Branding isn't restricted to the company, it extends to you too

In a society where conformity is valued over novelty, it might seem challenging to break out of the norm and build your own personal brand. We have been conditioned to want to be more like others, but this basic instinct for survival often renders us woefully mundane. And when you're sitting in the interview room, when it's time for that big promotion, being ordinary is hardly an option. Your set of skills, your fortes, your experiences, your attitude are what encompass your personal brand. It is your personal value offering to the customer, to the team, to the employer, to the company – it's what you do better than anyone else.

As the one-of-a-kind psychiatry genius turned highly-functoning serial killer Hannibal Lecter so aptly puts it, "If we learn our limitations too soon, we never learn our power." Thus, it is important to know yourself and your 'own-able' attributes (the ones you have now or the ones you want to gain over time) – and make it a point to use them to differentiate yourself from others. Sit down and ask yourself what exactly this means to you.

Still in doubt? Ask close friends what the total experience of having a relationship with you is like. Spot an inconsistency? You probably have some work to do because there is a gap between how you see yourself and how others see you. Communication is of the essence here because you are either not expressing the full spectrum of your ability or you are not doing it effectively. Tim Ferriss, an American entrepreneur and writer of The 4-Hour Workweek sums it up perfectly, "Personal branding is about managing your name – even if you don't own a business – in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records."

Our brains are hardwired to pay attention to the unusual, but when we have to make the most of a near homogeneous academic background, all this talk of differentiating and communicating yourself is easier said than done. After you've identified your desired personal brand, you have to set about building that experience so you can effectively get what you want in return, no matter what that takes.

Whether you're at a meeting with a client, a team session or a networking event, you are constantly being evaluated by those around you. You are even being screened on social media as now more than ever, recruiters are observing and engaging with job candidates over sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. If you are found online and what is found is obsolete, incomplete, off-putting or inconsistent, then you are at the risk of being seen as a poor candidate, or employee, or leader.

A little mindfulness and some conscious management can go a long way when it comes to conveying your personal brand. It all boils down to how you serve yourself, what you offer others, and backing that up with a whole deal of conviction.

Writer is Sub-Editor of the career publication of The Daily Star. She is also a junior at the Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka