Every January, I share my predictions for personal branding and career success for the coming year. This year’s list has a large dose of technology and self-reliance woven throughout. All aspects of career development and growth are moving from the real world to the virtual one. Translating your brand for the digital world now will help you in 2019 and beyond. Here are six trends to maximize for 2019:
1. Personal branding becomes more important than ever
As economists predict a cooling economy and some are even warning of a full-on recession, finding the ideal job will become more competitive. Standing out will be essential. That means understanding what makes you great and creating enough visibility to make sure you get noticed. That’s personal branding. And although there has been talk that the personal branding revolution is over, your personal brand will be the most valuable career management asset you have. Uncover, nurture, and express your brand so you can remain relevant, in demand, and on solid ground in case the economy become less stable.
2. Your brand has officially moved online
The switch has flipped. No longer are most of your interactions with people happening in the real world. And first impressions are less likely to begin with a handshake. They’ll start with a Google search on your name. Managing your bits and bytes brand is no longer optional; it’s imperative if you want to establish and grow solid relationships. We live in the relationship economy, where relationships are the currency of business. So building and nurturing relationships needs to be prioritized in your daily actions. With remote work increasing, having a strong and consistent digital brand will help keep you top of mind with colleagues, leaders, and other decision makers.
3. Learning takes on new importance
The speed of business is increasing to the point where we can become obsolete in a matter of months. That is, if we aren’t deliberate about learning and growing every day. Making time for learning is absolutely essential. And the good news is that learning does not have to mean signing up for a two-day workshop across the country (in fact, those kinds of learning programs in companies are waning). It means learning from your peers, belonging to online communities, watching YouTube videos, and reading blog posts. In this new paradigm, being interested trumps being interesting. The responsibility for learning has moved from your company’s talent development organization to you. New kinds of talent development companies – those who sell directly to professionals – will continue to emerge as career-minded leaders take the reins of their career and learning. Identify the sources of knowledge that will help you keep the saw sharp. Then invest in them and commit to learning something new every day.
4. Video is the new email
I’ve been talking about the rise of video for over a decade now. 2019 is poised to be the year when video takes over as the most powerful and prominent of all communications tools in the workplace. It won’t completely replace instant messaging and email, but it will become something every professional can and should use every day. All communications will move away from anemic forms of communications, where words are all you have, while advancing toward richer forms of communications like video and audio. LinkedIn now allows you to send audio messages to connections. Expect LinkedIn to build a tighter integration with Skype to allow for video calls with your connections. With remote work increasing, people feeling disconnected at work, and the almost cacophonous noise of competition in the marketplace, video will be the tool that will allow you to get noticed, get acknowledged, and get your message heard.
5. Digital fluency becomes essential for virtually all jobs
Companies are eager to build their bench strength of digital divas. Whether you work in marketing, legal, or accounts payable, you need to understand how emerging technologies – robotics, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, data analytics, blockchain, social media etc. can enhance your productivity, streamline processes, and build competitive advantage for your company. Those who live in fear of technology will see their relevance fade. Those who embrace it and integrate it into what they do will attract the attention of senior leaders. According to PwC, 76% of CEOs are concerned about the lack of digital skills within their workforce. Being able to talk and act all things digital will help you stand out and deliver greater value – faster. And it will help you demonstrate the brand attribute of “innovative.” Commit to being the digital doyen of your department or division.
6. Everyone is a brand ambassador
Gone are the days when your company execs and PR department were the only mouthpieces sharing content with stakeholders. Every employee should play a role in spreading the message of the organization with their brand community. Companies know that “brand messages reach 561% further when shared by employees vs. the same messages shared via official brand social channels” (MSG). They’re training employees how to use tools like Hootsuite Amplify, Dynamic Signal, and SocialHP to magnify their brand messages. Onboarding programs introduce new employees to the concept, and leaders in the organization will take note of those who take on the role of brand ambassador. The added benefit you get when you assume the role of corporate brand steward is that you move yourself outside the normal hierarchy, become more knowledgeable about what’s happening throughout the organization, and amp up your visibility way beyond your department or division.
To grow your success in 2019, understand these trends and apply them throughout your career strategy.
William Arruda is the cofounder of CareerBlast and creator of the complete LinkedIn quiz that helps you evaluate your LinkedIn profile and networking strategy.
