Last month, I wrote a piece about social media and millennials, a generation that I know all too well. This week I have decided to continue on this millennial viewpoint and share with you my thoughts on personal branding.
As a young adult graduating in the near future, it often seems that the only advice I receive from professors, family members, and friends is to really strength my personal brand.
I often ask myself, “What is my personal brand like? What defines me?”
A few days ago, I was fortunate to attend a presentation by Jason Mollica, who talked about Becoming the CEO of You and answered my questions.
“What does [being a] CEO of You mean?” Mollica asked.
- You are the boss of your brand
- You can be a leader
- You are trustworthy
- You understand your responsibility in the social space
- You are always in control of your social brands
Mollica continued by saying that CEOs of You are trustworthy, honest, transparent, real, and most importantly passionate.
“People want passion they don’t want average.”
I agree with him.
In my own experience, the more passion that I had for a particular job or internship, the more likely I was going to get it. My advice, do something you are passionate about, do something that you truly love. Work doesn’t haven’t to feel like mundane and routine, it can be enjoyable and meaningful.
Mollica ended with a few quick tips for everyone to master their personal brand and become a CEO of You:
- Improve your LinkedIn profile
- Make all of your social network accounts look presentable
- Your blog should impress and not cause distress
- Conduct a personal SWOT analysis and personal audit periodically
Although we as millennials may get tired of hearing the phrase ‘personal branding’, I know it is the most important thing that we can do.
My good friend also attended this public relations conference with me. Prior to arriving, he had spent the necessary time required to improve his personal brand.
One evening we were all eating at a delicious restaurant. He tweeted an Instagrammed picture of himself and his dessert to the company. Before long, he got a reply encouraging him to come back again sometime. Tweets went back and forth, and before long, my friend was asked to send his resume over. Little to say, my friend understood the importance of personal branding.
What are you doing to strengthen your personal brand?
Ethan Parry is a public relations professional who is particularly passionate about social media and its impact on society. Tweet him at @ethanparry3.
