All You Need To Know About Branding You. A Student Guide

It’s imperative that you begin branding yourself while in college. When you graduate and you apply for the job you want, you’re going to be up against a lot of competitors. This can be anywhere from dozens to thousands. Maybe even more. Let’s take a look at one example.

The Mindset Route

Let’s say you’re in finance. After graduating, you see an ad on Yahoo Finance where a content provider is looking for a writer. Since this ad is on a site with millions of visitors, you have to assume that you will have some serious competition. This might be intimidating, but here’s a secret about life: It’s all about mindset.

If you eliminate the thought of the number of competitors and make the mental decision that you will get the job, you will get the job. In order to succeed in this example, you might need to write a 4,000-word article on a specific company. Nobody else will think to do that. This is how you obliterate your competition. You do what’s unexpected and go above and beyond expectations. However, this route isn’t for everyone. There is another option.

The Branding Route

This is more of a slow-and-steady approach so you don’t need to write that 4,000-word article when an opportunity presents itself. In order to begin branding yourself, you must first establish your passion. From there, you need to establish a niche within that passion. That is how you stand out because you become an expert on something specific.

If you’re not sure of your own passions, it’s okay. That’s relatively normal when you’re in college. In order to figure it out, ask your friends and family, but pay more attention to your friends because your family might want to steer you in a more fiscally-rewarding direction than your true passion. Your friends will be honest with you.

If you would rather do this on your own because you find it awkward to ask your friends and family about your true passion, think of the top three things you are passionate about right now. As in this instant. Got them in mind? Good. The direction you go in life in regards to your career should relate to one of those three things. Forget about everything else and become laser-focused.

Within those passions, find a specific niche. For example, maybe you like painting outdoor music scenes, creating new coffee blends, or exercising on the beach at sunrise. When you have a niche within your passion, you’re going to create a more dedicated following because you’re going to become an expert.

Once you establish your passion and become an expert, you’re going to be confident in what you’re selling. This is when the opportunities begin rolling in. But before getting ahead of ourselves, you must remember that your reputation is a key element in your branding.

Always be the person that makes others feel good. Never attack, remain poised at all times, and be a strong positive person. In regards to the latter, it means you don’t want to be a pushover but you don’t want to be too blunt either. You want balance. A good way to maintain the right positive attitude is to remember what Jeff Bezos said, “Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

That being the case, do you want those people to say, “She’s really high on herself” or “She really likes to talk about rainbows and unicorns.” Probably not. You want them to say, “She’s such a nice person and a lot of fun to be around.” Or something along those lines.

Begin branding yourself on social media and by going to networking events. Don’t be intimidated by networking events. Everyone gets nervous because they don’t want to embarrass themselves, but everyone settles in comfortably after a few minutes.

Two Important Social Media Tips

If you have any drinking or drug-related posts on your social media accounts, be sure to delete them before applying for a job. They are going to look through your social media before hiring you. You want to display classiness and character. Fun is good too, but healthy fun.

Another important tip is to build your LinkedIn network to 500+ contacts. This simple step will make you look important within your field. All you have to do is send invites. Easiest thing in the world.

Now you know how to brand yourself. It’s going to make a difference.