Build Professional Identity
The pandemic has changed how people view their priorities and their working lives. Many are reappraising: not just their career—but their very identity at work.
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
– George Bernard Shaw
Just a few of the current career issues, impacting both staff and freelance professionals:
- What am I known for? How to tell the story of my various roles?
- Uncertainty about the future, how to navigate the changes?
- Virtual working: effects on recruitment and organisation structure
- Exhaustion, overwhelm, dealing with a bewildering array of choices
- Loss of energy, sense of isolation
- How do I future-proof my career? Prepare for my next role?
- Re-inventing my career for more satisfaction and meaning
- Specific challenges for students and young professionals whose career-development has been impacted by the pandemic
- Over 50s: reinventing a new career






Just a few of the career issues, impacting both staff and freelance professionals:
- What am I known for? How to tell the story of my various roles?
- Uncertainty about the future, how to navigate the changes?
- Virtual working: effects on recruitment and organisation structure
- Exhaustion, overwhelm, dealing with a bewildering array of choices
- Loss of energy, sense of isolation
- How do I future-proof my career? Prepare for my next role?
- Re-inventing my career for more satisfaction and meaning
- Specific challenges for students and young professionals whose career-development has been impacted by the pandemic
- Over 50s: reinventing a new career
Key SWA Insights / Approach
Roles, job-titles and services all change: but your professional identity is yours forever
An enduring identity has three dimensions: Usefulness in the market – Strengths expressed as insights – Alignment with personal values
Self-worth changes how you see each of these dimensions. Most people are stuck in self-esteem mode e.g. preoccupied with their credibility
A clear identity enables you to engage supporters as ambassadors, helping you to unlock new opportunities and changing how you communicate
Services for Independents and Entrepreneurs
A deep sense of self-worth is a rich foundation for a strong professional identity, which in turn informs your career- (and business-) choices and engages others in both leadership and professional settings.


Skills worth learning to advance your career and professional identity
- Turning your strengths into insights: express insights in ways that demonstrate usefulness in the marketplace
- Introducing yourself with impact, making a strong first impression
- Impactful communication in presentations, emails and day-to-day meetings
- Building trust in virtual meetings
- Preparing for reviews by collecting clear evidence of value, not just subjective / arbitrary adjectives or judgements
- Dealing with difficult people, strengthening self-worth
- Building your professional identity so that others can tell your story
- Engaging your supporters as ambassadors: people who can share your story and open doors to opportunities
- Communicating the value of what you do (vs. your methodology, qualifications or experience)
- Building healthy routines for career-development, self-care vs. being overwhelmed by the day job
- Nurturing your resilience and energy: managing stress and anxiety
- Being an effective mentor / leader: a model among peers
The above skills are also useful for students, considering their “pre-professional identity”.
To discuss your next career move in confidence, or a session with your team, book an exploratory individual session with John Niland or one of the other associates.
ABOUT JOHN NILAND


John Niland is a professional speaker, as well as being a coach, author and guest lecturer at universities and professional associations. He works with professionals to be seen and valued in their work, by building a powerful professional identity rooted in self-worth.
Some of his key insights include:
- Energising and re-inventing who we are at work—not just what we do
- Fuelling professional life on self-worth rather than self-esteem
- Leading self and others by developing their professional identity
- Making professional life sustainable and enjoyable, enabling us to work to 75 and beyond
- Raising the value of our work, as the basis of more opportunity and reward
In 2018, he established The Self-Worth Academy, a global network of professionals passionate about promoting self-worth (and self-awareness) as a foundation for life and work.
John is the author of “The Self-Worth Safari”. Previous books include “Hidden Value”, “Opportunity Conversations” and “The Courage to Ask” (co-authored with Kate Daly). He was a co-founder of the European Forum of Independent Professionals and previous CEO of Education for the Children, which works with families in Guatemala to break the cycle of poverty.