Amy Collett
Personal branding is you, exemplified.
After 18 years of climbing the corporate ladder, I was let go. As I was updating my resume, I realized something. Looking at the words on that paper, you couldn’t tell one single thing about who I really am.
- A prospective employer wouldn’t know that, while I was leading a team of marketing professionals, I was also coaching my daughter’s soccer team to a championship.
- My next boss wouldn’t be able to tell that, after a day at work training new employees, I go train to be a yoga instructor.
- An HR manager wouldn’t be able to tell that I spend most of my vacation days each year traveling out of state to visit my aging grandmother.
- None of them would know that, even though I had been responsible for keeping track of sample inventory at every job I’d ever had, I hated doing it.
But these are the things that make me who I am and, in a lot of cases, make me good at what I do. The leadership, discipline, and love I put into my personal life carries over into my work. They are not mutually exclusive.
That’s when I decided to merge the two. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. Now, I have a job where I can focus on my strengths, leave early on Tuesdays for soccer practice, and use personal days when I need to take care of my nana. More importantly, I am able be my true self at work and at home. Talk about work/life balance!
The best part is, you can do it too.
