By Jeannette Paladino

This article first appeared in “Primer ” Magazine, published weekly online for post-college guys interested in personal improvement and career development. Jeannette agreed to let The New England Job Show republish her material to help our audience get a handle on how to successfully create their own personal brand.

Personal branding is essential, whether you are just starting out in your first job, or moving up a rung on the career ladder.  It’s something you need to work on so when you ask yourself the question, “Who am I?” you’ll know the answer and be able to communicate it clearly and concisely.

Some people confuse their personal brand with their “elevator speech.”  The term “elevator speech” trivializes an important process that will help you understand exactly what makes you stand out from the crowd.

Your brand influences how important internal and external audiences, including your boss, your customers and prospects perceive you and what they think you have to offer them.  Another way of understanding branding is that it’s the words you would want people to use in describing you.

Branding is what sets you apart from your competition. Let’s look at the brands of some famous companies and people.   FedEx, for example, is positioned as the company that you can » Read more: Personal Branding: How to Get Ahead With a Powerful Personal Brand