Cushioned between the hashtags, hyperlinks, logos, business cards, mottos, and figureheads on billboards, social media, buildings, and flyers — there once resided the dutifully meager personal brand. With great innovation and economical fortune, however, long gone are the days where assistants and other service-industry professionals happily stood behind their corporations or supervisors and rejoiced in the shadows, while molding to fit in where needed within the borders of a mission statement. Today, the tables have turned and times have truly changed; so much so that it is the collection of diverse and intuitive personal brands that shape businesses into successful and approachable entities that attract clients, commerce, and employees that flourish in an environment where uniqueness and personality prove essential. The importance of personal branding is even more so corroborated through the growing business of personal branding. Yep, you read that right: services are available for those who wish to pay someone else, or essentially an individual within an agency, to create and establish all facets of yourpersonal brand. This, of course, has its pros and cons, all of which may be inferred through the text as we venture into the art of creating a perfect personal brand.
Although I’ve completed research on the ins and outs of the personal brand myself, I find it exceedingly helpful to reference the definition of a personal brand when putting the craft into context. Named the “Personal Branding Guru”, William Aruda offered a credible definition of the personal brand, which I believed hit every high note fundamental to a true refinement of one’s own personal brand:
“[personal branding is] understanding what is truly unique about you (...) and
using that to differentiate yourself and guide your career decisions. Through
unearthing the true you and consistently and constantly living your personal
brand, you attract what you need to achieve your goals without having to ‘wrestle
with the universe’ to acquire it” (Aruda 2009).
In sum, the personal brand and the professional identity are sewn into the “fabric of our lives”. It is the shirt or scarf that we choose to wear, that favorite cardigan or button-down that we reach for when we want to make an impression or simply feel our best. I’ve drafted a list of goals that I want to achieve and traits that I want to emphasize when creating my own personal brand to hopefully inspire you to start your journey of self-introspection, so that you may live and work true to yourself.
It definitely wouldn’t be a blog post from Love, Your Paralegal without any mention of the paralegal profession, so to intertwine our love of the paralegal vocation and the role of the personal brand within it, I’ve included a screenshot of the About Me page from Pamela Starr’s blog, Pamela the Paralegal:
From just the small snippet of text that is presented here, I believe it is very fair to say that readers (or potential clients) may easily decipher the features that make up Pamela’s personal brand — she is approachable, humorous, and friendly, but she is also profoundly educated and successful, as supported by her list of accomplishments and the establishment of her own company. Her logo, picture, and format of content all built upon each other to perpetuate her own personal brand. This blog is a true reflection of who she is, what she does, and what she is capable of bringing to the table. I think you’ll also enjoy reading her company’s professional statement:
“StarrParalegals, making your billable dollar worth every penny.”
Another example of personal branding within the paralegal profession that I found particulary insightful, was from the My Paralegal Place blog. Here is a screen capture from their website:
Just as Pamela the Paralegal’s blog was approachable and “real”, it is clear that the author of this website and blog is committed to helping current or future paralegal professionals navigate the career with an abundance of study guides, technology how-to’s, tips and tricks, and other various resources. A passion for learning, teaching, helping others, and the paralegal career ultimately characterize the personal brand of the blog that provides a unique experience for each and every reader.
The art of the personal brand is truly subjective, just like the interpretation and appreciation of an actual painting. The personal brand should be universal to all audiences, but inimitable and exclusive to you. I hope that this post provided a gentle push to get you started in the cultivation of your own personal brand. There has never been a better time, nor has the world ever needed, a perfectly authentic YOU, like today!
I believe in you!
Love, Your Paralegal