Beyond Workplaces and Resumes: The Concept of an Authentic Personal Brand

How I set about carving out my digital space and embraced “show, don’t tell.”

What is a Personal Brand?

At its core, a personal brand is the unique combination of skills, values, personality traits, and experiences that make you, you. It’s the way you present yourself to the world.

Now, let’s face it: whether you’re managing projects, winning deals, or crunching code, you might not see yourself as having a “brand” beyond your work desk. You might be a rockstar at your workplace, impressing clients and colleagues alike, and maybe even your family and friends — if they haven’t glazed over as you enthusiastically recount your latest milestone at work.

While platforms like LinkedIn have undoubtedly changed the game by providing a digital space to showcase our professional achievements and connections, for most, it remains little more than an online resume — a place to update job changes and promotions, and engage with content shared by peers. Rarely does it serve as a true platform for personal branding, where individuals can authentically showcase their unique perspectives, creativity, and insights.

In the words of Jeff Bezos, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” So, what do you want that to be? The concept of a personal brand is essentially the chance to influence this perception.

My Personal Brand Journey

This realization hit me during my own professional journey. I realized that my “brand” outside my immediate professional circle, including LinkedIn, was virtually non-existent. As a product and program manager, I found that due to company NDAs and the proprietary nature of my B2B work, none of my accomplishments or insights could be made visible to a wider audience.

My solution? I created a personal website. In addition to my profile, I developed my portfolio to showcase how I approach product management — research, user personas, and prototypes — along with AI-based projects. The process of creating the website itself, from designing the visual elements like colors and typography to crafting the sitemap, was a proof of concept in personal branding. Overall, I wanted the website to reflect not just what I did, but how I thought, solved problems, and innovated.

Screenshot of the home page (desktop version)

My Recipe for Personal Branding

Identify Your Value Proposition

In crafting your own personal brand, it's essential to remain authentic and true to your values and passions. Identify your unique value proposition—what makes you different from others in your field? Perhaps it's your innovative approach to problem-solving, your ability to simplify complex concepts, or your passion for continuous learning and growth.

Don’t Worry About the Channel

The beauty of personal branding lies in its versatility—regardless of your field, you can demonstrate your unique brand of creativity, curiosity, and insight through various outlets. If you like to write, it could be a blog or just a tweet highlighting your perspective on an industry trend. It could be a full-fledged side project that showcases your problem-solving skills, or even a doodle that captures your way of thinking.

Be Consistent

Your personal brand is not an extension of, but in certain aspects the opposite of your resume. It's not based on an industry-standard template, it's not tailored to a specific role in a company, it does not depend on buzzwords and keywords, it's not meant to be another document in a stack, and above all, it's not created when you want a job and discarded later. Consistency is key in personal branding. Regularly update and maintain your online presence to reflect your ongoing growth and evolution.

Don’t Overdo the “Personal” in Personal Branding

Continuing the thread about authenticity, it's reasonable to mix personal life into your professional brand. However, it’s crucial to weave these elements in a way that enhances, not muddles, your professional narrative. For example, should you share Instagram posts from your latest vacation? If you’re an architect, sharing photos of unique buildings you encountered on your travels, with your own expert comments, beautifully blends personal interests with professional insights.

My own personal touch on the website? I shared the story about my career break in my blog, and I included a section for my favorite books!

Get Inspired from Real-life Branding Stars

Countless individuals have successfully built powerful personal brands. Consider Neil deGrasse Tyson, who somehow made astrophysics interesting by breaking down complex scientific concepts and has become a pop culture icon and one of the most recognizable faces in science. Or, to keep it closer to the corporate world, take Sheryl Sandberg, who has transcended her role at Facebook through her values and thoughts. Of course, there's Richard Branson, whole personal brand revolves around taking risks, thinking out of the box and a fun, people-centric approach to business, which he frequently showcases through his social media presence and public appearances.

Marathon, Not a Sprint

The stage is yours, but there's no need to dazzle anyone right away. Your personal brand will be an ever-evolving work in progress. Embrace the long-term mindset and be open to changing directions as you develop new interests and skills. The goal is to simply keep creating and putting yourself out there authentically.

For now, focus on showing up authentically and doing work that engages your curiosities. Enjoy the journey of public self-expression, and allow your personal brand to slowly take shape over time.

In the meantime, I would love your feedback on my website! Visit varunsgoel.com and share your thoughts.