“Personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room” – Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.
Managing your personal brand will help you attract and retain business from clients and candidates alike. However, branding remains an often-neglected part of business strategy.
Personal branding is entirely your business
You find business, spend countless hours building relationships, finally secure the job and then use your networking skills to fill the role seamlessly. Of course, it is not always this simple but you get the idea!
And did I mention that if you damage any part of this process, you may as well consider another career choice. This is how powerful your personal brand is.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression
You’ve probably heard that it takes five seconds to make a first impression and if it is not a great one, it will take at least 72 hours to reverse the damage. While it’s hardly fair, we tend to judge people quickly and so nonverbal communication is critical to a first impression. Nonverbal communication accounts for 80% of how others perceive you; facial expressions, handshake, gestures, posture, eye contact – in the first instance, they speak the loudest.
Your initial interaction with a candidate or client establishes the foundation of your business relationship; in order to build trust and rapport, it is important that your words are complimented by nonverbal signals.
Dress how you’d like to be addressed
You are seen before you are heard. A recent study into the importance of appearance in the workplace found that over a quarter of interviewers were influenced by unsuitable clothing. This shouldn’t need much explanation: a polished look indicates an ambitious, respectful and professional individual.
Time is valuable
Have you ever been waiting for a delivery and had no update as to where your online shopping/much anticipated takeaway has miraculously disappeared to? Having to chase up a service is never ideal, whether it’s regarding a chicken katsu or a job. Keeping your clients and candidates updated on the roles you’re working on is key to maintaining a healthy relationship and will increase your repeat business. This not only strengthens trust and reliability but this eases anxiety keeping them reassured, something we all appreciate.
It’s the small things
It sounds pretty cliché but this may be the holy grail of relationship building! We spend so much time doing work, thinking about work, planning for work, that talking to a prospective client/candidate about work just adds to the list. How about asking about that holiday in Italy, or the marathon they ran for charity at the weekend? This shows you actually listened and are interested in them as a person, not just as a business prospect.
We work in an environment where how you make people feel is everything. If your clients and candidates view you positively then you will more than likely get more business and repeat business.
At Total Facilities Recruitment, we consider our brand to be great; we put our clients and candidates at the heart of what we do. If you think your brand is also great and could add to our success, why not get in touch, TFR could be the perfect place for you. Please visit our website or email louise.walsh@tfrecruitment.co.uk
Tammi Roberts – Section Manager, Total Facilities Recruitment Ltd.
