The COVID-19 global pandemic has changed the way people live and work. The digitization already observed in recent years was further accelerated by the consequences brought by the SARS‑CoV‑2 virus. Professionals from different areas and ages were forced to interact with digital tools and platforms to continue their work at a distance. In addition to these changes, the pandemic brought doubts and uncertainties in professional careers. The need for adaptation was, therefore, even more fundamental for professionals worldwide.
Assuming that online personal branding is a valuable strategy for professional differentiation and for attaining a satisfactory career, this qualitative study intended to study different topics within this theme, interviewing individuals from different adulthood life stages.
As one of the first cross-sectional exploratory studies on this topic, to the best knowledge of the author, it was possible to understand the perceptions of different audiences, of different ages, and necessarily at different life stages, and draw valid conclusions regarding online personal brands from a broadcaster and receiver perspective.
The results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic acted as an antecedent to the development of online personal brands, as people intensified their use of digital platforms and tools during that period. Still on the use of digital platforms, the different adulthood life stages indicated that they already used the platforms for professional purposes and were used to follow online personal brands. Being with it, aware of what brings them closer and further away from the brands, the benefits, and challenges of developing this activity. Nevertheless, participants’ perceptions differed according to age.Concerning the relationship of developing an online personal brand as a company employee, the results show that despite all the benefits pointed out to both parties resulting from this activity, this action can trigger tensions. The most significant tension factor pointed out seems to be competition related to the personal brand's operation sector. Finally, regarding the future of online personal branding, the results show that it will tend to grow in the future and will be influenced by the legal and technological restrictions that these platforms and those who use them will be subject to. The preferred communication format of the online personal brand will be video, social networks as the platform of choice to develop the personal brand, and the characteristic that the brand must have to be successful is authenticity.
At the end, the limitations and future avenues for research will be presented
