5 ways to build your personal brand in life sciences - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Viewpoint careers advice blog

5 ways to build your personal brand in life sciences - Viewpoint - careers advice blog On hearing the word ‘branding’, most people think of products and services. But how about ourselves? When companies hire, they’re looking for an individual with a specific set of features and benefits â€" effectively, they’re shopping for talent. In a competitive industry like the life sciences, identifying, creating and communicating your ‘personal brand’ therefore becomes an important tactic for generating opportunities that will accelerate your career progression. Most of what you need to do can be achieved online with some self-reflection and a willingness to engage with your field of scientific interest. 1. List your work interests and goals Think about the topics that truly inspire you Your personal brand is about who you are, so think about the topics that truly inspire you â€" the subjects you would happily spend hours at a time reading and writing about. This will be key to positioning you in the field in which you will flourish; and the field where employers will seek you out. Give some thought to how your work and interests might be a resource for others â€" this will be critical when online networking. 2. Identify your USP (unique selling point) What is it about you that distinguishes you from others in your field? Is there a niche topic in which you have research experience and/or in-depth knowledge? Or, perhaps you have a particular skill that is highly sought after and difficult to find in your scientific area. Your USP should be given prominence across all your online channels and present you as a thought leader, resource for others and, most importantly, a desirable employee. 3. Appraise your current personal brand Googling yourself will let you know the current status of your personal brand What’s the takeaway impression you give, from the sum of all your online activity? Prospective employers will undoubtedly use Google to find out what you’re about, so you need to do the same. Googling yourself will let you know the current status of your personal brand. Are your interests and goals accurately identified? Does your USP leap off the screen? If not, there is work to be done. 4. Tidy up your social media We’ve mentioned, in previous blogs, the primacy of LinkedIn as a powerful professional networking tool in the life sciences sector. Your LinkedIn profile should revolve around the conceptual building blocks of your personal brand (i.e. your work interests, goals, USPs). But LinkedIn is just one of the pillars, albeit an important one, of your online personal brand. Twitter is another powerful platform, as will be your own blog, for bedding down your personal brand. A smart, professional profile picture and consistency across your profiles are all-important â€" anything less will weaken your pitch and be off-putting for your audience. 5. Merchandise YOU Get blogging and active on Twitter; follow users and hashtags With all this infrastructure in place, it’s time to start networking with peers and potential employers. Start out by joining LinkedIn groups like Life Sciences Industry Insights with Hays and other large, relevant and active groups that are pushing out cutting edge content. Post content that interests you and message scientists from whom you learn and to whom you relate. Start your own LinkedIn group! Get blogging and active on Twitter; follow users and hashtags and post breaking research news and upcoming industry events. Search for other scientific blogs â€" ScienceSeeker is a great resource â€" and subscribe to receive regular updates, which you can post to your followers. Successful branding involves meeting a need with a clear and compelling proposition and to do so visibly. By following the steps above, YOU will become a successful brand and be well on your way to meeting your next employer’s need to hire you. I hope you have found the above advice useful. Here are some other Viewpoint blogs and the Hays Worldwide podcast to help you progress your career: How to network for success in the life sciences sector How to develop your strategic networking game plan The three types of network you need to succeed How to optimise your LinkedIn profile 5 things life science startups are looking for on your CV Life sciences recruitment: where are we headed? Stay up to date with latest news from across the globe by joining our LinkedIn group,  Life Sciences Industry Insights with Hays  and follow us on Twitter  @HaysLifeSciences