AN INTEGRATIVE CAREER SELF-MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK: THE PERSONAL-BRAND OWNERSHIP MODEL

This article proposes a career self-management framework for building and strengthening a personal brand as part of a broad career-development perspective. The aim is to provide a better understanding of the individual's changing role in creating and maintaining a personal brand within the changing world of work. Suggested is a three-stage integrative model of personal-brand ownership. Stage 1 is perceptual, acquiring an "ownership" perception of the individual regarding their own career development. Stage 2 comprises the actual self-branding activities. Stage 3 involves measuring and evaluating the self-built personal brand. Ownership is a key concept in the suggested model. The process involves acquiring beliefs and attitudes according to which an individual takes ownership of their career and directs it based on personal desires, values, and subjective definition of what success is. It continues with actively shaping a personal brand, one that is based on personal values and attached to one's personal goals. The process ends with continuous measurement of the personal-brand equity. In view of the frequent changes in the global employment market, this article contributes to the field in making the linkage between contemporary views on career management and branding theory to allow a better conceptualization of the individual's active role in career development, as well as in providing a valid tool for use by consulting psychologists during the career-development process.