Personal brand: must-have or the Kardashian syndrome at work?

IT seems every man and his dog has a "personal brand" these days. Depending on who you ask, it is regarded either as a shameless, self-promotion tool or a necessity to stand out in today's crowded job market. Or even both.

It's a concept that is especially familiar to millennials who grew up with social media. Thanks to a certain celebrity family who gained infamy from a reality TV show, personal branding - described pejoratively as the Kardashian syndrome - has become synonymous with the search for fame and fortune.

But this is one of the biggest misconceptions, pe…