Impact of personal branding on the development of professional careers of managers

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of the paper is to present the importance of personal branding in the process of career development of managers, both from theoretical and empirical perspectives.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The research method was diagnostic survey, with a research questionnaire. The study was conducted between August 2018 and February 2019 on a group of 1842 respondents (managers). The main hypothesis was “personal branding has a positive impact on managers' professional development”.

FINDINGS: Personal branding, i.e., creating a personal brand, appeared in theory and practice relatively recently. Managers have always been engaged in building a personal image, although they did not do so in a proper, systematic or fully conscious manner. It is the emergence of social media that made online positioning a key factor determining career. The population surveyed most often perceived personal branding as abilities to build reputation and image that are translated into trust and credibility. The respondents indicated that on today's job market professional development is best facilitated by social competencies.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Managers should pay more attention to personal branding that an increased level of satisfaction can contribute to an increased work efficiency, bringing measurable results.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Although there are many studies dedicated to employer branding, a relatively limited number of such researches are focused on personal branding for managers of organizations in their work careers. The article is, hence, an attempt to fill the aforementioned gap. Conducting the research is sufficient enough to learn about the personal branding and and managers' satisfaction of the work. Furthermore, studies concerning personal branding may be an important source of information which employers and managers can apply to determine areas of further development.