Is your personal brand ready for “The Great Resignation?”

In the wake of the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, people seem to be re-evaluating their lives, their jobs and the balance between the two. Reports say that up to 40% of employees are thinking about leaving their current jobs. This could mark a huge pivot for Americans (who have been able to remain employed) to ask themselves, “Is that really what I want to do with the rest of my life?” It seems in “the before times,” when life was predictable, we were content to just go with the flow. Now, those rules don’t apply anymore. We’re tired, fatigued and grapple with daily life in a way we never had to before.

Enter “The Great Resignation.”

During the chaos of 2020, many of us left long-held jobs–voluntarily or not–due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. Entering the workforce again after a 20-something year career wasn’t daunting to me in the least because of two words: personal brand. I’d long been a fan of building and sculpting my personal brand. What is a personal brand? It’s the qualities you’re known for in a professional sense. When someone thinks of “x,” they think of you. (i.e., content creation, thought leadership, negotiation…).

So, as I pivoted from a long career at one company, it was easier to find the kind of work I wanted to do by leading with my personal brand. It’s the through-line in my professional life that keeps me focused on the kinds of work I’m good at and enjoy.

Want to learn more about getting started with your personal brand? Watch the Word Ninja Podcast premiere episode below.