[Names and identifying details have been changed to protect the bitter.]

The other day I overheard some grumbling between a couple of colleagues, aged 28-32 and with about 5 years' experience in their current profession.  "It's not fair," one said.  "Bob's only been here a year and he's already had a raise, a promotion, and even an award.  And now he gets to head up his own project!  I have more experience, have been here longer - and I definitely work harder."

To which the other replied:  "I know!  I don't see him working at his desk at 7pm every night, like I do, either.   So why do they [meaning 'senior management'] give all the good stuff to Bob?"

Well, knowing Bob as I do, I know exactly why he's getting the gravy:  He's built a great personal brand.

Personal brands:  Not just for consultants and C-suites any more

A few years ago, the only people who really needed to build strong personal brands were consultant-types (who needed a personal brand in order to land the $150/hour gigs) or C-suite-level execs whose personal brands were closely linked to their company brands (like Richard Branson or Steve Jobs, for example).

But personal brands are becoming more important for everyone - even if you're never going to be an independent consultant, entrepreneur, or C-suite exec at a multi-national company.  Here's why:

1. We're all on information overload, so we have to rely on specialists.  Thanks to technology and the internet, we've all got huge amounts of information coming at us 24/7.  We barely have enough time to stay on top of our own professions/jobs, let alone learn about others. 
   
   The result?  In many cases, we just have to 'trust' that an employee we've hired to run our IT department, transform our supply chain function, or process invoices does, in fact, know their profession - because we're never going to have enough time to know their professional well enough to really judge their abilities.
   
   That's where a personal brand comes in handy:  Let's say you're one of two top candidates for an intermediate Procurement Manager position.  Both of you have similar education, experience and skills, but the other guy's been writing a procurement blog for the past 2 years (and you haven't).  Who's more likely to get hired?  You guessed it:  Mr Procurement Blog, who's demonstrated that he's passionate about procurement, wants to be a thought leader, and has the kind of stick-to-it-iveness that every employer wants.
2. We all change jobs more often, so we have less time to build relationships with co-workers.
   In the days when people worked in the same department of the same company for years on end, your co-workers had plenty of time to get to know you and your skills, to know what you were good at and what they could rely on you to know/manage.
   
   These days, we're all changing jobs much more frequently, and we're required to demonstrate that we're 'delivering value' right from Day 1.  This means we have to hit the ground running with new colleagues, and no one's got a heck of a lot of time to get to know colleagues' skills and capabilities.
   
   A personal brand can make a huge difference here:  By making it clear that you're the 'expert' on topics X, Y and Z, you help your co-workers (and managers) make the most of your skills, experience and abilities right from the get-go. 
   
   Your colleagues benefit because they get a teammate who can quickly fill their gaps; your boss(es) benefit because you're more productive, sooner.
   
3. Keep yourself top-of-mind.
   Whether you're a laundry detergent or a hiring manager in the pharma industry, the key to success is making sure that when people need X, they think of you first. 
   
   Let's say your organization has 10 intermediate Procurement Managers, but only one of them writes a recruiting blog, encourages everyone to sign up for the RSS feed or regularly tweets about a presentation he gave, a template he developed, etc.  (in other words, all the stuff you do to build a personal brand). 
   
   Whose name is more likely to come up at a senior management meeting during which promotions or plum assignments are determined? 
   
4. Google is the great arbiter.
   Make no mistake:  Recruiters, hiring managers, bosses, co-workers and even former co-workers often while away an idle hour Googling people they work with, have worked with, or are thinking of working with.
   
   If Googling your name turns up evidence of a personal brand - like an article, blog, presentation, etc. - rather than just your Facebook page, you immediately have more credibility.  Which means better projects in the short-term - and better prospects in the long-term.

So, what are you waiting for?  Go start building your personal brand!