A great personal brand means you will be an easier sell to prospective employers or clients, and they’ll probably be willing to pay more than for someone with no brand. Having a solid reputation established is a key component to professional success, but waiting to develop one until you need it is a terrible strategy. If you’re not familiar with the concept, there is a wealth of information available online, like this terrific article in a recent edition of Fast Company magazine titled The Brand Called You.

Another resource to use – one of my favourite’s – to develop a brand strategy comes from Love is the Killer App by Tim Sanders. (It’s a great, easy read – pick it up!)

In the book, Tim talks about 3 necessary pieces to building a successful personal brand: building your knowledge, building your network and being compassionate.

1. Building your knowledge is as simple as reading, attending a lecture or just talking to someone with more experience than you.
2. Networking has become even easier in the digital age – LinkedIn and email are great tools to help you build and maintain your contact lists.
3. Compassion is really about fantastic customer service – do you know what your customers want? How can you help them get it? Tim points out that sharing your knowledge and network do just that.

These are simple things that anyone can do, and you don’t require large investments of money to do it.

I recently got an email from a former colleague, someone who hasn’t stayed in touch and clearly wants something from me now. Is their brand solid? No. Waiting until you want something isn’t going to get you very far. Start reaching out and actually maintaining your network. Make sure your knowledge is current and your skills are sharp. Provide an amazing experience for people who interact with you.

Think of every interaction like it’s a job interview – whether you like it or not, those interactions are building your reputation. Then you will be well on your way to becoming the brand of choice.

As someone who has delivered the feedback from hundreds of assessments (360º, communication, leadership style), I can tell you where most people need help. They get a vast wealth of information – honest, constructive feedback from multiple sources – and they have no idea what to do with it. Same thing goes for people who receive feedback after an interview. You learned something about the way people perceive you…. So now what?

Break your feedback down into one of 3 categories, determine what you should do about it and then (if applicable) do it!

Category #1: The Good

What is it: Positive feedback about a strength. Something you do well, something that sets you apart. Examples: “You present yourself as a confident and capable candidate” or “Your ability to have difficult conversations is a real success factor”.

What to do about it: They’ve just identified a strength for you, so continue to build on it. Think about ways you can leverage this strength and use it as a differentiator. This is how you stand out from the crowd. Spend the majority of your time building your strengths. Check out Marcus Buckingham’s Now, Discover Your Strengths. (Check out all his books while you’re at it.)

Category #2: The Bad (really, the Constructive)

What is it: Something you should stop doing, start doing differently or work to improve. Here someone is telling you what may be holding you back from success. Examples: “You need to be able to communicate setbacks to me right away” or “You come across as being impatient”.

What to do about it: Consider which pieces of constructive feedback are the most vital. What are the key success factors in your current role or the one that you want? Focus on these areas only enough to minimize their affect on your effectiveness. If it’s going to hold you back – work on it. If not, focus on building your strengths instead.

Category #3: The Ugly (otherwise known as the Untrue)

What is it: Feedback that you absolutely disagree with and feel isn’t true. Your reaction will be anything from anger to dismissal of the feedback and the feedback giver.

What to do about it: First, ask a trusted colleague or advisor if they feel it’s true. If they say yes, you need to accept the feedback as reality and put it into category #2. If they say no, then you need to consider whether it will harm your career if people believe this about you. (This is where “perception is reality” comes in – whatever people believe is fact in their minds.)

Going to hurt your career – work on changing that perception. Immediately.

Not going to hurt your career (are you sure?) – you can discard this feedback.

Great resource if you’re stuck on what to do with a specific skill or behaviour: http://www.lominger.com/fyi.php

Organizations are trimming their budgets and cutting jobs, which means more candidates will be competing for the same jobs, and support for training will be reduced. This could include funding for external or internal courses, education assistance, or time off-the-job to attend training because you’re picking up work for your recently departed colleagues. If you’re already in the market and looking for your next role, chances are you don’t want to spend money to upgrade your skills.

Keeping your skills current is an important part of your job search and career development. So how do you get the development you need? The answer is experiential learning.

Otherwise known as real life or on-the-job experiences, experiential learning has many benefits. You improve or gain skills, experience and knowledge at minimal cost and it’s customized to your needs. Expanded responsibilities, on-the-job coaching, job rotation, job shadowing, stretch assignments and taking on a leadership role are all experiential learning. The best part? You can add these experiences to your resume.

Most courses can’t compete with on-the-job experience. How do you determine what you should be developing? Take an inventory of your current skill set and compare it to the skill set you want (whether it’s for your next job or to stay valuable in your current role). The gap you find between your current skill set and your desired one is where you want to focus.

If you’re employed, work your development into what you do day to day. Ask your manager for opportunities to take on a stretch assignment or lead a project. (Bonus: stepping up during tough times is a better strategy than staying under the radar.)

If you’re already in the market, get involved with the community and develop transferable skills. Coach a sports team, learn a new language (find resources at the library), mentor someone, volunteer or join a charity’s board of directors. Be creative and make every experience work for you.