Whenever I talk about personal branding with mid-career people, I often notice a look that suggests just a bit of skepticism, even if they seem to be agreeing. I can almost hear them thinking, “Personal branding? At my age?”

You may remember that the idea of personal branding was first promoted by Tom Peters in his landmark, 1997 article in Fast Company. You may have read it and applied it to your career. Or maybe not. If you haven't and you are at mid life, you may feel you’ve gotten this far without it, so it’s pretty easy to dismiss personal branding. Yet, in my roles as both a personal branding strategist and as a retirement coach, I assure you that personal branding has a lot to do with the quality of your career -- and the quality of your life!

For now, let’s just stay with the idea of personal branding as a career management tool. Okay fifty-plusers, pay attention.

My friend Wendy, over at Gen Plus, in her post “‘Same-store’ in job search for Boomers and 50 plussers?,” notes the importance of establishing a personal brand that conveys the fresh approach that you bring to work. You need to offer a promise of value that will convince a prospective employer you can add to the growth of the company. She notes that your contribution “…needs to be apparent in your resume, your cover letter, your "look", your approach, your conversation -- essentially, your personal brand.”

So, who needs personal branding? You do.

Want to get help on uncovering your personal brand and using it for career success? Contact me.