I am a chef, runner, yogi, reader, and lover of cookbooks and travel guides.
I am a city person with a deep appreciation for the country.
I am an Aquarius.
I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
One thing Im not?
Unlike Apple or Jeep or Lagunitas, I am not a product hoping to get bought.
Shocking, but Im not for sale!
This post originally appeared onThe Muse.
Damaging to my career even.
If I dont self-define, self-package, self-promote, am I hurting my chances of success?
Last year, I attended a leadership conference and heard Janet Kestin of theSwim Leadership Programtouch on this.
I nodded vehemently as I rolled the words around in my head.
People are not brands.
Eschewing popular thought can be hard to back up.
How weird is this desire to have fans just for being a polished-up version of yourself?
And to curate them based on the pictures you post and the 160-character bio you conceived?
Targeting a specific audience and creating a persona is highly limiting, not to mention, inevitably, boring.
Look, I care about my online presence.
Of course I do.
I have more social media accounts than existed 15 years ago, and I enjoy using them.
Like you, Im pretty much constantly connected.
I post links to my writing on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
I appreciate it when people like my stuff or take the time to comment.
But none of that makes me into a brand.
Its not a thought-out persona crafted to attract and entice a focused audience; its just me.
And theres security and safety in that.
But I dont want to be one-note.
I dont want to spend my energy collecting 5,000 Twitter followers.
What Im posing is re-thinking what it means to have an online presence.
You dont need to shut down your accounts or vow to stay off Snapchat or Periscope.
Forget about the neat little package and take back whats yoursyour story.
And if a future hiring manager doesnt like what he or she sees, oh well.
Yes, that might seem strange, especially for a career site.
(Certainly, as a writer, I want my work to sound like me.)
But, I will remain adamant about one thing.
Not for any site, hiring manager, or potential fan base.
Screw Personal BrandingIm a Person, Not a Product| The Muse
