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If you are thinking about your personal brand or how you are perceived online, Paul Sims shares an article that may help you define the traits that are important to you.

I attended the funeral of a close friend last week and, as those things often do, it caused me to reflect. I thought about the question, “How do you want people to describe you?” There have been many articles written about what you want on your tombstone, what kind of life you want to lead, etc. My favorite, from my favorite professor and one of my heros is Clayton Christensen’s How Will You Measure Your Life? You can watch a Ted Talk video of it here.

I can hardly compare to Dr. Christensen. So I won’t even try. I would like to think about it from a slightly different angle. I would like to reflect on your personal brand? So let’s briefly look at my experience at my friend’s funeral to explain what I mean.

I knew her well and had seen her actions and choices over the course of a couple of decades. So, if someone were to ask me to describe her, I could do it. What I heard from the eulogies and discussion with others close to her as we reflected on her life was very consistent with what I had observed.

In her case 2 elements stood out and were often repeated:

she was always cheerfully serving others

she was very family oriented and devoted to her children

We learned this about her from knowing and interacting with her for years. I don’t know what a stranger would find if they tried to ‘research’ her without talking to one of us. What people perceive about you is your personal brand. As it relates to your career, your personal brand is critically important. Employers are going to make a decision on interviewing you and ultimately hiring you based on their perception of you.

So, 3 key questions to ask yourself as it relates to your personal brand are:

What are elements about you that would be clear to those who know you very well?

What would those who don’t know you conclude about you based on what they could find out about you?

How do you close the gap? Meaning how can you convey the real you to those who don’t know you?

Key points include:

• Assessing your online presence

• Building your online brand

• Addressing and meeting expectations

Read the full article, How Do You Want People to Describe You?, on LinkedIn.