursue this goal here is a list of free courses that would probably help you, regardless of what your job is. Well, if not all of them, one of them for sure. And even completing one of these courses would not only help you become a better version of you, it will add actual value to your CV.

1. Introduction to Graphic Design, Udemy

This introductory course on graphic designing speaks about elementary things such as what sets apart appealing visual material from not so appealing visual material. And thus, what are some basic principles and elements of design that will help you be more knowledgeable about how design works.

2. Adobe Photoshop CS6 Essential Tools, ALISON

Photoshopping seems to have become an almost “must have” skill, especially if you are in the media/ management sector. Even if your profile may not require you to engage extensively with how photoshopping works, this is a great starter kit for you to pick up the basics for editing and enhancing photographs. Have a look at the free course here.

3. Diploma in Social Media Marketing, ALISON

How do you enhance customer interaction through your social media pages? Why aren’t you get enough hits, likes and shares when you’re doing everything and more? This basic course will help you decode the fundamentals on how “traffic” in social media works. Having this on your CV will make you a favored candidate for more opportunities than you can imagine.
The course has a total of lessons, and each lesson is for hours. Have a look at more details on the free course here.

4. Introduction to Public Speaking, edX

Whoever said public speaking is only for politicians and leaders? In the World of Work, acquiring the art of public speaking is just as important a skill. Be it a farewell speech, an award acceptance speech or speaking at a board meeting or an international conference. In all these areas, your public speaking skills will be put to test. If that scares you to death, well you are not alone. Fear of public speaking is a widespread phenomenon – the average person ranks it even above fear of death. There is even a word for it – Glossophobia or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking or of speaking in general. [Read more – here].

This course is your quick fix (just 10 weeks!) to overcoming glossophobia! Designed by the University of Washington the course grooms you into becoming the public speaker you wish you were!

5. Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills, Coursera

The name of the course in itself is a skill you need to have to survive the highly competitive world of work. Well, this courses teaches you not just how to survive, but also how to thrive! With expertise from University of Michigan and the easy interface of Coursera, in 6 lessons you will have learnt the essentials of effective negotiation!

6. Secret Sauce of Great Writing, Udemy

Hang on before you jump to conclusions. This isn’t a creative writing course, far from it. This immensely popular course teaches you how to write business emails, cover letters, press notes, and also how to write effective business blogs. By the end of it, you’ll know all that there is to know about how to draft a perfect professional email, what mistakes you should be careful about, cover letter basics – and so much more!

Excited to get started? That’s great! But do remember to take on these courses when you can devote the required time. It may seem like very little effort, and compared to university it surely is. However, you still need to be in a space where you can dedicate the required discipline and attention to the course. That’s the only way you’ll finish it feeling like you’ve actually accomplished something. And that sure is a great feeling!

5 Things Characters from Game of Thrones teach us about the World of Work

5 Things Characters from Game of Thrones teach us about the World of Work

by | Feb 10, 2017 | Career, Life, Motivation, World of Work

With all that rage about the incredibly popular series –Game of Thrones, we thought it would be creative to put together a post about what the series teaches us about the world of work! We hope you enjoy reading it, as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

1. Tyrion Lanister – Knowledge gives you mileage.

It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to say that Tyrion Lanister in the series is an embodiment of knowledge, and worldly wisdom. One of the most admirable qualities (despite possessing some not-so-admirable qualities) he possesses is that of being well read, which has, time and again helped him out of sticky situations. The best lesson his character teaches us is, even if people judge you unkindly, or based on “outwardly appearances”, if you are smart enough, you can take all of that in your stride. We all know how often one needs to deal with situations like that in the world of work.

2. Daenerys Stormborn – Don’t micromanage everything, Delegate!

Well yes. She is all about woman power and how one can truly break away from oppressive gender stereotypes. Now that we’ve given her credit for that, let’s face it how her character is far from perfect. Her need to micromanage has more often than not landed her in trouble. If only she would just heed the counsel and the help coming her way. Something that we need to remember everyday, in the world of work – that your need to micromanage everything will only retard your efficiency.

3. Jaimie Lanister  – Never let your disabilities weigh you down.

We’ve watched this character evolve across a period of six seasons. And of all the lessons to be learnt from him, the finest is the fact that he never let his disability of not possessing an arm become an excuse for anything. When we apply it to the world of work, we mean it in a much broader sense, that no matter what your problem is, there still will be a way to work around it and deliver nothing but your best!

4. Lord Varys – Never let an opportunity pass you by.

Varys in the series has proven to be an extremely resourceful and capable character. Most of it because of the amazing capacity he seems to have to be able to focus on what needs to be done, and to get it done in the most efficient manner. His trait of being a thorough opportunist is something we all could try and learn from, especially in the world of work. Being mindful, and aware pays. You will never let an opportunity to slip by.

5. Joffrey – Well, we all know how that story went.

Of the King who really thought he was King, until he was slayed (Aside: if Tyrion didn’t poison him, who did?!).
Joffrey has probably been one of the cruelest characters in the series. The circumstance of his murder is testament to the fact that nobody likes a horrible boss! Some food for thought, eh?

Like this post a whole lot? Tell us you do and maybe we’ll put together another one with a similar interpretation of some more of your favorite characters!