Personal branding for college students: Understanding yourself is the first step
Have you ever wondered what your peers, coworkers, managers, or professors think about you? It’s important to understand how your words and actions come off to others. Building your personal brand in your professional and social life can benefit you immensely. Although this is easier said than done, there are some tips and tricks you can implement in your life.
Show Your Strengths
Take time to understand where you excel. What can you contribute to a group? Feel free to write them down. These strengths could include being a strong communicator, team player, organizer, hard worker or leader. After you have a good idea of your strengths, then think back to a time when you were put into a group situation. If the others in the group were to rate you on a skill you consider to be one of your strengths, what would their evaluation say? Having strengths is great; utilizing those strengths is crucial to success.
Know Your Weaknesses
While this may seem negative, knowing your weaknesses will allow you to work to build them into strengths. You want to be able to pick out what you may not be the best at, but what you are working hard to get better at. Everyone has faults, so it is a natural part of life. Though, if you act like you have it all together all the time then that isn’t being honest with your brand. Know your weaknesses and work to build strength in those areas.
Build on What You’ve Got
Look at the list below or find another personality trait list online. First pick out a couple of words you would use to describe yourself. Next choose a couple of words that others may use to describe you. Finally, pick out the words that you would like others to use to describe you. After you have the characteristics you would like to be known for, it’s time to implement them into your everyday life. Take on these traits for a week or two then ask a coworker or friend if they have noticed any changes. This is a great way to keep yourself accountable, while also getting an idea of how you are perceived in the eyes of those around you.
- Adventurous
- Capable
- Confident
- Dependable
- Encouraging
- Fair
- Fearless
- Gracious
- Helpful
- Humble
- Imaginative
- Independent
- Optimistic
- Precise
- Reliable
- Trusting
Understanding yourself is the first step in growing your personal brand. Know the good, bad, and the ugly to truly understand what you are working. Building your brand is important so be yourself, and let your strengths shine throughout your everyday life!
About the author
Sarah Ambuehl
Sarah Ambuehl is a senior at St. Cloud State University studying Marketing with a minor in Global Business. In the future, she would like to work for a non-profit company abroad. Sarah is the Pearson Campus Ambassador at SCSU, and the vice president for the American Marketing Association. For fun, she enjoys spending time with her roommates, painting and traveling whenever possible. Read another blog by Sarah here.
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