Personal branding isn't just about a brand, its about you. This means that everything you post online can be leveraged to allow you to stand out to top universities and employers.
Want to know how you can do this? Keep reading!
We were lucky enough to be able to speak to personal branding expert Nik Scott, who has accumulated over 15,000 followers online. She also runs her own exclusive public speaking brand to help women increase their confidence, known as FABB Public Speaking.
We asked Nik about how young women can utilise their own personal brand to their advantage, to stand out to universities and employers, and here is what she had to say..
Nik encourages women, both young and old, to perfect their own personal brand. Photo Credit: Nik Scott
What is a personal brand?
First of all, knowing the definition of a personal brand is certainly helpful, which will help you when it comes to setting up your own! Nik said: "In a nutshell, I would define personal branding as the lasting and repetitive message that you would want people to remember about you, who are you are and what's important to you."
So, in summary, personal branding is how you portray yourself and the impression this creates. Nowadays, this would include how you come across online, since, when you apply for a job, employers may use both the internet and social media to search for your name!
Where do I start?
Now you know what personal branding is, it is probably best to get started with what you should be doing to create the best possible impression of yourself - but how do you do this?
Nik advises to start by setting up your own website. "It's very important that you set up that website because what I would recommend, is that as you go through college and university, is you leverage that website to start to share your achievements, stories and how you got to where you are."
A few examples of these could include if you won an award for a particular achievement, took part in a voluntary programme, or even if you managed to set up a society at university.
Of course, if you have done a lot then you don't need to document it all. You could instead write online about the achievements you feel would most stand out to potential employers.
Don't forget to discuss the key skills you learned from the experience when you write about it either. For example, if you took part in a voluntary programme, you could say that speaking to like-minded people helped enhance your communication skills, ready for the workplace!
Nik has used her personal branding knowledge to help others through workshops and seminars. Photo Credit: Nik Scott
What about social media?
Social media can be utilised to your advantage, and you can do this by thinking about where you want to be a few years down the line, as Nik explains."Be very intentional and purposeful with your social media platforms." She added: "Think about where it is that you see yourself in 3-5 years and start to shape that messaging."
So if you have a certain career goal, don't just wait. Nik advises that you should start to share content that positions you to be in that place already.
For an aspiring writer, this would mean potentially starting a blog and then utilising social media to share links to your pieces. Another example would be if you wish to be a graphic designer, setting up a portfolio website, which showcases your best pieces to employers.
Easy to use website builders that you can start your blog on include Wordpress and Wix.
All of this can land you a place at your dream university, or at your perfect company.
Want to find out more?
If you want to find out more about Nik's background in social media, how you can perfect your own personal brand and even more great examples, then don't forget to pick up a copy of our print edition when it is released!
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