4 Building Your Personal Brand
Lynn Meade
Building Your Personal Brand
about you on the first page of the results,
that’s your personal brand.
or a bunch of random social media posts,
that too is your personal brand.
Personal branding refers to your public identity. It is a combination of beliefs and feelings that people have about you. Marcos Salazar says, “People tend to think about a personal brand as bragging, self-promotion, and all about yourself, but it’s actually something much more important. It’s your reputation. In other words, it’s how people perceive you.” According to the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
When building your personal brand, you should consider your motivation and intent. Why do you want to build your brand? Who is your audience? What do you want people to say about you when you’re not in the room? Your brand should reflect your strengths, beliefs, and goals.
Watch this thought-provoking video on building your personal brand:
When you are building your portfolio, you are intentionally telling stories that will give people positive impressions about you. Is that impression consistent with other things that they will find about you? For a glimpse into your personal brand, complete this exercise.
Exercises
Let’s look at the whole story that is available about you. Complete these four steps to discover what your current personal brand says about you.
- Pull up a search engine and search for your name. If you have a more common name, search for your name and the state where you are living.
Did you know that many employers and most graduate schools will do an internet search of your name? It is important that you regularly search for your name so that you know what is out there.
- Open up your LinkedIn and imagine you are an employer or graduate school leader, what would your impression be?
When pulling up a LinkedIn, the things that most people notice right away, are the description section under the name and the about me section. Make sure that those are thoughtfully created and consistent with the story you are telling in your portfolio. Once you have completed your portfolio, you may want to add a portfolio link to your LinkedIn profile.
- Open up any of your social media accounts that are public–Instagram, Facebook, X, Pinterest, and imagine you are an employer or graduate school leader, what would your impression be?
- Pull up one of your social media accounts that is public and then hand your phone/computer to your friend. Have them look at it in detail. (yes, this feels creepy and that is a good thing. I want you to feel the discomfort of seeing someone make judgements about you based on what they see). Ask them to notice your pictures, who you follow, who you like, and what you post. Now ask your friend to pretend like they have never met you before and have just looked you up on social media, what would be their first impression?
Employers Are Looking At Your Social Media
Like it or not, employers frequently utilize these platforms as a supplementary tool for candidate evaluation, providing them with insights into an applicant’s character, values, and overall suitability for a given role. Take a look at these numbers from a poll of employers and hiring managers.
- 71% of U.S. hiring decision-makers agree that looking at candidates’ social media profiles is an effective way to screen applicants.
- 70% believe employers should screen all applicants’ social media profiles.
- 67% say they use social networking sites to research potential job candidates.
- 55% have found content on an applicant’s social media that caused them not to hire the applicant.
- 78% of U.S. hiring decision-makers believe employees should maintain a work-appropriate social media profile.
*according to the Harris Poll of over 1,005 employers and hiring managers.
Colleges are Looking Too
- 11% of college registrars and admissions officers denied admission based on social media content.
- 7% rescinded college offers based on social media content.
- Almost three-quarters either monitor social media as part of the admissions decision-making or will review social media brought to their attention.
*American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
Closing
A strong personal brand is consistent across various platforms. It is crucial that you align your personal brand on social media, LinkedIn, and your portfolio to ensure a cohesive, professional, and authentic representation. By building a compelling narrative, and actively managing your brand, you can shape your professional identity and stand out in a competitive world.
Key Takeaways
- Personal branding is your reputation.
- You can influence your branding by being consistent across platforms–portfolio, LinkedIn, and social media.
References
AACRAO (2017). Social Media Monitoring and the Admissions Process
Avery, J & Greenwald, R. (2023). A New Approach to Building Your Personal Brand. Harvard Business Review.
Express Employment Professionals (2020). 71% of Hiring Decision-Makers Agree Social Media is Effective for Screening Applicants.
Jones, B., & Leverenz, C. (2017). Building Personal Brands with Digital Storytelling ePortfolios. International Journal of ePortfolio, 7(1), 67–.
Moody, J. (2019). Why Colleges Look at Students’ Social Media. US News and World Report.
