March 19, 2010

How to build a personal brand in five days

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Getting the attention of college students is always difficult, but it's especially hard to do toward the end of March, when basketball overtakes their brains. While it's important for graduating seniors to get serious now about networking for jobs, you can pretty much forget anything moving forward next week as spring begins for UW students and a whole different form of March Madness sets in. (Hoops break: Congrats to the Huskies for surviving a thriller against Marquette yesterday. But what's the deal with all these 13th and 14th seeds messing up my bracket?)

Just because the college kids are otherwise occupied does not mean the rest of us have to let their job-seeking tools sit idle. As part of a program that began at the end of February to help college-age students prepare for the workaday world, auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) launched its Personal Branding Week program.

Designed to last from Feb. 22-26, the PWC program was set up in five separate modules--one for each day of the work week--based on key elements needed for creation of an effective personal brand. Each day, participants would go to a different module to get helpful tips and use interactive worksheets to help build their skills that will make them stand out in the job market. The five elements on the page, including a few sample tips and links to worksheets, are:

Monday: Your Elevator Pitch - Determining a basic introduction to who you are and what you are looking for. Tip: Show your confidence. Many students err on the side of self-deprecation, but even if you're inexperienced, try not to put yourself down.

Tuesday: Your Passion - Having authentic passion is attractive to recruiters and demonstrates commitment and breadth of knowledge. Tip: Say yes more often. Be open to new experiences--assignments, projects, trips, games, trainings, networking events and more.

Wednesday: Your Network - Understanding that your network can begin with one's friends and family is the first step in extending those relationships. Tip: Don't wait until you need a network to build one. It's not something you can borrow the night before you need it. It must be a regular part of your life and activities.

Thursday: Your Online Brand - Having an appropriate online presence can have an impact on future employers and colleagues. Tip: Make sure your social networking profiles are rated PG. Ask yourself: Would you be comfortable with a recruiter looking at any of the content you've posted online? If not, change it.

Friday: Open to Change - Never let yourself become too comfortable or complacent. Volunteer for new projects. Get extra training in your field. Do something every day that can advance your career. Tip: Pay attention to the people you admire in your industry. Scour their online profiles, read their articles, follow their tweets. You can learn a lot by studying and emulating their actions and attitudes.

So why bring this up now that Personal Branding Week is history? PWC has not only left the page on its site, along with the tips and worksheets, it has updated it with links to a Facebook page where many of the students' comments have been published, along with great networking/mentoring contact information.

Much like an Olympics host city that turns the old athletes village into a permanent park, PWC has transformed its Personal Branding Week page into a repository of useful information for all types of job seekers year round. Check out some of the interactive worksheets that are included. Have you tried all of these helpful exercises in your job search?

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.

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brand, networking, social media, volunteer

2 Comments

Design Kompany on March 25, 2010 2:32 PM | Reply

I'd like to add to your list---

Saturday: Be authentic. This is true today more than ever. Sincerity and genuineness win trust more than anything else, and trust is the currency of building solid brands.

Brett Widmann on November 2, 2010 6:54 PM | Reply

Very interesting article. Thanks for sharing.

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