Rebranding Personal Image for Career Change

The fastest way to stall your career isn’t a lack of skill. It’s neglecting the image you project. Too often, I see brilliant professionals stall in interviews, boardrooms, or on stages, and it's not because they lack expertise, but because they haven’t stopped to reflect on the message they want to convey. Before you make your next move, spend focused time considering these 7 strategic questions: 1️⃣ What message does your image send the moment you walk in the room? 2️⃣ Does your presence align with the level of authority you want to project? 3️⃣ Are you being perceived as polished, prepared, and credible? 4️⃣ How do you differentiate yourself visually and energetically from peers at your level? 5️⃣ Are you leveraging style, grooming, and body language as strategic tools? 6️⃣ Is your professional image strong enough to inspire confidence in those making promotion decisions? 7️⃣ What signals are you sending without realizing it? Are they positive or negative? This exercise takes time, requires honesty, and honest self-reflection. But it sharpens your narrative, builds your credibility, and makes your positioning undeniable. Self-awareness of your image is a competitive advantage. When you invest in your presence, you move faster, attract better opportunities, and carry yourself with the presence and confidence of a true executive. #ExecutivePresence #ProfessionalImage #PersonalBranding

In 2018, I was landlocked in a cost center. Smart, ambitious, visible — but not prioritized. I was solving high-stakes problems but positioned in the part of the business leadership saw as a liability, not a lever. I applied internally for growth. I advocated for myself. And nothing moved. I realized: I wasn’t stuck. I was being contained. So I stopped begging for elevation inside a system built to minimize me. I rebranded my LinkedIn and résumé. I activated my network. And I let the market tell me what I was worth — not just my manager. I got recruited by a competitor. Six months later, I got recruited again — this time, by their competitor. I stayed, I delivered, I grew. And then — seven years after I left — the original company came back. This time, it was two levels higher. And over $100K more in salary. ⸻ Here’s the Career Nomad lesson: ✨Sometimes the only way to get promoted is to leave. ✨Sometimes, loyalty looks like stagnation when you’re in the wrong seat. ✨Sometimes your next level is waiting — outside the hallway you keep pacing in. ⸻ I didn’t just bounce. I rebranded. I networked. I became a magnet for recognition. That’s the RNA Method™.    •   Rebrand: I stopped letting my job title define my narrative.    •   Network: I expanded beyond internal referrals and positioned myself with power.    •   Achieve Recognition: I became undeniable. So undeniable, they had to come back with the bag. ⸻ If you’re reading this and feeling cost-centered, sidelined, or slept on: You don’t have to shrink. You don’t have to wait. You don’t have to beg. You can build leverage, exit strategically, and write your comeback story — with commas, not crumbs. This isn’t just career advice. It’s Career Liberation.

part 2: how i landed my current l&d role in ~ 5 months 🎊 cue taylor swift because it was time to enter my rebrand era. 🪩 ✨ i’d spent 4 years branding myself as a career coach and consultant, so it was time to pivot my personal and professional brand. you know the saying, ‘dress for the job you want, not the job you have’ — the same applies to your brand when you’re transitioning careers! your personal brand and online presence should align with the job you WANT, not what you’re currently doing. 💥 for me this meant: 1️⃣ linkedin: changing my banner, my profile statement, and my about, featured, and experience sections. 🙋🏻♀️it wasn’t about erasing or negating the fact that i had been a business owner, career coach, and consultant, but it was changing the narrative about how those *actually* related to what i wanted to do next. 🔑 by far the biggest mistake i see people make here is making their CURRENT reality (being a jobseeker, an entrepreneur, getting laid off, being a former educator, etc) their personal brand. 2️⃣ resume: creating a one-and-done resume highlighting ONLY the skills i *actually* wanted to use in my next role (and only applying to roles that aligned with my resume) 🙋🏻♀️i never once updated my resume to fit a job description, and had a ~20% apply to first interview rate. i identified 14 skills i knew would give me energy in my next role, and created a resume highlighting only those. 🔑 you don’t have to include every detail of every job on your resume. remember, your resume is not a laundry list of everything you’ve ever done. it’s a marketing document showcasing what it is you want to do next, through the lens of what you’ve done in the past. 3️⃣ portfolio: curating a collection of previous work samples that showcased the type of work i want to do next. 🙋🏻♀️ i don’t believe every l&d niche requires a portfolio, but because i had a ~4 year gap in full time employment, i knew having some additional ammo to back up my resume would work to my advantage. 🔑 similar to your resume, if you’re creating a portfolio keep it curated to exactly the type of work you want to do next. my portfolio (https://lnkd.in/gtwmEmdV) features me on a panel about the future of leaning, program strategy docs, a white paper i co-authored, and an excerpt of a leadership development session i developed and led. what you’ll notice my portfolio NOT heavy on is facilitation, elearning, asset development, etc. the goal of my personal brand was to have someone land on my linkedin, resume, and or/portfolio and have them say “wow, i want her to do that for ME.” 🎯 💡if you’re career transitioning, or have pivoted in the past, how have you rebranded yourself?

📉 74% of consumers today say “a brand’s values and messaging matter more to me than ever before.” 63% switch to competitors when brands feel out of touch. (Source: Edelman Trust Barometer 2025) The writing is on the wall , repositioning, rebranding, and refining your message is no longer optional. It’s the difference between being visible and being valuable. And I say this not as a marketer. But as a Learning & Development professional who wore the broad hat of leadership training for over 20 years. 🧠 For the longest time, I showed up on LinkedIn as “a leadership cultivator and Life Amplification Coach Respected? Yes. But specific? Not really. In the last 7–8 months, I made a conscious shift I niched down into Personal Branding and LinkedIn Brand Strategist for Senior Leaders. Still coaching. Still training. But with a laser-sharp lens: Helping leaders overcome limiting beliefs and establish their voice and visibility in the digital space. And the results? ✨ My visibility went up ✨ My credibility deepened ✨ I started attracting premium, global clients who were clear about what they needed because now my message was clear too. And guess what? I’m about to reposition again deeper, sharper, and more focused. Because I believe growth lies in clarity, not complexity. 🎯 Here’s the truth I’ve learnt: When you try to be everything to everyone, you end up being forgettable. Think of a doctor who says: “I do heart, brain, bone, skin—and yes, I can do surgery too.” Would you trust them? Now think of a cardiothoracic surgeon who specializes in pediatric heart conditions. You know exactly who to call. That’s the power of niching. That’s the power of repositioning. That’s how you build a brand that connects, converts, and compounds in value. So if you’ve been wearing too many hats, maybe it’s time to pick the one that truly fits and own it. Your audience is waiting. #PersonalBranding #LinkedInForLeaders #Rebranding #Positioning #L&D

IS CAREER CHANGE STILL POSSIBLE IN MID-CAREER? Q. Hi Liz, I want to change careers but who would hire me in a new career path at my age? A. I remember how happily surprised I was when I realized that most jobs have a lot in common with one another. If we're talking about office jobs, most of the relevant skills are transferable. You'll learn new methods and new terminology in a new career path but everything else -- your brains, your wisdom, your ability to spot problems and solve them, your communication skills and so on - carries over from one career path to the next. Here are the steps to executing a career change at any age: 1) Decide which career path you want to explore. (That is a big question! If you're stuck on this point or any of the other points in this list, drop a note in my LinkedIn inbox and we'll brainstorm.) 2) Brand yourself for the new career path you're entering. That's going to involve changing some of what's on your resume now. You're branding yourself for a new audience, and hiring managers in that audience care about different things that the managers you wrote your old resume for. 3) Read job ads and research your target career path to understand the pain points hiring managers run into. They won't be obscure or mysterious. Common pain points are things like losing customers to competitors, checked-out employees (or turnover), a shortage of leadership bench strength, poor response to job ads, cost overruns, overburdened tech, etc. 4) Recall and reclaim some of your favorite Dragon-Slaying Stories(TM) - stories about times when you came, saw and conquered in your career thus far. Your stories illustrate your abilities far better than a list of skills ever could. 5) Create a Target Employer List. That's a list of employers who employ people in the new career path you're focused on. 6) Put together your strategy, and launch your job search! Need ideas? Drop a note in my LinkedIn inbox. Here's to your career adventures! #careerchange #midcareer #branding #rebranding #newyou #newpath #transferableskills #yougotthis

Last year, I lost a job that had become a major part of my identity. I had poured everything into the role. I was my title. I loved the work, the company, and the prestige. But when I was laid off, the silence that followed was jarring. For the first time in years, I didn’t know how to introduce myself. Who was I without that title? That question led me down a path that changed everything: I stopped hiding behind job titles and started building my personal brand. And not just because it’s trendy, because it’s essential. A lot of people think personal branding is just about building a following and posting on social media, but it's actually about owning your story, defining your value, and building something that can’t be erased by a layoff, a career pivot, or an unexpected change. When you’re intentional about your brand: ↳ You shape the narrative of your work and your values ↳ You attract aligned opportunities without constantly chasing them ↳ You build recognition and trust within your industry You create stability, even when your external situation changes. Once I started showing up regularly on LinkedIn, sharing lessons I’d learned, ideas I was exploring, and challenges I’d faced, things shifted. People reached out for advice. New opportunities showed up. And I felt more grounded and confident in who I was outside a title. And you can do the same.

Let’s talk personal branding because “results-driven team player” isn’t cutting it anymore. 🙃 You’re more than a bullet point on a resume. More than your last job title. And definitely more than a cliché-filled summary. Your personal brand is what helps you stand out not blend in. It’s what makes someone say: “I don’t just want to interview them… I need them on my team.” But most job seekers don’t know how to define their brand let alone communicate it with clarity and confidence. That’s why I now walk every single one of my clients through this framework 👇 💥 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 1: 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 (𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘇𝘇𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀) Ask yourself: 🔹 What do I do BEST? (Think actual superpowers, not "hard worker.") 🔹 What problems do I solve and how does my work create impact? 🔹 What makes me different from others in my field? 🔹 What do people say about me when I’m not in the room? 🛑 Weak: “I’m a passionate sales professional and team player.” ✅ Strong: “I help B2B companies shorten the sales cycle and increase client retention by building trust-based strategies that convert.” 🌟 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 2: 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 This is where the magic happens. Your values are the compass that keep your career heading in the right direction. Ask yourself: 💬 What matters most to me in my work? 💬 What lights me up and what drains me? 💬 How do I want to show up for others? Then tie that back to your brand story. Example: ✅ “As someone who values innovation and impact, I’ve built a reputation for launching operational changes that saved $1M annually without sacrificing team morale.” 📣 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 3: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀 🔹 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 🛑 Project Manager ✅ Agile Project Manager | Driving Product Innovation & 20% Faster Delivery Cycles 🔹 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Hook them with your WHY and show the value you bring. Include real metrics. Let your personality come through. 🔹 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 > 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀) 🛑 Managed internal communications. ✅ Led internal comms strategy that increased employee engagement scores by 27%. 🔹 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 🛑 “I’m looking for anything in marketing.” ✅ “I help mission-driven brands connect with their ideal audience by creating strategic messaging that drives results.” 💡 Final thought: Your personal brand isn’t about performing. It’s about owning your story, showing your value, and making it easy for others to understand how you can help them succeed. Need help crafting yours? Let’s build a brand that reflects who you are and what you bring to the table. 👇 Drop a 🙋♀️ if you're ready to ditch the buzzwords and build a personal brand you’re proud of. #PersonalBranding #CareerTips #JobSearchStrategy