Personal Branding on LinkedIn: It Starts with You.

Halyna Skvortsova
Nov 10
3 min read

How authenticity shapes your professional story on LinkedIn PRESENTATION

We often think of a brand as something outside of ourselves — a logo, a slogan, a polished image that the world sees.But what if your brand wasn’t about performance at all?What if it was about presence — about being seen, heard, and understood for who you truly are?

That question became the heart of our recent Facework Ukraine session “Personal Branding on LinkedIn — Your Brand Starts with You.”

Beyond the profile

Your LinkedIn page isn’t just a collection of jobs, skills, and dates. It’s your professional identity — a living reflection of how you think, communicate, and connect.

Olga Gashenko, Director of Marketing & Strategic Communications, UCL Lecturer, and former CEO of YB® Advertising Agency, knows this better than anyone.With more than 21 years in international marketing, she’s helped businesses and individuals turn their voices into something magnetic — not by being louder, but by being truer.

“Your personal brand,” she said, “is what people remember about you when you leave the room. It’s what they say about you, and why they choose you — and not someone else.”

The conflict within

Every strong brand, Olga explained, starts with a kind of conflict.Not the kind that burns bridges — but the kind that builds meaning.

It’s the quiet tension between who you are and who you’re becoming.The place where your values meet your ambitions, and your strengths meet your imperfections.

“Once you discover that inner conflict,” Olga said, “and understand how it shapes you — your brand will grow on its own. Its value will exceed the effort you put into it. Your brand will begin to speak for you.”

That idea — that something powerful already lives inside you — resonated deeply. It reminded us that personal branding isn’t about constructing an image. It’s about revealing a truth.

The power of self-reflection

So where do you start?With honesty.

Ask yourself — for yourself:

What are my core strengths and values?
What makes me different in my field?
What impact do I want to have?

This is where personal branding becomes more than marketing — it becomes self-discovery.Because before the world can believe your story, you must believe it first.

What drives you

Every brand runs on energy.For some, it’s the fire that comes from overcoming hardship.For others, it’s the quiet force of love, respect, or purpose.

Whatever drives you — it’s what gives your story movement.That energy turns experience into connection, and connection into opportunity.

An unconventional exercise

At one point, Olga invited everyone to try something unexpected:

“Write your own epitaph,” she said. “What would you want it to say?”

It wasn’t about morbidity — it was about clarity. If you had to describe your life and work in one line, what truth would remain?

Olga’s own answer — “Shy Warrior” — became a quiet metaphor for the whole session.Strength doesn’t always shout. Sometimes, it whispers with grace and intention.

🎯 Knowing who you speak to

Another key insight: your brand doesn’t exist in isolation. It lives in relationship with others — your audience, your peers, your clients.

You can’t talk to everyone.And you shouldn’t try to.

When you understand who you’re speaking to — when you know their needs, language, and values — your message gains weight.Authenticity becomes strategy.

The tone of your presence

Your brand identity isn’t about visuals alone (though a great photo helps).It’s about tone, rhythm, and the way you make people feel. It’s your handshake translated into words, your energy distilled into pixels.

From the way you write your LinkedIn “About” section to the way you comment on others’ posts — every small detail adds to the story you’re telling.

And as Olga reminded us,

“Your brand may carry you forward — but it’s still you who must build and shape it.”

In the end

Personal branding isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about becoming more of who you already are — with intention.

When you stop trying to fit in and start showing up as yourself, your brand begins to live its own life. It attracts opportunities, connections, and trust — not because you chase them, but because you embody them.

Because your brand doesn’t just move forward with you — it starts moving you.

PRESENTATION

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