Career Spotlight

By Kathy Craney

On Wednesday, September 30^th I had the opportunity to attend the Career Expo which took place during the Hawk Career Fair.  You didn’t have to attend the Career Fair to attend the Career Expo and there was a lot of information that was useful to all students – all majors – freshman through graduate school.  If you missed it this year, I highly recommend you take advantage of it in the future.

We’ll be talking about information from the different sessions in our blog, so if you did miss it, you’ll be able to get the “condensed version” of the presentations.

Ms. Amy Tews and Ms. Elaine Schultz from M&I did a very nice presentation on “Developing Your Personal Brand”.

What is a personal brand?

• How to distinguish yourself from other smart people
• What makes you different?
• What it takes for you to stand out
• Personal brands are like any other brands
• They show:
  • Good quality product
  • Uniqueness
  • Deliver results

You are the CEO of your own company (you)

• Create a message and strategy to promote “What makes me different?”
  • Quality/Characteristics
  • What am I proud of?
  • What am I known/famous for?

Visibility is the key (ways to distinguish yourself!)

• You don’t sell the steak, you sell the sizzle!
• Volunteer for extra projects at work and/or school
• Teach or coach in the community
• Submit a column to the University Paper
• Attend conferences/activities
• Join student groups and become a leader

Your elevator speech

• Challenge – 15 words or less
• If it doesn’t “grab” you, you’ve got a problem
• Things to consider
  • What have you done lately to stand out?
  • What would your peers say is your biggest strength?
  •  What is your most noteworthy personal trait?
  • Forget the job description – what do you really do?

Consistency is Important

• You must demonstrate your values consistently

What do others think of you? 

• Everyone may see something a little different, but what is the over-all message?
• Everything you do – or choose not to do – communicates the value/characteristics of your brand
  • Email responses
    • Make sure your emails are professional
  • How you answer the phone
  • Being punctual
  • Small things count!
  • First impressions count!
  • Dress for success
  • What does your work area look like?
  • What are your personal habits?
    • Are you on time?
  • What does your body language say when speaking with others?
  • Google yourself to see what comes up
  • Make sure your Facebook (MySpace, etc.) profile projects the image you want

Think about your “Brand”.  What does it say about you?  Do people associate you with quality work or something less?  Do you need to update your brand from the “College” you to the “Professional” you?  No time like the present!

This entry was posted on Monday, October 19th, 2009 at 8:00 am and is filed under Develop Your Personal Brand, Personal Presentation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.