Building a personal brand is a notion that many I work with - predominantly Brits and South Africans - find very uncomfortable. To them it often, incorrectly, smacks of boastfulness and bigheadedness. Because of this, I merely ask them to think about where they stand out above others as a professional and whether they have any particular skills that another employer would find attractive. Typically they name two or three aspects of their job that they are best at first, and then they mention one or two of their behaviours that give them a sense of satisfaction or pride. As they grow, they also get a sense of what they most enjoy. I find this is a better way to guide them towards a personal brand and onwards in their career, rather than asking them to envisage where they will be in 5 years time, and it helps me and my colleagues to determine a professional development programme with which they engage fully. By the time they have 5-6 years of work experience under their belt, they are automatically able to single out their individual offering to us and to the wider job market, and they have a very solid appreciation of their personal brand, without sacrificing the effort needed by them to make them successful all round performers too.