The tyranny of a personal brand in IT

The first answer that comes to mind is “Maybe there is no need to go further.” You have already achieved good results, are provided with a stable income and can enjoy life, indulge in hobbies, maintain qualifications and from time to time consider offers of higher pay. I don’t see anything wrong with this approach.

However, if you strive to further develop, you face complex barriers that do not depend solely on your professional skills. Overcoming them can take years, and even then there is no guarantee of success. Companies begin to ask questions: “Who are you in life? Have we heard anything about you? Why do you want to become a department head, team lead or technical director in our company?”

The path of the tiger hidden in the grass

But how to stop being a “no-name” and declare yourself? The first option invites us to gain recognition within the company, throwing off the mask of a faceless hard worker and, finally, coming to the fore.

It is necessary to start the first steps with self-education. There is an opinion that only a “person with talent” can be a leader, and it is because of this belief that 20-year-old managers arise who are not able to do their job well. I believe that working as a team lead requires the same set of knowledge and templates that need to be applied as a regular developer, and with the right desire, anyone can become one. Therefore, I recommend taking courses in team leadership and personnel management to improve your skills, which will help you get closer to your goal.

Self-education is important, of course, but it alone will not help you advance in this game. You need to start quietly whispering in the ear of your manager or department head, indicating that you want to take on the role of team leader of a small team and have already completed some advanced training courses. Try to express your desires as often as possible, so that when the right opportunity arises, your name will already be heard, and you will have a small personal brand in the head of your manager.

After hidden interactions with management, it is worth starting to show more initiative, but not only so that others begin to hate you and perceive you as an upstart, but also so that word spreads about a person who is actively involved in the life of the company. If problems arise with established processes, bring them up for discussion and suggest changes. Even if none of your suggestions are accepted, people will begin to see you as an active participant.

Thus, moving forward and increasing your recognition, you will have the opportunity to get rid of the question “Who are you in life?”, because they will already know you.

In general, this approach is not very close to me; it seems as if you constantly have to prove to everyone that you are active and proactive, and that you are capable of solving the team lead’s problems. Moreover, let's say not directly with the responsibilities of the team lead, but simply with actions that will attract attention to you. I believe that this work is not so difficult that you need to make a name for yourself within the company. This is just the first step. Going further, companies will want much more from your personal brand.

Path of the Messiah

The path of carrying the word of God, that is, IT, assumes that you begin to become a public figure in general and share your experience with the whole world. It is important to understand that the experience you share should be more technical, and not just entertaining. Because it is the technical solution to problems that should interest your employer.

A good place to start is by writing technical articles where you describe problems you encounter at work and how to solve them. It doesn't have to be your personal experience; you can talk about situations in which you took part. Over time, you will develop a personal portfolio of articles that you can present to a potential employer. Even if they don’t know him personally, seeing that you have successfully solved many problems and your work has been appreciated by the community, you will no longer look like a no-name, but like a specialist who has documented solutions to problems, for example, “solving the problem of the nuclear phase of the integrator 3000.”

In parallel with writing articles, it is worth considering entering offline speaking platforms, such as conferences. Create presentations based on your articles and give them at conferences. This will allow you to share useful information and meet other speakers and participants. The IT world is not as big as it seems, and by gaining fame in this community, you significantly increase your chances of being noticed and invited to more interesting and highly paid projects.

And the last step on this path is directly teaching others, creating your own training course. Putting all these components together, what do I think employers notice when a person interviews for a management position? Experience in solving problems, public speaking, transferring your knowledge – this is all confirmation of expertise. If we remove all this, then we are again faced with the question “Who are you in life?”

The Startup Path

The path of a startup is quite simple if you already have a billion, but not in dollars, but in unfinished pet projects. You need to choose small ideas to implement and bring them to completion. In addition, in addition to applications, you can create your own libraries, participate in the development of other projects, and be included in the list of top committers on GitHub or GitLab.

This will also add recognition and trust to your brand. When you provide links to your projects to the HR manager, the team will be able to evaluate your coding style, previous experience and other aspects, which can make it easier for you to pass the company's filtering process.

Your portfolio on GitHub is an important thing and, unlike articles, it not only theoretically confirms your skills, but also practically.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to summarize that in the modern world you cannot break through without a personal brand. Willingly, you create it through entries in your work book, articles, speeches, courses and other activities that present you to a potential employer. The stronger your brand, the higher your compensation, but that doesn't always mean you're the best technician. Your importance to the community also plays an important role: the more recognition you have, the more people listen to you.

However, it is important to remember that the average person may also be right, despite the lack of publicity. And he can also be a professional and a good leader, but most likely he simply will not get this position.

Thank you for your attention!