Building a Brand as a Tech Professional: Why and How

What result, what reputation? Let’s get into this a little bit more.

You do not have one brand; you have multiple brands. Think of this in terms of user experience: users - all have different experiences with the applications they are using, and there can be various positive or negative experiences. For example, one positive experience can be related to the user-friendliness of the app, and another positive experience can be associated with the content of the app. The negative experiences can also be different in their nature.

Now, let's get back to personal branding - your experience with people or companies determines your reputation or your brand. It's like making sure people perceive you in a certain light.

Branding is how you project yourself and your values to the world and how the world reacts to that representation. So the number of people you or your profile has reached is the number of brands you have.

Working in IT, talent sourcing,, and networking with engineers of different backgrounds, we recruiters have come to view personal branding from a different perspective, especially regarding sourcing, interviewing, and overall recruiting. Let's explain personal branding from an engineer's perspective.

Why is it important to have a personal brand as an engineer? And how to incorporate some of the tips and insights from this article into your day-to-day life?

Self-Representation

In the digital age we are living in, recruitment is done on various platforms. Social Recruitment is quickly developing as part of modern Recruitment. Hence, comes the need for a great online presence:

For companies, this means showcasing their brand & culture on different social media channels.

For recruiters, this means going over social media profiles and portfolios of tech talent to grasp more targeted information and make better hires.

While for engineering professionals and tech talents, your online presence can bring more visibility into your professional profile.

Why is building LinkedIn profiles important for branding?

First and foremost, it makes you stand out from the crowd; you become a professional who is remembered. You have a voice and present yourself to a giant community of HRs, recruiters, hiring managers, and other professionals in tech who might remember you when searching for talent.

This brings me to the 2nd important point, Engagement & Endorsement.

Whether you are looking for new opportunities or not, this point contributes to how desirable a professional you are and the influence, respect, and reliability you bring as a current or future teammate. In other words, how engaged you are within your professional community, how genuinely you respond to recruiters and build relationships, how communicative you are with your colleagues, and how often you share knowledge (in a meetup, podcast, or blog) speaks volumes about what kind of a person you are.

Let's now speak about how you can improve your brand as someone working in tech.

- Dedicate a couple of hours to making a well-designed LinkedIn profile in the upcoming weeks. Aside from building a professional network, LinkedIn is like your online resume. So sharing your career summary, complete work history, professional skills, formal education details, and other info are more than necessary.

Go earn your Stackoverflow reputation: you’re reinforcing your knowledge by answering questions and reading what other professionals share.

Be active on Github: Besides the many advantages this platform offers, like the opportunity to learn more and have real-time collaborations, GitHub is one of the best tools you can rely on when building your career.

Build relationships: whether you‘re just starting or are a leading professional with 20 years of experience, expanding your social circle will always be beneficial. So constantly checking on tech events in your city, meeting, sharing knowledge, and chatting with fellow professionals will always be helpful.

Is personal branding an advantage? Definitely.

It gives you a higher chance of getting noticed, leading to more opportunities and more options to build a successful career.

Your brand is not how you see yourself but how others perceive you. And how others perceive you is up to you. Find your tone of voice, be genuine, and start building relationships. You’ll begin getting hundreds of LinkedIn profile views in no time!

Short version

Working in IT, talent sourcing, and networking with engineers of different backgrounds, we recruiters have come to view personal branding from a different perspective: how employers and employees represent themselves is of utmost importance. So what does great online presence mean?

For companies, this means showcasing their brand & culture on different social media channels.

For recruiters, this means going over social media profiles and portfolios of tech talent to grasp more targeted information and make better hires.

While for engineering professionals and tech talents, your online presence can bring more visibility into your professional profile.

Here is how you can improve your online presence.

Firstly, LinkedIn profile building is important as it makes you stand out from the crowd; you become a professional who is remembered. You have a voice and present yourself to a giant community of HRs, recruiters, hiring managers, and other professionals in tech.

Secondly, Engagement and Endorsements is also crucial as it contributes to how desirable a professional you are. Shortly, how engaged you are within your professional community, how genuinely you respond to recruiters and build relationships, how communicative you are with your colleagues, and how often you share knowledge (in a meetup, podcast, or blog) goes a long way.

Here are 4 easy steps in how to improve your online presence:

Dedicate a couple of hours to making a well-designed LinkedIn profile.

Earn your Stackoverflow reputation.

Be active on Github.

Building relationships and networking

And there you have it! :)