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here is a quote in Kurt Vonnegut'€™s Breakfast of Champions that still resonates with us. '€œCharm was a scheme for making strangers like and trust a person immediately, no matter what the charmer had in mind,'€ Vonnegut wrote.

A first impression is the deal maker or breaker in meetings and interaction.

We are used to dealing with enquiries related to lauded '€œfirst impression'€. Colleagues may ask us why we did not land a job at Company X, considering that we graduated from a reputable university abroad, we are nice people and have the skills required.

'€œDo you take a look in the mirror before you go for an interview?'€ is our response.

Most will say no, but some answer in the affirmative. The latter are then asked to give their opinions on themselves.

'€œI looked so darned presentable!'€ is the unanimous answer.

Good to know! But aside from their '€œreflected glory'€, when they are asked if they had even questioned what people thought about them, the answer is always quickly in the negative.

Our observations show that people often perceive who they are only from their own perspective, and almost never extend this to try to understand what others think about them. Even though we may try to avoid doing this, the reality is that your life is judged by people around you, and these people are the indirect shapers of your career.

This is where branding plays a role. Personal branding is a development to confirm your credibility, connect with people emotionally and motivate people to appreciate you greater. It'€™s clear to us that people who did not get the job failed to develop a strong brand for themselves.

Building a personal brand is similar to product branding, and you need to first define your overall aspirations, know your objective and what you want to pursue in life. Once you outline your goal, personal branding will be easier.

The following are a few simple steps to boost your personal brand.

Conducting research

Lay out who your biggest inspiration is. How did he or she achieve success? Do you want to follow in their footsteps? Who are your competitors? How can you excel against them?

Finding key brand attributes

What element do you want your personal brand to convey? What personalities do you want people to associate you with? What market do you want to jump in? How do you want to be known?

Analyze your current state

How do people perceive you currently? How far are you from your main objective and from the person you want others to perceive you to be? What needs improvement and what needs to change, and why?

Create the game plan

The main idea of game plan is the development of you as a product, the tangible and intangible personalities you want to develop within you. It is way beyond attire, hair, makeup and behavior, but also includes verbal and non-verbal communication that defines the way people will perceive you in the long run.

Maintaining your brand image

Adaptation and reinforcement of your brand personalities are crucial. Personal branding has to always reflect the ever changing niche market that you want to be in. Make sure that your brand attributes are always in sync with your main objective.

A concrete example of personal branding is having a personal picture that is close to what you look like, and your Twitter, Facebook, and other social media posts should always align with the market niche you want to be in. In-person behavior also has to go together with who you want people to perceive you as. If you brand yourself as a professional office worker, ensure that it also encompasses how you come across in person, with your outfit, hair and makeup.

But a mismatch often occurs in personal branding, meaning that different attributes are conveyed in social media from your in-person behavior. This needs to be minimized because it can backfire in the development of your personality and the career path that you are pursuing.

For example, when you are pursuing a professional white collar job, following Richard Branson on Twitter is a way smarter decision than following Mariah Carey and talking about the dress she wore on TV last night. Posting about Apple'€™s decreasing stock value is a more thoughtful move than posting the latest cutesy cat videos on Facebook.

Developing strong branding for yourself is a very powerful tool to help you with your life. It will not necessarily land you a dream job, but it will certainly get you closer to your dream.

Possessing a very defined and potent brand personality is crucial to help people to understand who you actually are, who you want to be perceived as and what you stand for.

Kevin Suryadharma is brand consultant at DM IDHOLLAND and Daniel Surya is its chairman and president for Southeast Asia.