Personal Anecdote Time!
Explore how to create and maintain a strong personal brand that sets you apart as a software engineer. Learn to identify your unique strengths and narratives, focus on attributes that evoke positive emotions, and understand the importance of consistency in how others perceive you. This lesson helps you develop a personal branding strategy to enhance your career marketing without oversharing hobbies or irrelevant details.
Let people talk about you
If you can get a friend to tell it to you straight, good. If you can get some people on a podcast talking about you without you there, good.
Or, like me, you can accidentally eavesdrop on a conversation. I swear I did this unintentionally!
The guy that preaches learn in public
The first time I found out I had established an incredibly strong personal brand was when I was at a house party with twenty friends and friends of friends. While in a small group, I overheard someone behind me talking about me. They introduced me as “that guy that preaches learn in public”. Then, at a later hour, I heard another person introduce me without me there. Again, when joining a new group, a third person introduced me the exact same way.
I don’t consider myself a personal branding expert, but I understood instantly that I had pulled off a very important feat. I had written so much about a topic that multiple people instantly associated me with that topic. It’s not critical that they say it in the exact same way (actually, that can be a bit creepy/culty), but it’s good enough if they use the same terms.
Anything but average
There are other aspects of my personal brand that don’t get as much attention, but I bring them upfront and center when relevant. I changed careers at 30. I used to be in finance. I served as a combat engineer in the Army. I am from Singapore. I speak Mandarin. I’ve written production Haskell code. I sing a capella. I am a humongous Terry Pratchett fan (GNU Terry Pratchett). I love Svelte, React, and TypeScript. I am passionate about Frontend/CLI tooling and developer experience. I listen to way too many podcasts. The list goes on.
Keep a list
However, I have this list down cold. I know exactly which parts of me spark interest and conversation without going too off track. Therefore I can sustain interest and conversation longer, and in exchange, people know when to call on me. You should keep a list too — know your strengths and unfair advantages.
Hobbies are not my personal brand
What I do NOT consider my personal brand is the stuff that doesn’t differentiate me at all. For example, when asked about my hobbies, I deflect extremely quickly. I identify as a “basic bro”: I have my PS4 and Nintendo Switch; I like Marvel movies and watch the same Netflix shows you watch. Just like the million other basic bros like me.
Totally basic. Totally boring. NOT a personal brand.
Evoke positive emotions
In fact, anything not “average” is a good candidate for inclusion. In particular, diversity is a strength. Adversity is strength. Weakness is strength. Nothing is off-limits; the only requirements are that you be comfortable self-identifying with your personal brand AND that it evokes positive emotions as a result.
I’m serious about that second part. You don’t want trolling or outrage or cruel sarcasm to be your brand, nor do you want to bum people out all the time. Instead, entertain, educate, inspire, and motivate.