Branding isn't just for businesses any more. We live in times when recruiters can easily stalk your recent tweets or Instagram profile. And believe me, they do. Therefore, it is crucial to learn how to manage the way you're perceived on online platforms and offline interactions. With the right marketing and consistency, you can easily develop and grow your personal brand, which will help you achieve a competitive edge in whatever field you are competing in.

Your personal brand is in many ways a synonym for your reputation. It is what people think of you when you are not around. It is how people remember your work to be. It is how they perceive you when you are entering the room.

Why should you care?

Now you see, it takes consistent effort to make sure you are sending the right message in all directions so you are considered as a person of integrity – or a field expert, if that’s what you’re aiming for.

And there are so many advantages of building up your personal brand and going strategic about it.

Let’s just imagine that you are losing your job next week. If you have a solid reputation, an accountable personality, and maybe a portfolio website where you’ve built trust over the past months, you have nothing to be afraid of.

But you don’t need to unemployed in order to see the benefits of your personal brand. It can simply help you get more clients and new customers and expand your professional network. Bring authority and recognition to you in the industry you’re operating in. Or even qualify you to be invited to conferences or speaking events.

By now, I probably convinced you that your personal brand matters. In the following, I am going to tell you 5 hands-on tips on how you can build its foundation.

1. Use your LinkedIn network for recommendations

Have you ever been in the situation when you had to choose from 3-4 candidates or products, that seemed equally qualified and suitable? What did you do then? You turned for reviews and recommendations. It might sound as a no-brainer, but sometimes we tend to overlook the things that are easy and within reach. So yes, people actually read LinkedIn recommendations. So now is the time to ask some of your former supervisors or colleagues to formulate some nice thoughts about your abilities and give your skillset a couple of endorsements on your LinkedIn profile. Social proof is the basis of your personal brand.

2. Build a solid portfolio

The next step is let people see what you’re good at. Show it and don’t just tell. Having a portfolio is a great opportunity to demonstrate your capabilities, expertise, and personal style. Let it be a website, a Prezi, a Slideshare, a case study, or whatever you are comfortable with. Keep in mind that you don’t need to cover too many areas and impress everyone. Focus only on your key strengths and the kind of work that you want to be known for. (And eventually, paid for.)

3. Quantify your achievements

Many say that we live in a post-truth era, when it is extremely hard to distinguish between false and valid information. If we translate this thought into your reputation, then it’s obvious that everyone can say things like “I was managing human resources and was responsible for XYZ at an international company.” But who knows what these buzzwords actually mean? Be more concrete. Throw in some stats and numbers, and say instead: “I was managing an HR Team of 10 people. As a result of our employer satisfaction initiative, my Team decreased employer turnover by 40% in the past 3 years.” Sounds way more serious, doesn’t it.

4. Emphasize your uniqueness

The essence of this quote is that you need to find your unique selling points, and build on them. Do you dance tango or collect 60’s vinyl records as a hobby? Then make it part of your personal brand, and emphasize it where it makes sense. After all, there might be 1.000.000 aspiring graphic designers out there. But how many graphic designers who re-designed their favorite vinyl records and then made a thematic blog post or Pinterest Board about them? Don’t be shy to spice up your professional reputation with some parts of your personality. You never know which experience or part your interest will connect you with other people, and make them fall in love with you as a person.

5. Be approachable

We all know the pain of networking with meaningless handshakes and a pile of business cards that we have a hard time to connect to a face 3 hours after we got them. Real networking comes from genuine human interactions, which only genuine humans can do. Where am I getting at? At the end of the day, your smile is probably more important than your logo. Your smart answers in a real-life conversations are probably more important than your business card. Your overall character and kindness in social interactions are probably more memorable than your business name.

What are your favorite personal brands that you look up to and get inspiration from? Let me know in the comments.