Does a person working in public administration need to have a personal brand?
If you ask me, I’d say yes, without a doubt. My interest in personal branding began more than 10 years ago when I was working in a public employment service, as an important part of the new work environment involved building a personal brand that could generate new professional opportunities.
While I was reading and learning about personal branding with Andrés Pérez Ortega, Eva Collado Durán, Ximo Salas, Alfonso Alcántara, Ami Bondía, Paula Fernández Ochoa, Alex López, Guillem Recolons, Celia Hil and many others, I thought why not “self-apply” all that knowledge that I transmitted to those people who were looking for a job and put it into practice to see if it was really useful for a person who initially had a job and furthermore, this job was in a public administration.
And that’s what I did, and what I continue to do to this day.
If you ask many people working in public administration, they’ll likely answer, “Why do they need a personal brand, a blog, or a LinkedIn account?” The most common argument is “I already have a job” (here are 8 reasons why civil servants should use LinkedIn).
But personal branding goes far beyond just getting a job. Personal branding isn’t something we should put aside once we’ve found a job, or something we don’t have to dedicate time to if we already have one. Personal branding is something inherent to all of us as individuals and as professionals, and not having a personal brand is also a way (albeit a negative one) of having one.
Therefore, if personal branding is linked to the concept of professionals, and those of us who work in public administration are professionals, it is inevitable that all the aspects encompassed by personal branding are applicable to civil servants, albeit with the specific characteristics of our sector.
What can personal branding offer civil servants?
Meet other colleagues who work in other public administrations
Being able to exchange information, experiences, or ask questions is invaluable and will give us more resources to do our work. The emergence of social networks specifically for civil servants, such as Inap Social or Novagob, are an example of the power of these professional contact networks in public administration.
Access content of interest
Personal branding requires us to have a public presence that allows us to share content and, at the same time, access content shared by other professionals, organizations, public administrations, etc., so we will be much better informed about everything related to our professional field.
New professional opportunities
If only your closest administrative circle knows what you do, even if you’re very good in your field or specialty, you’ll be unlikely to be called to teach a training course, participate in a conference, be part of a new project, or be offered a secondment or an open position. What isn’t known to exist can’t be found.
Opportunities exist for those who want to seize them, and in our world, this means working on your online reputation, your personal brand, and your digital presence—just as we do in the real world—but complemented by a presence in a digital environment that allows for greater reach and diffusion.
It allows us to know ourselves better as professionals
Building a personal brand involves a process of self-knowledge that allows us to identify the areas or aspects in which we are strong, and, conversely, those in which we are weaker.
Learn to use new tools
Anyone who develops their personal brand will eventually create an infographic, write a tweet, record a video, or write a blog, making us much more versatile when it comes to our work.
Furthermore, we will be constantly learning, as these tools are constantly changing, making us much more dynamic and less resistant to change. It’s a way to acquire those famous digital skills we’re all supposed to have.
Give visibility to the work we do
Personal branding allows society to understand and value the work done in public administrations. Many companies, organizations, and individuals are “surprised” by the work and value of many public employees and have learned about it through their social media posts or by following their blogs.
There is much more talent in public administration than we think, but it must also be made visible and made known, not only through the help of those who are its protagonists: the people who work in public administration.
In Spain, there are more than 3 million people working in public administration. We are not all the same, we do not all work the same, and we do not all have the same motivation. Therefore, it is also in our hands to make it known that civil servants are not lazy, are not naturally unmotivated, or that the only thing we care about is lunchtime.
Improve our professional and personal image
By developing our personal brand, we control the image we project and don’t let Google decide how others perceive us based on the information available.
Not having a personal brand is actually having a personal brand, a “non-personal brand,” and that, in a world like ours, can be negative.
Let’s think about a hotel or restaurant. What would you think if nothing about them appeared on the internet? No website, no social media, no references of any kind. The same thing is happening with people. If someone is a good professional, information about their publications, talks they’ve given, or achievements will appear online.
If I take stock of what working on my personal brand has meant to me, it’s positive, and it is because it has made me a better professional than if I hadn’t done it.
It has allowed me to learn about the administration beyond my field of work and to meet people who have given me their perspective on public services. I have also been able to access information, experiences, and initiatives that have shown me a different way of working beyond what I had in my administration. And being present in a new environment that requires me to learn new tools and applications has made me more receptive to change.
If you want to develop your personal brand and don’t know how to do it or where to start, here’s this practical guide I’ve written on Personal Branding in Public Administrations. You’ll find all the steps you need to follow, the new channels and formats you can use, the importance of networking, and the importance of specialization.
If you have any questions or comments after reading this, you can contact me at contacto@amalialopezacera.com.
We can follow the conversation at:
- Twitch
- Tik Tok
- Telegram
- Ivoox
- Apple pódcast
- Spotify
- Google pódcast
- Novagob
- Facebook group “Social Networks and Public Administrations“
- Facebook group of “Bloggers of public administrations“
- Facebook group for “Journalists in Public Administrations“
