10 Quick Wins for Your Personal Brand’s Credibility

Build credibility fast. These 10 quick wins for your personal brand are simple, high-impact strategies you can implement today. No long-term overhaul required.

Building the personal brand of your dreams can most often be a long game. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a few quick wins for your personal brand strategy. 

Implementing any one of the personal brand tips in this blog won’t take you more than a day, some just hours or even minutes, and they could have a huge impact on the credibility of your professional personal brand. It could land you that dream client, dream job and dream career. 

1.Rewrite your LinkedIn

It’s said that more than 60% of recruiters check LinkedIn profile photos during the recruitment process. Does your LinkedIn look outdated or abandoned? Or does it look like you care about your career? That you’re passionate about your profession and interested in contributing positively to your industry at large?

Spending just a few hours after work one night or over the weekend will make all the difference for the credibility your personal brand conveys on LinkedIn.

2. Refresh your LinkedIn profile photo

The science shows that first impressions are formed within a tenth of a second, and they last. Meaning we double down on our initial impression. This works wonders for your personal brand if you’ve left an instantly positive first impression. If you haven’t, it means your personal brand will have to work harder to recover from any initial faux pas. 

A 2014 study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology concluded that people in well-lit photos were rated as significantly more trustworthy than those in dimly lit images.

Poor lighting or obscured facial features create increased ambiguity. This increases perceived threat and lowers trustworthiness. Pose for or pick a new light bright photo to attract credibility. Eye contact also creates your credibility, and a slight smile suggests warmth.

Your LinkedIn profile photo is the hero image of your LinkedIn profile. It’s a digital handshake. Make it memorable. 

3. Reimagine your LinkedIn profile banner

Unlike most other social media platforms, it seems many LinkedIn users retain LinkedIn’s default banner settings. This leaves a lazy impression for your LinkedIn profile. It’s okay if you don’t want to pick an image that boxes you into a particular industry. Make sure it, at least, doesn’t defer to the default. Use Canva and its many templates to create something special for your LinkedIn profile. With instant visual impact, add a pinch of your personal panache to your personal brand.  

4. Reinvent your resume

Whether you're actively looking for a new job or opportunity comes knocking unexpectedly, be employment market-ready with a first-class resume. Your resume is the pitch for your professional personal brand to position you with style. Depending on your career history, an exceptional resume might mean sacrificing a half to full day over the weekend. But, consider this; Imagine the income this little document can earn you if you land the job. Throughout your time in the role, the investment you make in your resume can have a huge return on investment for your personal brand. Speaking of resumes, let’s not forget it’s a powerful partner in credibility. 

5. Customise your cover letter

Your resume might pitch you as the perfect candidate for the job. But it won’t matter if your cover letter negatively affects your credibility. Tiny details can show you aren’t submitting a generic cover letter and that you have a genuine interest in the role you’re applying for. Mention the role title and organisation specifically. Make references that showcase your knowledge of the organisation, such as its activities, goals or values. Create a compelling resume and open the door to the next exciting stage of your career.

6. Download Grammarly

Studies across platforms - emails, websites, social media, resumes - have found that spelling mistakes lower the credibility of the author. So, whether it’s your LinkedIn profile, resume, digital content or emails, pay attention to your spelling and grammar. 

I get it. The generic advice to not publish or submit anything with spelling errors is obvious and often unhelpful. Does anyone actively set out to make embarrassing mistakes? No. Especially when you’ve put so much effort into putting your best self forward for your personal brand. After spending my career writing, Grammarly, for me, has proved to be my best tool to tackle potentially credibility-damaging errors.  

What I love about Grammarly is that it takes the usual spelling checks on Microsoft Word or Mac Pages to another level with its counter. It’s a little bubble stuck on your screen that you can’t help but check before pressing publish or send.

Make proofreading a part of your process. Give your grammar the best chance of silently protecting your personal brand credibility. 

7. Publish testimonials

Testimonials are social proof. As tribal beings, they help us reduce perceived risks. Show your credibility by showing the positive experiences others have had working with you. Push past the discomfort of requesting a testimonial and conjure up the courage to send that quick email or write that text. A few minutes of awkwardness can be a powerful quick win for your personal brand.   

8. Track your achievements

All too often, you don’t think about your achievements until you're rewriting your resume or creating your personal brand website. Get into the habit of keeping track of your achievements, whether you need them now or not. I used to have a colleague who did this as a part of her ongoing process. I’ll admit, young naive me thought it was odd. Now I understand its brilliance. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy. It could be a note you keep in your phone or a file on your computer.

Did a particular social media campaign you ran for your work or a client do delightfully well? Note the numbers. Did you win a big pitch? Perfect. What was the value? Did you find a cost-saving? Great, what did it save across a year or more? Did you land media coverage? What was its media value? Make keeping track a habit so you have your achievements ready to roll for your next resume rewrite, interview or client pitch. 

9. Let a picture paint a thousand words

Pick pictures to instantly elevate your credibility. Don’t simply tell the world you’re a star. Show them. Embody your credibility. Whether it’s your LinkedIn profile, website banner, website or other digital platforms, show imagery of you at a speaking engagement, receiving an award, at your book launch event, or simply behind the scenes in your work. Let a picture paint a thousand words for you. 

10. Infuse a touch of formality

Adding a hint of formality to your professional brand can increase your credibility. Various studies support that compared to those who dress more casually, those who dress more formally are perceived as more competent. This doesn’t mean having to turn up in a suit and tie for your creatively oriented job. But, consider this: Imagine if you elevate at least one element of your look to show you mean business. 

Credibility doesn’t always require a complete reinvention - often, it’s the small, intentional shifts that create the biggest impact. Start with one or two of these quick wins and watch your personal brand evolve with confidence, clarity, and quiet authority.