Your personal brand…
It encompasses everything about you. Your brand is defined by your business cards, portfolio, resumes, cover letters and you.
Personal branding is “how we market ourselves to others.” – Dan Schawbel
For a recent graduate or someone who is still in college, your portfolio, resume, cover letter, and business cards (which you should all have) are items in your toolkit that allow you to sell yourself to a prospective employer. But something else that is part of the toolkit, which you might not have thought of, is
how you present yourself. This isn’t just in what you wear to an interview or what is on your Facebook it is things like how you live and take care of the things around you.
A recent Student Branding Blog post, Connect Your Brand and Way of Life, discusses three characteristics/values, which influence your brand.
Ask yourself these three questions to see if your affecting your personal brand.
Is your apartment in Order or Chaos?
With people coming in and out of your office everyday, you might be more inclined to keep you office tidy. If you keep your office tidy, but your house a mess it can lead to more questions about what type of person you really are.
What type of Quality is your apartment in?
Even if you are a recent grad with no money or living in a college apartment make sure that the environment you are living in is in good quality and not falling apart or infected with bugs.
Do you have Low Self-Esteem or High Self-Esteem?
If you are confident in your self, others will see that and have more confidence in you to get a job done. Come to work dressed like you are ready to work and that you are happy with who you are. If you come dressed as a slob others will think that you don’t care about yourself.
Your image and the place that you live should all reflect the person that you truly are!
Do you agree that the way you dress and live have an impact on your personal brand?
