Personal Branding For Career Success

1. The skills I bring to my job are:

a) Unique and unlike anyone else’s in my company or field.
b) Pretty much like the skills of everyone else who has my job.
c) Not really the skills needed for my job
2. How often do you read trade papers or trade magazines to keep up with what is going on in your
industry?
a. At least once a week
b. At least once a month
c. Once in a while
d. Never
3. When was the last time you attended a class to either brush up on your skills or learn new skills for your
job?
a. Within the last six months.
b. Six months or longer
c. Never
4. Do you know (circle one):
a. Your boss’s (or clients) favorite color?
i. Yes or No
b. Your boss’s (or clients’) favourite restaurant or food?
i. Yes or No
c. Sports or other activities your boss (or clients) like?
i. Yes or No
5. Do you have a written plan of where you want to be in your career three years from now? (circle one)
a. Yes or No
6. If you were fired tomorrow (or dropped by an important client), do you know your industry well enough
to know where you would find your next job? (circle one):
a. Yes or No
7. When was the last time you asked your boss (or client) what skills or abilities were necessary to succeed
in your job?
a. Less than six months ago
b. Six months to a year ago
c. Never
8. How important is your personality in successfully carrying out your job?
a. Very important. My personality fits perfectly with my job.
b. Somewhat important. But I could do my job just as well with a different personality.
c. Not important at all. I try to separate my personality from my job.
9. Do you know how valuable you are in the job market? (Circle one)
a. Yes or No
10. If you were given a million dollars to do a TV commercial that advertises your most valuable skill do
you know what the skill would be? (circle one)
a. Yes or No
11. If you answered yes to questions 10, name the skill you would advertise __________________
12. How would you describe the way you feel about your job?
 a. I love my job. My skills and personality fit my job perfectly.
b. My job is okay. What I’m really good at and what the job requires don’t exactly match up.
c. I’m just passing time until something I really want to do comes along.
13. Do you know what the most important skill your boss (client) is looking for in an employee? (circle one)
a. Yes or No.
14. If you answered yes to question 13, name the most important skill your boss (client) is looking for.
15. Do you know what skills are important in your industry ? (circle one)
a. Yes or No

Section II A: List all your skills from each of the following areas:

1. Natural Skills:____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

2. Skills acquired through education:___________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

3. Skills acquired on the job : _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Section II B Consumerizing Your Ten Best Skills

My Top Ten Skills My Top Ten Skills Consumerized

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

4. 4.

5. 5.

6. 6.

7. 7.

8. 8.

9. 9.

10. 10.

Section II C Proof of Claims

 Top Ten Skills Top Ten Skills Consumerized Proof of Claim

1. 1. 

2. 2. 

3. 3. 

4. 4. 

5. 5. 

6. 6. 

7. 7. 

8. 8. 

9. 9. 

10. 10. 

Section III A “If I didn’t have to work, here’s what I would do all day long”

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Section III B Select Ten personality traits that best describe you

Active Adaptable Aggressive Aloof Ambitious

Argumentative Assertive Calm Candid Careless
Cheerful Colorful Competitive Confident Conservative
Convincing Cooperative Creative Credible Daring
Dependable Diplomatic Dramatic Driven Dynamic
Easygoing Emotional Empowering Encouraging Enterprising
Entertaining Enthusiastic Ethical Experienced Extroverted
Flexible Forceful Forward-thinking Friendly Headstrong
Healthy Helpful Humorous Imaginative Insensitive
Intelligent Introverted Impatient Inventive Leaderlike
Likable Materialistic Methodical Moody Open-minded
 Optimistic Orderly Organized Original Patient
Persuasive Procrastinating Productive Resilient Resourceful
Restless Risk-taking Savvy Self-centered Sensitive
Shy Stubborn Supportive Temperamental Tolerant
Trusting Visionary Well-adjusted Well-connected Witty

Section III C On a scale of 1 to 8, rate yourself on where your personality falls within each set of words.

Active 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Passive
Adaptable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Inflexible
Aloof 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Friendly
Athletic 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Inactive
Candid 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Evasive
Cheerful 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Grumpy
Competitive 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Non-aggressive
Conservative 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Liberal
Dishonest 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Trustworthy
Depressed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Happy
Driven 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Apathetic
Easygoing 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Uptight
Effective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ineffective
Eloquent 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Tongue-tied
Enthusiastic 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Blasé
Farsighted 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Shortsighted
Insensitive 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sensitive
Introverted 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Extroverted
Irresponsible 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Responsible
Likeable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Unlikeable
Moody 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Serene
Optimistic 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pessimistic
Organized 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Scattered
Late 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Timely
Solitary 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sociable
 Trusting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Skeptical
Reckless 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Prudent
Witty 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Humorless

Section IV PBS Organizer

Sections of PBS Organizer Guide to Completing

What is the field or industry in which you have decided to brand
Field and/or Industry
yourself?
Target Audience Whom do you want to reach with your brand message?
Which of your personality trains and passions you worked with in
Brand Personality
the section above will resonate with your target audience?
What special insight do you have into the target audience’s
Brand Insight
beliefs, habits or practices?
What is your single most important skill the target audience
Brand Position
should know about?
What are the proofs of claims about the brand position that lend
Support
credibility to the position?

Example

Sections of PBS Organizer Guide to Completing

Field and/or Industry Marketing for high-profile consumer goods corporation
General manager of a division within a consumer goods
Target Audience
corporation
Brand Personality Committed, gregarious, consensus builder
Most corporate marketers are analytical, resulting only in solid but
Brand Insight
uncreative problem solving
Equal part right-brain and left-brain thinker, allowing well-
Brand Position
thought-out, creative problem solver
 Excellent analytical skills-created an analytical model to
Support prove display activity is more important than price
reduction in moving product
  Creative problem solver-recommended a completely new
way to promote in-store, which resulted in increased sales
 In all personnel reviews, got an “outstanding” rating for
working with people and consensus building
 IMNU graduate

Personal Brand Statement

Sections of PBS Organizer Guide to Completing

What is the field or industry in which you have decided to brand
Field and/or Industry yourself? _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Whom do you want to reach with your brand message, i.e your
Target Audience boss, head of personnel, a new client? _____________________
_____________________________________________________
Which of your personality trains and passions you worked with in
the section III will resonate with your target audience? Pick up to
three
Brand Personality
1. ___________________
2. ___________________
3. ___________________
What special insight do you have into the target audience’s
beliefs, habits or practices? In other words, what need do they
Brand Insight have, what gap are they trying to fill?)
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
What is your single most important skill the target audience
should know about? In other words what is the one skill you have
Brand Position that will best fill the need or gap?)
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
What are the proofs of claims about the brand position that lend
Support
credibility to the position?