I am the kind of person you likes to hide. I would rather not have myself out there to be seen by all. I would rather do my job and go home. (Or at least that is how I was.) The idea of developing a personal brand has always felt like me selling myself, and a little slimy. But, I am now discovering that it is not slimy, but many of those who are preaching the need for a personal brand make it slimy. So, I want to take some time over the next few weeks to talk about your personal brand - why you need it and how to develop it. But first, why should you care. Branding Irons - Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons - Tracey Adams[/featured-image]Click to ListenBeing Off the Grid (web) is RidiculousMany people, especially IT types, tell me they are ”off the grid,” meaning that I will not learn anything about them by searching on the web for their name. While that sounds like a good idea, the truth is they have limited their opportunities. Unless I am hiring certain kinds of work, I would not want to hire someone who is “off the grid”. Face it, hiring people is scary. I want to know as much about them as possible before I invest time and money. So for me and most of the rest of the world, off the grid is also off the list.Four Reasons to Grow Your Personal BrandThey will Find You - Grow Your network without EffortHate networking and those awkward introductions? If you have expertise or knowledge in a particular area, people will reach out to you. For instance, I have talked often about introverts, especially as related to networking. Recently a group who was looking to develop a program around introverts reached out to me for help. A network and people I would have never met on my own. "If you have a personal brand, opportunities will find you. "]You Will Be SearchedHave you been Googled lately? I bet you have. If you are meeting new people, going on an interview, or are talking to someone for any reason, they have probably googled you. It seems almost every time I meet someone new, they know a lot about me and my opinion about certain issues. But, sometimes we are just trying to find a photo of a person we are going to meet so we can avoid asking everyone in the room “Are you Mark?” But if you are interviewing for a job or even looking at a volunteer opportunity, they will seek you out on the web via a search. And, even if your name is not found in the normal places on Google, it can be found in other paid searches which are used by employers. As much as you can, you need to control what information is out there. "You will be googled - you need to control the brand they find. "]CredibilityWhile we cannot believe what we read on the Internet (or anywhere else for that matter), we can use social proof to understand how much something or someone is accepted. For instance, if I search for you on LinkedIn and find that you have a massive amount of recommendations, some from my contacts, your credibility just took off in my book. It does not mean I trust it without my own investigation, but it does offer “social proof” that you are legitimate. "Your personal brand can offer social proof to your abilities."]Finding OpportunityIn the end, your brand should do like any other brand, bring you income. I have said it many times, every opportunity in life comes throughDale Callahan, Ph.D.Business Coach for Professionals Ready to Take Control Helping you move from stuck to in-demand — or start something of your own. Grab the Idea Engine: 7 prompts to find your next move Book a Next Step Strategy SessionDirector of Engineering Management @ UAB (205) 790-8447 dalecallahan.com LinkedIn

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