STEM careers involve many different paths.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics and encompasses many different fields. Your main priority when developing a personal brand should be to provide value for your audience. Whatever content you put out should be of the highest standard, well-researched, and well-written. When you provide value, your reputation proceeds itself, and you’ll begin standing out from the crowd. Companies such as McDonalds and Nike made a name for themselves because they deliver high quality products and services. It wasn’t their logo and slogan that put them at the forefront. Eventually, you’ll stop looking for work and the work will come to you. Here are five ways to build your personal brand as a STEM professional.
1) Become a Thought Leader
A thought leader is an expert in a specific field or industry who inspires innovation, provides unique guidance, and influences others. They are capable of giving deep insights and informed opinions into social issues, and suggesting remedies for change. Thought leaders are valuable to organizations because they think ahead, they predict trends and put the right strategies in place. Establishing yourself isn’t an easy task, and it won’t happen overnight, but it’s possible, here are some tips to get started:
· Area of Expertise: STEM professionals work in several areas including engineering, technology, science and mathematics. Whatever your area of expertise is, stick to it.
· Keep Learning: Your industry is constantly changing so keep learning about it to ensure that you’re always one step ahead of the game.
· It’s Not About the Money: In the beginning you won’t make money as a thought leader. It will take some time before people in your industry start trusting your knowledge and paying you for it.
· Post Consistently: To become a thought leader, people need to hear what you’ve got to say. Therefore, create meaningful content and post often.
2) Join the Online STEM Community
Joining the online STEM community is a form of networking. You get to meet people in your industry from all over the world, and associating with individuals who share your passions and interests. Joining an online community in your field gives you the opportunity to make connections with seasoned experts who may be able to help elevate your career.
3) Build a Strong Online Presence
Your online presence is an important part of building your personal brand; therefore, you must be mindful of the information circulating the internet with your name attached to it. Your first step should be to Google your name, and if something you don’t like pops up, remove it. Also, employers want to know why you’ll be an asset to their organization and they’re less concerned about what you had for dinner last night. Therefore, it’s advised that you have a personal and a professional online presence. Use your real name for your professional profile, and a nickname for your personal profile. Your online presence should include at least a LinkedIn profile and a website.
4) Become a Volunteer
Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community, make connections and learn new skills. But it also makes you more appealing in the eyes of potential employers. People volunteer because they’re passionate about a cause and want to make a difference and this is an excellent personality trait to have in the eyes of potential employers because it shows that you have a growth mindset, and that you use your time wisely. So be sure to share your volunteering endeavors online.
5) Start a Blog or Newsletter
A blog or Substack reinforces your brand; you’ll find that a lot of websites have a blog built into it. Your blog posts give you the opportunity to solidify who you are and give people more insight into your core values. You can also use your blog posts as social media content which will drive more traffic to your website.
It will take a while for you to build a personal brand and for people within your industry to start recognizing you as an expert. Nevertheless, with dedication and consistency, you’ll eventually get the recognition you deserve.
