Working Remotely? How to Build Your Personal Brand
Technology has made it possible for a greater number of people to work from home or from a location that isn’t the office.
While the flexibility is great, there can be a certain level of disconnect with the boss or those who evaluate your performance.
They are left to judge your work on your responses in meetings, phone call interactions, email response time, and what others are saying about you.
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These factors make it even more important for you to take steps to create a personal brand that emphasizes your strengths and your value.
Here’s how to design your personal brand when working remotely.
Making connections
Networking can be more difficult when you aren’t in the hub of the office every day, but that doesn’t make it any less important.
Here are some tips to keep yourself involved when you work from home:
- Be intentional about scheduling time with people outside of work. Though you may not be working with them in person every day, the relationship you have with your coworkers can have an impact on your personal brand. Build a solid reputation by making an effort to get to know the people with whom you work. Schedule lunch meetings to get together when you come into the office, or ask for the opportunity to connect with your coworkers on social media. Also, get to know what activities – even volunteer activities – they do outside of work and, when possible, show your support
- You should be actively trying to build relationships with people who can be an asset to you and to your work. Making those positive connections can lead to favorable word-of-mouth making its way back to your boss, as well as aiding your career in the future.
- After a conference call, make sure to follow up and thank people who were supportive or provide valuable information on the call.
- In your responses on email, always leave an open offer. Offer yourself as a resource to build positive remote connections, with something like this: “Let me know how I can be of help to you” or “Glad to help you in anyway.”
- Remember and take note of things like birthdays, anniversaries, and other events or celebrations. Your attentiveness is even more noticeable when you work remotely and will help your brand and what others say about you when you are not present.
Give a gift
It’s not the kind of gift you’re probably thinking of, but the results are much more advantageous.
When you work remotely, it’s entirely possible that you won’t see your boss that often. Your interactions may be limited to emails and conference calls.
The gift that you need to give your boss upon each communication is valuable information.
Here’s what this “gifting” could potentially look like:
- A piece of research that can help solve a problem that the company or your boss is working to solve.
- An investor relations report letting them know what’s trending in your field.
- An insightful article on leadership or team-building, which could help your boss be a better leader.
- Suggest a cool iPhone or mobile app that helped you in your work.
The important thing to remember is that you always come with something to share that is unexpected but valuable.
Your tone of voice
It can be easy to mentally drift when you’re on a conference call.
Keep in mind that working remotely means each and every contact you have with the boss, other executives and your coworkers has an impact.
When you give your input, pay attention to the tone of your voice because this may be one of the only chances your superiors and coworkers get to form an impression.
Be enthusiastic and engaged. Make sure you are being perceived as all-in on the conversation and that you’re tracking with what’s being discussed. It’s easy to tune out and multi-task because no one can see you – but your voice and lack of enthusiasm can give you away and damage your brand.
You want to build your brand as someone who is remembered for your contributions, as opposed to someone who is simply on the line, not adding anything valuable to the discourse.
Brand your email
Email is the most-used communication tool when you work away from the office. Make sure that your email signature is memorable and includes your personal brand tagline in the signature.
Create a consistent way to be remembered when you respond to emails or send emails to colleagues. Also, pay attention to your out-of-office messages, as they can also help you build a positive brand – when you use it as a tool to show you are resourceful even when you are away or on vacation.
Attend events
If the people in your company never see you they won’t get to know you. You don’t want to remain undiscovered!
Make an effort to get out from behind the computer screen and be proactive about showing up for and networking at events your company is involved with, for example, food drives, non-profit events, leadership roundtables, employee-resource group programs – or any other activities that your employer is sponsoring.
As a remote worker, you can build a favorable personal brand when you focus on making yourself memorable to ensure that you get noticed in the right ways by the right people
How do you create your personal brand while working remotely?