Thinking About Personal Branding

The other day I sat through an exceptional presentation about personal branding for young professionals. It has really gotten me thinking about what my personal brand is and what that conveys. I’m sure many young professionals can identify with me when I say, my brand is currently muddled. It has commitment issues and cannot decide on one career path, my personal brand has tons of interests and reflects that I am a learning and growing human being.

I go through phases when this scares the life out of me.

I have no real idea about what I want to do, I have tons of interests and my skills are not laid out into a wonderful singular pattern that allows me to cookie-cut myself into one position or another. I know many people, especially creatives, do not see this as a flaw. But when my boss asks me, “do you want to stay on the technical side or the project management side of things?” I should probably have an answer.

I do feel bad because I’m sure my bewildered deer-in-headlights expression says it all. My current elevator speech reads something like this:

“Hi my name is Allyson Ditizio and I am a geographer. I’m not sure what I want to do, but I want to love it.”

I am happy to say that I have never been shy about passion. I paint, I write (obviously), I learn, I read, and I exercise. All of these things bring me life. I cannot imagine choosing between project management and technology because I love both. How do I even go about deciding?

A few months ago I listened to a graduate student speaker giving advice on the same topic. She recommended that you sit down and look at all you have done, and discover patterns in your work and skills.

Well, friends, I have to say… that is easier said than done.

But also, as I mentioned before, why is it a bad thing that my personal brand is an enthusiastic learner and young professional with a plethora of experiences from traveling the world, independent research, corporate finance and project management? You’d also think this diversity would make me an asset in the job market.

I am still unsure of this. I currently hold an internship that I am passionate about and I would love to continue in the company, but there is always a chance that will not happen.

What then?

Then I look farther. To be honest, I am scared of what I am going to find then. As I mentioned, I do not fit into a singular cookie cutter position, but rather could fit into many positions and learn. My aptitude for learning is fast and thorough, however, I don’t always think that’s what companies and hiring managers look for.

I know everyone says you learn more on the job than you do in school, and I agree, however you need to be seen and considered by a hiring manager that sees that. It is quite possible that the best personal brand for young professionals with a plethora of skills is one that demonstrates a readiness and aptitude to learn and pursue a career with passion.

Demonstrating that is, obviously, personal and also subjective.

I suppose if you (or I, for that matter) were the right fit in the corporate culture, your personal brand would be enough. This is where perseverance plays a large role — something I learned this past fall is that not everyone is going to like you. When it comes to jobs and resumes, I find that a bit more sensitive and I get offended more easily.

This is definitely ironic because the business of hiring is even more impersonal than friendships or the like, which I have found that I am not particularly phased if you do not like me as a person. This most likely stems from the hard work and personal preference I give myself when thinking about my qualifications. There are a lot of times when I think I am the best person for the job. This is definitely part arrogance, but also part hard work. I am sure a lot of college students and young professionals think similarly. I am also almost positive that as I continue to advance in the working world as well as in age, I will feel differently.

Personal branding is an odd thing, and I am certin that I am going to ask some of my close friends and colleagues about it. It is often something that is plain to others that are not yourself — as though you must stand farther away from the picture to grasp the entire concept that is created from many unique details. It is, however, a beautiful piece of art when you finally see the full picture.

Here’s to developing personal brands, and being both willing and able.