O Que Se Chama? – The Profound Wisdom of Personal Branding

Picture this: You’re in Brazil, enjoying a cup of cafézinho, when someone asks, “O que se chama?” – What are you called?  

You answer, “James.” And just like that, the person has no choice but to call you James. You defined yourself, and the world followed.  

This is the essence of personal branding. Whatever you call yourself, the world will eventually call you that. If your resume says, "Innovative leader driving multimillion-dollar growth," people will see you as that. But if you write "Hardworking professional seeking opportunities," you might as well be saying, "Please, someone hire me?"  

So, let’s fix that. Here’s how to brand yourself like the CEO of You, Inc., with real-world examples from resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn.  

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1. Resume: Your Carnival Parade, Not a Grocery List  

Your resume should make you look like the star of the show, not just another face in the crowd.  

Bad Example:  

"Assisted with sales tasks and helped the team meet targets."  

This sounds like you occasionally handed out pamphlets.  

Better Example:  

"Drove 30% revenue growth by implementing data-driven sales strategies, leading to record-breaking quarterly earnings."  

Now, you’re not helping—you’re leading.  

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2. Cover Letter: Your Samba, Not a Slow Dance  

A cover letter isn’t a place to be shy. If you don’t hype yourself up, who will?  

Bad Example:  

"Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved numbers, which led me to study finance."  

That’s cute, but no one is hiring for “childhood passion.”  

Better Example:  

"As a financial analyst, I have optimized investment strategies that increased portfolio returns by 25%, leveraging deep market insights and predictive analytics."  

Now you sound like a finance powerhouse, not just someone who liked counting as a child.  

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3. LinkedIn: The Carnival Float Where You Must Stand Out  

Your LinkedIn headline should not be “Experienced professional seeking new challenges.” That’s like wearing a gray T-shirt at Carnaval—no one notices you.  

Bad Example:  

"HR Manager | Passionate about talent development and recruitment."  

That’s nice, but so are a million other HR managers.  

Better Example:  

"HR Architect | Built Talent Pipelines for High-Growth Startups | Scaling Teams from 10 to 500+"  

Now, you’re a builder, a strategist, and someone people want to hire.  

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Final Wisdom: Call Yourself What You Want to Be  

If you don’t name yourself, the world will name you something generic. And trust me, your neighbor’s wife is not telling people, "Oh, he’s an industry thought leader!"—that’s your job.  

So go ahead—call yourself something worth remembering.  

Now, what do you call yourself?

As for me? I call myself the branding swami and your career yogi.

Have fun branding yourself!🚀